In the Interest of Justice : Great Opening and Closing Arguments of the Last 100 Years

Rating:
Summary: You can't put this book down
Review: In the Interest of Justice is a great book.

I just spent 4 hours on a delayed flight. I am glad I had the book with me. It is a very interesting book, especially for non-lawyers.

Rating:
Summary: A Book of enormous importance to aspiring trial lawyers
Review: One thing that caught my eye is the different ways Jay Goldberg was able to change approaches from that of humor in they Bess Meyerson case to biting summation in a case involving Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. It seems to me few lawyers (if any) are able to recognize that according to Mark Twain "a laughing jury seldom convicts". But then again, you have to have inborn capacity to switch approaches that would result in laughing a case out of court and then approaching another case with complete hostility to an adversaries witness. My kudos go to the author as well as to Mr. Goldberg.

Rating:
Summary: In the Jury Box
Review: Seidemann has chosen excerpts of opening and closing arguments from some of the most important and famous cases of the last century. But thecases were not chosen merely because they are famous; the arguments are often extremely eloquent and moving. Reading these lawyers' arguments trying sway the jury conveys more emotion and makes these cases more immediate and real than any documentary could. It gives a sense of what it must have been like to be in the jury box deciding these cases.

It is interesting to see the different styles the lawyers use. The prosecutors' somber, reverential tone in his opening argument in the trial against Adolph Eichmann contrasts sharply with Gerry Spence's homespun approach in his summation in the Karen Silkwood case, but both lawyers seem to hit the perfect note.

In his commentary, Seidemann, a prosecutor in Manhattan, sets the stage for each case and highlights the strategies and techniques employed. His explanations provide an excellent insight into the lawyer's craft. Surprisingly, this book reads like a novel, but it also provides a unique opportunity to get inside the courtroom and learn 20th century history through these cases.


Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Infomative
Review: Seidemann has compiled a collection of trial transcripts followed by commentary that is at times as masterful and informative as the words of the trial attorneys during the heat of legal battles they faced. This is truly a great book! A very interesting and entertaining read. I highly recommend this book whether one is fascinated by trial work or merely
intrigued by the legal system. You won't be disappointed.



Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: The courtroom is often times the stage for emotional, historical and gut-wrenching drama. Amidst it all are the trial attorneys who bring these paradigms to light. In The Interest of Justice, author Joel Seidemann through his postscript notes of the opening and closing arguments from some of the most celebrated trials of this century, sheds light on the attorneys' abilities during trial and their techniques that made all the differences
in these trials. The author provides the reader with a never before behind the scenes look at the art of being a trial attorney. This book offers an intelligent and experienced commentary on attorneys, their skills and their
trials that consumed the nation.


Rating:
Summary: A++
Review: This book is a must read for any aspiring lawyer and for those who recognize that trials are a microcosm of American society as a whole. Each case deals with not only legal issues, but the underlying societal issues that affected their outcomes.