Mistrial

Mistrial
Author: Mark Geragos
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2013-04-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1101595019

A searing and entertaining manifesto on the ills of the criminal justice system from two of America’s most prominent defense attorneys. From the rise of the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle to the television ratings bonanza of the O.J. Simpson trial, a perfect storm of media coverage has given the public an unprecedented look inside the courtroom, kicking off popular courtroom shows and TV legal commentary that further illuminate how the criminal justice system operates. Or has it? In Mistrial, Mark Geragos and Pat Harris debunk the myths of judges as Solomon-like figures, jurors as impartial arbiters of the truth, and prosecutors as super-ethical heroes. Mistrial draws the curtain on the court’s ugly realities—from stealth jurors who secretly swing for a conviction, to cops who regularly lie on the witness stand, to defense attorneys terrified of going to trial. Ultimately, the authors question whether a justice system model drawn up two centuries ago before blogs and television is still viable today. In the aftermath of recent high-profile cases, the flaws in America’s justice system are more glaring than ever. Geragos and Harris are legal experts and prominent criminal defense attorneys who have worked on everything from celebrity media-circuses—having represented clients like Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder, Scott Peterson, Chris Brown, Susan MacDougal, and Gary Condit—to equally compelling cases defending individuals desperate to avoid the spotlight. Shining unprecedented light on what really goes on in the courtroom, Mistrial is an enjoyable, fun look at a system that rarely lets you see behind the scenes.

Mistrial

Mistrial
Author: Mark Geragos
Publisher: Avery
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2013-10
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1592408443

A searing manifesto on the ills of the criminal justice system from two of America's most prominent defense attorneys.

Model Rules of Professional Conduct

Model Rules of Professional Conduct
Author: American Bar Association. House of Delegates
Publisher: American Bar Association
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2007
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9781590318737

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Mistrial of the Century

Mistrial of the Century
Author: Tracy Kennedy
Publisher: NewStar Press
Total Pages: 328
Release: 1995
Genre: Law
ISBN:

Tracy Kennedy served as a juror in the trial of O.J. Simpson. Dismissed from the Jury by Judge Lance A. Ito on March 17, 1995, Kennedy was at last able to walk away from the famed trial that has kept an entire nation spellbound. In Mistrial of the Century - A Private Diary of the Jury System on Trial, Tracy and his wife Judith, for the first time, recount their experiences as a part of one of the biggest legal battles in history. In Mistrial of the Century - A Private Diary of the Jury System on Trial, Kennedy finally discloses exactly what life was like for the couple in the days leading up to the trial, and how it differed so much from their expectations. In an up close and personal style, each of the Kennedys then reveals in detail what happened during the trial and sequestration, a sequestration that turned the lives of a normal, happily-married couple into an emotional hell. Finally, the book investigates the Kennedys' lives after Tracy's eventual dismissal from the jury, delving into the immense psychological impact the "Trial of the Century" has had on this couple and how they have chosen to deal with it.

Who Killed Betty Gail Brown?

Who Killed Betty Gail Brown?
Author: Robert G. Lawson
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2017-11-24
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 0813174643

On October 26, 1961, after an evening of studying with friends on the campus of Transylvania University, nineteen-year-old student Betty Gail Brown got into her car around midnight—presumably headed for home. But she would never arrive. Three hours later, Brown was found dead in a driveway near the center of campus, strangled to death with her own brassiere. Kentuckians from across the state became engrossed in the proceedings as lead after lead went nowhere. Four years later, the police investigation completely stalled. In 1965, a drifter named Alex Arnold Jr. confessed to the killing while in jail on other charges in Oregon. Arnold was brought to Lexington, indicted for the murder of Betty Gail Brown, and put on trial, where he entered a plea of not guilty. Robert G. Lawson was a young attorney at a local firm when a senior member asked him to help defend Arnold, and he offers a meticulous record of the case in Who Killed Betty Gail Brown? During the trial, the courtroom was packed daily, but witnesses failed to produce any concrete evidence. Arnold was an alcoholic whose memory was unreliable, and his confused, inconsistent answers to questions about the night of the homicide did not add up. Since the trial, new leads have come and gone, but Betty Gail Brown's murder remains unsolved. A written transcript of the court proceedings does not exist; and thus Lawson, drawing upon police and court records, newspaper articles, personal files, and his own notes, provides an invaluable record of one of Kentucky's most famous cold cases.

We, the Jury

We, the Jury
Author: Greg Beratlis
Publisher: Phoenix Books
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2007-01-01
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 161467163X

We, the Jury is the dramatic story of seven jurors, who convicted Scott Peterson of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner, despite a series of internal battles that brought the first major murder trial of the 21st century to the brink of a mistrial. The Peterson jurors argued and disagreed but eventually bonded to seal the fate of the icy killer who dumped his victims into the bullet-gray waters of San Francisco Bay. The seven jurors of We, the Jury were seven average Americans who never imagined the horrors they would face or the phantoms that would haunt them after they convicted the enigmatic murderer and recommended that he be put to death. This is the story of how the American jury system worked after being battered by critics for the way it functioned in the trials of O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson. Unlike the jurors in those trials, who second-guessed themselves, the Peterson jurors do not question their decisions. It wasn’t one thing that condemned Scott Peterson, it was everything.

The Runaway Jury

The Runaway Jury
Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2010-03-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 030757606X

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Every jury has a leader, and the verdict belongs to them. They are at the center of a multimillion-dollar legal hurricane: twelve men and women who have been investigated, watched, manipulated, and harassed by high-priced lawyers and consultants who will stop at nothing to secure a verdict. Now the jury must make a decision in the most explosive civil trial of the century, a precedent-setting lawsuit against a giant tobacco company. But only a handful of people know the truth: that this jury has a leader, and the verdict belongs to him. He is known only as Juror #2. But he has a name, a past, and he has planned his every move with the help of a beautiful woman on the outside. Now, while a corporate empire hangs in the balance, while a grieving family waits, and while lawyers are plunged into a battle for their careers, the truth about Juror #2 is about to explode in a cross fire of greed and corruption—and with justice fighting for its life. Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!

Mistrial of the Century

Mistrial of the Century
Author: Tracy Kennedy
Publisher: Phoenix Books
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2011-12-18
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1614670803

Who suffered more during the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, the defendant or the jury? Juror Tracy Kennedy and his wife Judith suggest the latter. They present their lives during the trial and sequestration - which turned the lives of a normal happily married couple into a public nightmare. The story follows Kennedy through being dismissed from the jury to offer an in-depth look at the trial's continued tremendous impact on their lives. If you think you dread jury duty now, wait until you hear this disturbing and fascinating story.