Lessons from the Trial: The People V. O.J. Simpson - Hardcover

Uelmen, Gerald F.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0836216628 ISBN 13: 9780836216622

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Pub, 1996

Synopsis

Law professor Gerald Uelmen was preparing for sabbatical on June 16, 1994, three days after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, when he got a call from Robert Shapiro, asking him to join in O.J. Simpson's defense. From that day until the reading of the verdict more than a year later, Professor Uelmen was at the epicenter of the trial of the century. His position on Simpson's legal "Dream Team" was unique: He was not only an advocate for his client, but also a teacher and a scholar.
Lessons from the Trial is Professor Uelmen's account of what the Simpson case can teach all of us. He addresses hotly debated legal strategies - from jury selection to Johnnie Cochran's closing arguments - as well as the broader social issues, such as race relations and spousal abuse, that were thrust into the public's consciousness.
For the countless millions who became engrossed by the case. Lessons from the Trial is the perfect book to help gain a fuller understanding of what really happened in the courtroom, and what it all means - for Simpson, for the justice system, and for the country as a whole. Professor Uelmen's legal insight and his insider status allow him to speak with authority where pundits and journalists can only speculate. And his thoughtful, evenhanded approach gives Lessons from the Trial an objective tone that will be difficult to match in books from the other principal players in the case.

About this title

About the Author

Gerald F. Uelmen is a professor and former dean at Santa Clara University School of Law.

From Library Journal

The continuing cornucopia of commentary on the "Trial of the Century" has produced two more books, each shedding illuminating rays of insight onto the Simpson case, albeit from different perspectives. Abramson is a professor of political science and former prosecutor who brings together a collection of essays written by a wide spectrum of contributors, including law professors, prosecutors, historians, political scientists, philosophers, journalists, a former police chief, and a theologian. The essays address the broad social significance of the trial and together form a testimonial to the state of justice and democracy at the national level and their interrelationship in a city struggling to overcome racial division. Perceived shortcomings in the criminal justice system are discussed, as are proposals for reform. The editor fairly presents both sides of controversial issues, such as the role of race, the possibility of jury nullification, the influence of domestic violence, the need for jury reform, and the significance of legal strategies and ethics. Uelmen, on the other hand, speaks with a slant?though not surprisingly since he was a member of Simpson's defense team. In this context, his book is similar to Robert Shapiro's Search for Justice (Warner, 1996), except that Uelmen, a law professor, is able to tap his academic background to provide a more scholarly discussion of the activities of both the defense attorneys and the prosecutors, why they did what they did, and how they perhaps could have done better. Uelmen draws examples from the annals of legal history that a practicing attorney, such as Shapiro, might overlook. Both books are well written, but Abramson gives a more balanced view of events.?Philip Y. Blue, State Supreme Court Criminal Branch Law Lib., New York
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Pub
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0836216628
• ISBN 13: 9780836216622
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 323