The Trial Practice Tips Weblog

The Lawyer's Guide to Fact Finding on the Internet

In his post "Some people think Information Technology doesn't matter," Ernest Svenson a/k/a Ernie the Attorney has some good ideas for lawyers gathering facts on the Internet. One of these is Google Groups, which I have also found very useful in my practice.

Ernie also recommends The Lawyer's Guide to Fact-Finding on the Internet, by Carole Levitt and Mark Rosch. According to Ernie, the book, which first led him to Google Groups, also contains "many other great examples of how a lawyer can find useful information on the Internet."

A Trip to the Library

Despite having been free from the burdens of law school for many years, I still like to return every so often to the St. Louis University School of Law to browse the library stacks, particularly the section dealing with litigation. It was this list of books in the trial advocacy section at Penn State's Dickinson School of Law that made me think it's about time to head back to SLU. Last time I was there, I discovered a regularly-updated publication of settlements from around the country. It'll be the first book I look at during my next visit.

Litigation Magazine

No self-respecting trial lawyer can ignore the fabulous Litigation magazine, published by the ABA Section of Litigation. For years, it's raison d'etre has been substantive, timely articles, always written with wit and verve. And hardly ever a footnote!

I'm the proud owner of the three-volume collection of Litigation articles: Pretrial; Trial; and Special Problems and Appeals. Whether at home, the office, or in the library, these books should be consulted frequently and often. They're guaranteed to open your mind to new ideas.

"On Trial," by Henry G. Miller

I stumbled upon On Trial at Barnes & Noble, not a place where you'd expect to find a handy book of tips for trial lawyers. The book's author, Henry Miller, wrote a column about trial advocacy for the New York Law Journal. On Trial is based on these columns, and is concise, witty, and very readable.

Here's a link to Amazon.com's listing of the book's table of contents. Some of the chapter titles: The Forty-Four Most Common Blunders of Jury Selection; Opening--the Twenty-Seven Steps; and Some Do's and Don'ts for Summation.

In a review for the Washington State Bar Association, Thomas J. Greenan also gave the book high marks. ("On Trial: A Treasure Trove for Trial Lawyers").