Legally Speaking: 40 Powerful Presentation Principles Lawyers Need to Know

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Summary: Legally Speaking from a Harvard Law student's perspective
Review: As I prepared for my first year at Harvard Law School I was well aware of the Socratic method of teaching and the fear it generated in law students across the country. Harrowing tales from Turow's One-L and The Paper Chase did not help my fear of speaking in class. However, I received a copy of David Dempsey's Legally Speaking as a gift over the summer, and it has helped me immensely in my classroom performance. After reading (and rereading) Dempsey's guide, I developed the ability to master my fear of public speaking and excel even under the harshest of Harvard Law's socratic instructors. I highly recommend this book to any law student, and I anticipate that it will be equally helpful when I graduate and enter the real world.

Rating:
Summary: Legally Speaking from a Harvard Law student's perspective
Review: As I prepared for my first year at Harvard Law School I was well aware of the Socratic method of teaching and the fear it generated in law students across the country. Harrowing tales from Turow's One-L and The Paper Chase did not help my fear of speaking in class. However, I received a copy of David Dempsey's Legally Speaking as a gift over the summer, and it has helped me immensely in my classroom performance. After reading (and rereading) Dempsey's guide, I developed the ability to master my fear of public speaking and excel even under the harshest of Harvard Law's socratic instructors. I highly recommend this book to any law student, and I anticipate that it will be equally helpful when I graduate and enter the real world.

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Summary: Persuasive advice for lawyers
Review: In Legally Speaking, Mr. Dempsey has created an invaluable guide for lawyers, and I suspect non-lawyers, who need to make presentations to small or large groups. His observations about the art of persuasion are both amusing and insightful. As Dempsey makes clear, talking is not the same as presenting. His focus on "making your case" gets right to the heart of what lawyers do for their clients. Dempsey really wants you to win your audience over and tells you quite clearly how to achieve that goal. Dempsey's comprehensive approach (40 principles!), covers every aspect of lawyers' presentation skills, but still leaves you with one unanswered question: "Can you do a book for non-lawyers?"

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Summary: This book actually deserves 10 stars!
Review: Legally Speaking is a book that is almost too good to be true. Its information for masterful presentations provides breadth, depth, and enormous practical application. What's more, it is easy to read. The book is an excellent resource for anyone who needs to be a more effective communicator. David Dempsey has done an excellent job of laying out his outline in the contents. It is very easy to quickly turn to the information that is most needed in a given moment.
Time after time, we hear popular voices, celebrity voices, and our own voices saying that speaking is an unresolved fear. David Dempsey provides such useful, detailed information and sincere encouragement through his anecdotes that readers will be looking forward to their next opportunity to speak. This book isn't an expense; its an invaluable investment.

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Summary: The Only Presentation Skills Book You'll Ever Need
Review: The only thing I don't like about "Legally Speaking: 40 Powerful Presentation Principles Lawyers Need to Know" is that I didn't write it. I count it among the top five reference books I own. Don't be fooled by the title: this book isn't just for lawyers - it's for anyone who wants to be a better presenter. It is tightly written, yet packed with helpful tips on everything from how to organize a speech, to how to master a Q&A session, to how to gesture with conviction, to how to use your voice and everything in between. Whether you're preparing your first speech or about to deliver the one that can change your life, this book will help ensure you do it right. The format is perfect for quick reference. Dempsey effectively uses bullets, short sentences, summaries and a killer index to help you find exactly what you need, especially if you're in a hurry. My copy is already dog-eared and I've been speaking professionally for years! As an added bonus, Dempsey is a terrific storyteller and isn't shy about exposing the mistakes he has made along the way to becoming a great speaker. I've had the opportunity to hear him speak, so I know he practices what he preaches. There's a lot to learn from this author!

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Summary: A Must Have Book!
Review: Where was this book when I was in law school? This is an exceptional overview of not only the tools but also the techniques attorneys so desperately need to communicate clearly. Dempsey not only tells you what you need to know to communicate concisely and with clarity (something far too few attorneys do) but he gives you practical advice you can immediately implement to enhance your speaking skills, regardless of the amount of speaking you do, or where you do it. The writing is engaging, entertaining and highly informative. There are hundreds of ideas and examples for every attorney. This should be required reading in for every law student and lawyer regardless of how often they speak-we need to do a better job and this book shows us how. This is the essential guide, written by an attorney for attorneys. Buy it now!