Some Recent ABA Publication Announcements June 2008*

Street Legal: A Guide to Pre-trial Criminal Procedure for Police, Prosecutors, and Defenders

By Ken Wallentine
This 396-page book provides specific guidance on pre-trial criminal procedure of all sorts, and explains in understandable terms “what you can do and what you can’t do” under 4th Amendment search and seizure law. From traffic checkpoints and forceful felony arrest, from Miranda warnings to inmate and cell searches, it’s all covered in this concise reference. In addition, numerous charts and guides are included throughout the book to make this as practical a guide as possible.

Vouching: A Defense Attorney’s Guide to Witness Credibility, Law and Strategy

By Donna Lee Elm
This one-of-a-kind book supplies all you need to know about the sometimes misunderstood concept of “vouching”. In fifteen chapters you’ll find the topic of vouching covered from every angle, backed up with relevant case citations whenever applicable. You’ll discover when it’s permissible, and when it’s prohibited. You’ll get a cleared picture of where the illusive grey areas lie, and learn to recognize when it’s been crossed. If you are a trial lawyer, prosecution or defense, you need this book to help establish your expertise in the sometimes confusing area of vouching.

The Litigation Manual: Jury Trials
Weyman I. Lundquist and Alyson Pytte, Editors ——————————————————————————–

The Litigation Manual has been valued as much for its refreshing style as its practical, how-to approach. This addition to The Litigation Manual library focuses on jury trials. The book includes the most useful articles from Litigation journal, taking you through the steps of a jury trial. The book provides concrete, time-proven techniques and innovative ideas from many of the country’s preeminent trial lawyers and judges. And it contains some of the best legal writing available — clear, informal and never dull. Read it and you will learn how to deal more effectively with the situations you face in preparing for and conducting a jury trial. Topics include:

· Understanding Today’s Jurors
· Finding the Jurors You Want
· Instructing the Jury
· Winning Over the Jury
· Telling the Jury a Story
· Opening Statements
· Witnesses
· Complex Cases
· Closing Arguments

The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law
By Mark Herrmann
“Funny” — “Clever”– “Insightful”– “Great read”

When the Curmudgeon speaks, pay attention. He will make you a better lawyer. He offers practical and honest, if blunt, advice for surviving and thriving in a law firm. Read the Curmudgeon and find out what drives law partners crazy, what will impress them and what ten mistakes you should avoid. Concise, humorous and full of valuable (but curmudgeonly) insight, this is a must-read for every lawyer and law student.

Science for Lawyers
By Eric Y. Drogin J.D., Ph.D.
Science for Lawyers clearly explains and discusses 13 applied scientific disciplines in jargon-free language that is specifically geared toward lawyers. The book explores the definitions (what is science), the practice (what scientists do) and the professional roles (what ethical guidelines influence scientists) of 13 professional disciplines.

With dozens of photos, figures, graphics and artwork, the book covers these subjects in terms that are not only easy to understand, but fascinating to read.
Listen to Eric Y Drogin J.D., Ph.D. discuss why lawyers need a scientific primer

The Creative Lawyer: A Practical Guide to Authentic Professional Satisfaction
By Michael F. Melcher
The Creative Lawyer is a self-help and career-management book for lawyers of all levels of experience. Written by Michael Melcher, one of America’s leading career coaches who is himself an attorney, the book is a step-by-step method for imagining and realizing your path to personal and professional satisfaction.

Brilliantly written, consistently practical, and filled with scores of illuminating exercises, The Creative Lawyer is the book you need to rethink your definition of success.

Never Enough: One Lawyer’s True Story of How He Gambled His Career Away
By Michael J. Burke
“I heartily recommend this book for every lawyer in America and to anyone whose life is being sadly touched by a loved one undergoing an addiction of any kind.”
–John W. Reiser, President, Washtenaw County Bar Association, Ann Arbor, Michigan”

Never Enough is the shocking, true story of Michael J. Burke, who went from being a successful lawyer, loving father and husband, and respected member of his community to a closet alcoholic and gambling addict to the tune of $1,600,000.00, using his client’s trust account funds. It’s is a succinct, powerful book that will open your eyes to the reality of gambling and alcohol addiction and what it can do to any professional’s life — even in the happiest and most successful of situations.
____________________________________ * All of the above descriptive material was prepared by ABA Publishing unless otherwise noted. Although all of the above information is from recent ABA announcements, some of the books noted have also appeared in previous announcements from ABA Publishing.