Day in Court; Or, The Subtle Arts of Great Advocates

The purpose of this work is to give the general reader and young people who want to become successful lawyers some practical knowledge about the art of great defenders in the search for truth; also indicate the methods by which they charm and convince both the court and the jury and win them over to their side in the dispute. Much of the material in this book was originally lectured and was read last spring at Fordham University at the request of one Supreme Court justices and later that year at Columbia University. Originally written without any idea of publication, these pages are naturally far from being a scientific treatment of the subject; and perhaps fortunately, because they might otherwise have been consulted from time to time, but rarely read. They are published in a slightly modified form in response to numerous requests from friends both in the profession and beyond. The author declares a waiver of any originality, be it the subject matter or, in some cases, the way of expression in the chapters concerning the mental and physical qualities of a lawyer. This topic was considered very important and was discussed in detail by English writers a century ago, but as far as I know, any American writer mentioned it only by accident. The writer is aware of the complexity of his task; but by giving hints and suggestions such as those drawn from his own experience after many years of working in our courts, and heaping these suggestions with concrete examples and illustrative anecdotes that are often of more lasting value than the clearest discussions without clarifying examples, he believes that the results will be at least useful, if not entertaining, for anyone who may have the opportunity to use similar methods to achieve truth and justice in any area of human endeavor.