The Devil's Advocates: Greatest Closing Arguments in Criminal Law

by Michael S. Lief

The Final Volume in a Must-Have Trilogy of the Best Closing Arguments in American Legal History

In The Devil's Advocates , Michael S. Lief and H. Mitchell Caldwell turn to the dramatic crimes and trials of criminal law. The eight famous cases in this riveting collection have set historical precedents and illuminated fundamentals of the American criminal justice system. Future president John Adams illustrates the principle that even the most despised and vilified criminal is entitled to a legal defense in the argument he delivers on behalf of the British soldiers who shot and killed five Americans during the Boston Massacre. Clarence Darrow provides a ringing defense of a black family charged with using deadly force after defending themselves from a violent mob - an argument that refines the concept of self-defense. And perhaps the best-known case is that of Ernesto Miranda, the accused rapist whose trial led to the critically important Miranda decision, which underpins procedure at every criminal arrest.

Each case presented is given legal and cultural context, including a brief historical introduction, biographical sketches of the attorneys involved, highlights of trial testimony, analysis of the closing arguments and a summary of the trial's impact on its participants and our country. In clear, jargon-free prose, the authors make these pivotal cases come to vibrant life for every reader.

Genres: Law, Nonfiction, Legal, Crime, Audiobook, History, Politics

448 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2006

Reviews

[Jim Winkelman]

I love this series! ("And the Walls Came Tumbling Down & Ladies And Gentlemen Of the Jury") You don't have to love law as they are as much about history and the development of life standards in US. Is life always fair? No, but here are some of our more eloquent speaker who made us think about the true definition of justice and re defining the social norm.

[Catlaina]

While I did enjoy select chapters of the book, the authors clearly tend to lean a little bit too much to the left when describing the cases. One of the hallmarks of a fair trial is to be innocent until proven guilty -- but the authors let you know the outcome before you even know all of the facts. Also, in some cases there is too much copying and pasting from court transcripts. However, when narrative exists it is quite good and I also thoroughly enjoy how they explain what happened to the defendant after the case has concluded.

[Mark Mears]

Very informative.

The flow of the text was great, meaning while legal stuff is normally like watching paint dry, this is fascinating. The brilliance of the attorneys, and the far-reaching magnitude of the decisions are brought home very well.

Except for the decision read of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. I am a fan, but it was painful to listen to, and probably didn’t help that it seemed a miscarriage to let Burr go. Which did the courtesy to prove later.

Excellent read (listen). Worth the time!

[Alex Black]

This is the third book of a trilogy about law cases that have shaped American law, with a specific focus on the closing arguments. It was fascinating. I loved hearing about the cases they picked and the variety was great. I loved reading the closing arguments. I loved learning about how legal arguments have changed and how very common modern day practices came to be.

I think the authors did a fantastic job with both choosing the cases to discuss and actually discussing them. It was brilliant. It was fascinating. I adored every second I was reading it. It's also written in a very easy to read way. You don't need to know anything about the law to be able to enjoy this. I certainly don't, but I loved all three books in the series.

Highly recommend and I'm mostly just sad I've read them all. I'll be doing rereads of these for sure.

[Shawn McCormick]

4.7 Excellent! What stood out to me most was how deliberately the cases were chosen—not just for their historical importance, but for the closing arguments that helped define them. Looking at cases like Miranda, Ruby Ridge, and the Sweet self-defense case really drove home how influential individual legal minds such as Clarence Darrow and Chief Justice Earl Warren have been in setting precedents that continue to shape the present and future of America’s justice system. The book makes a convincing argument that the law evolves not only through rulings and statutes, but through the people persuasive enough to change how those rulings are understood.

[Hemanth]

The author does a great job of context setting for each case. However, some cases discussed are old and hence, do not pique the interest of those who read it from a purely jurisprudential view point. If the Author had at-least analysed the forensic or oratorial skills of the lawyers, it would have added great value to the reader.

[Ashley]

Very interesting content. The title was slightly misleading, as this book primarily seemed to focus on landmark criminal cases in the country’s history. The case summaries were well-done and it kept my interest.

[Ali]

I enjoyed only 2 cases: Mapp v. Ohio and Miranda v. Arizona. The others were in the Founding Fathers' time or older and not as interesting or relevant.

[Dawn]

Loved this book! It may just be the nerd in me but I really enjoyed reading this book. It reviews the closing arguments of 8 high profile criminal cases. The cases range from the 1800's until today. The authors provide a lot of background and detail about each case and why the closing argument was so good. I learned a lot and the authors do a good job of making the cases as simple as possible and as fun to read as possible. If you like court history you will love this book!

[Vickie]

A fairly good collection, including the defense closing from the accused Ruby Ridge shooters' trial, and the transcript of the appellate arguments in the Miranda case. I like to use these books to get ideas for my own closing arguments.

[Mark Nicholson]

I highly recommend this book. I listened to the audible version and the voice actors were top notch. I had no idea of some of the stories behind the legal history in our country. This is a book everyone interested in law, justice or just good true stories should read/listen.

[Dru]

I’m very wary of nonfiction books that don’t site any sources.

[Chris]

Read the last chapter on Aaron Burr, it's awesome! (shameless self-plug...)

[Emily]

So some one stole this audio book out of my car. So I think i may be stuck in the middle of it for a very long time.

[Heather]

Interesting history, but very long winded.

[John-Nathan]

on pg 10.

[Sharon Dotson]

Written to sell. That's a good thing.

[Susan (the other Susan)]

Wow.

[Ben]

Very informative as a story book. But I am only wondering why the author organize the cases in this particular order. And the lack of ANY reference renders this book useless in and serious uses.

[Penelope]

Terrific presentation of landmark legal arguments including actual transcripts read by good voice actors. Clear, well presented and riveting. Highly recommend.