McElhaney's Trial Notebook, Third Edition

I bought this book when I first graduated law school 15+ years ago and it has been very helpful. I just bought two more copies to give away to friends preparing for there first big case. They both loved the book.

This book contains a wide variety of articles that were written by James McElhaney for the American Bar Association's Litigation journal over the years. He dispenses a tremendous amount of wisdom collected from his own experience and that of other lawyers. McElhaney covers almost every conceivable subject for the trial lawyer. What I particularly enjoyed is that there are ninety chapters that are easily accessible because they are usually only six or seven pages long. For instance, he has an enlightening chapter on trial practice that every lawyer must read. He covers the following: how to keep the client happy, getting rid of cases you have that have turned out "to be dogs," how to get along with judges, trying to settle cases, and deciding when it is time to leave your firm. In short, this book is filled with superb tips, anecdotes, and many war stories that make the pages turn very quickly.

I bought this book some time ago and refer to it often when preparing for trial, or otherwise when time permits. Having been a criminal trial lawyer for over 18 years, this book still teaches me things that I either didn't know, or that I learned and had forgotten. It is easy to read and very helpful.

McElhaney's book contains all of the guidance one needs in order to prepare for trial. From practical guidance for organizing materials to inspirational passages on the formation of the theory of the case and argument, this book has it all. I prefer it to the Mauet book.

This book was suggested to my Advanced Trial and Evidence class in lawschool. I decided to pick up a copy to see if it would really be worthwhile for my future practice since I want to litigate. It is excellent from what I have read so far. Many of us were shown or told how to do or say certain things in pretrial and trial litigation class. This book is not only a good reminder, but it has many other practical and entertaining ideas that I'm sure to use in my future practice. A "must have!"