A few months ago, I received a complimentary copy of the book Your Witness-Lessons on Cross Examination and Life From Great Chicago Trial Lawyers edited by Steven Molo and James Figliulo, from Carrie Wallick, Assistant Publicist, Planned Television Arts, and published by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

Here’s the description that I received from Carrie about the book: “This new book is a collaborative work featuring fifty of Chicago’s best trial lawyers and the various secrets, tips, and lessons that they have acquired throughout their time in the court room.

Acting as storytellers, these lawyers deliver a riveting and comprehensive look into the dramatic, and sometimes dirty, world of law. Your Witness combines the city of Chicago and the art of cross-examination in a way that is guaranteed to educate both lawyers and non lawyer alike.

Steven is the editor of Your Witness and a powerhouse trial lawyer and partner with Sherman & Sterling, LLP. He handles a broad array of complex civil litigation and white collar criminal matters throughout the United States.”

Here’s my review:  In short, this is the best book on cross examination that I’ve ever read.  It should be required reading for law students and beginning trial practitioners alike.

It’s engaging, actually it’s intense, well organized and thorough.  It’s not only a fantastic cross examination book, but as the title implies, it’s a great book on human nature itself.  It’s quite remarkable how each attorney weaves their views and observations of human nature, gained from actual cross examinations that they’ve conducted, with trial preparation and how to conduct successful witness examinations.

One of the great aspects of Your Witness is that there are 50 chapters from 50 attorneys, and each chapter is about 4 pages.  The longest chapter is 10 pages.  It’s a cross examination guide for the Wii generation.

It’s organized into logical sections such as attacking experts, using exhibits, preparing for cross, undermining sympathetic witnesses and using the other side’s witness as your own.

Hopefully, potential readers, who shouldn’t be just lawyers and law students, but people interested in applied psychology, business and various strata of society, such as the Mafia (who take up a few chapters), the medical profession and government, won’t be put off by this book being written by Chicago lawyers.  Readers should really just enjoy the observations of these expert witness examiners and artists of cross examinations.  In this context, location is really irrelevant.