The Trial Lawyer's Art
How can you tell the difference between a snake that's been run over and a lawyer who has met the same fate? There are skid marks in front of the snake. Folklorist Schrager suggests that today's antipathy for the legal profession stems from our cherishing the ideal that the evidence will determine a person's guilt or innocence while at the same time recognizing that it is often the lawyer's performance that tips the scales of justice. Further, Schrager contends that the jury trial, a kind of ritual verbal combat, demands compelling performances from attorneys if they are to win. He draws from fieldwork in Philadelphia courtrooms, interviews with lawyers, and mock court battles at the 1986 Festival of American Folklife to create a fascinating portrait of the attorney as storyteller and performer. Recommended for popular legal collections.AJim G. Burns, Ottumwa, IACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.