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Confessions of a Criminal Lawyer
A realistic look at the practice of a criminal attorney.
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
About the author
Seymour Wishman
13 books4 followersSeymour Wishman is a legal expert, novelist, playwright, and nonfiction author. Wishman graduated from Rutgers School of Law in 1965 and went on to be an assistant prosecutor in Essex County, a criminal and civil rights lawyer in New York and New Jersey, and a deputy assistant to US President Carter in the Office of Public Liaison. In 1984, he became president of First Run Features. Wishman is the author of the memoir Confessions of a Criminal Lawyer, the nonfiction title Anatomy of a Jury,and the novel Question of Consent.He lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 23, 2013
This was an interesting book about Wishman's moral awakening after 15 years as a defense attorney. I enjoyed his discussion of his crisis of conscience, and I wish he'd ended with a more detailed resolution. He offers some fascinating, but not unexpected, insights into the world of criminal law - people have agendas, court is more of a contest, most defendants are actually guilty ("of something!").
Negatives:
The book written in the early 1980's contains some sexist and racist language that wouldn't be considered PC today. It didn't bother me so much in the mouths of characters in the book, but I was very aware of it in the narration.
Many of the scenes in the book seem clearly designed to be based on some real event, which he leverages into an opportunity to pontificate in a manner that probably isn't very realistic to the actual event. In other words, sometimes the setting and transitions between various memories seems a little clumsily contrived.
Overall, though, a worthy read if you're at all interested in social justice, courtroom drama, or the American Judicial System.
Negatives:
The book written in the early 1980's contains some sexist and racist language that wouldn't be considered PC today. It didn't bother me so much in the mouths of characters in the book, but I was very aware of it in the narration.
Many of the scenes in the book seem clearly designed to be based on some real event, which he leverages into an opportunity to pontificate in a manner that probably isn't very realistic to the actual event. In other words, sometimes the setting and transitions between various memories seems a little clumsily contrived.
Overall, though, a worthy read if you're at all interested in social justice, courtroom drama, or the American Judicial System.
April 22, 2025
I’ve been told I have a fan in my followers section.
So want to give a shout out to them!
So want to give a shout out to them!
February 24, 2019
A first-person account of his time as a criminal lawyer. Wishman writes about everything from jury selection, courtroom theatrics, calculated legal risks, and horrifying cases, all while reflecting on how the experiences with clients, fellow attorneys, and judges impacted and changed him. An in-the-trenches look at the criminal legal system and a candid examination of his legal career.
September 28, 2018
This was an entertaining book but some of the accounts by the author were a little unsettling. He frequently puts down his secretary and even said he would pinch her cheek if he was annoying him. Uh, what?! Besides that craziness his accounts of being a criminal defense lawyer were in insightful. I especially enjoyed reading about how the lawyers would pick jurors.
August 12, 2025
I really liked this book. I was inspired to read it after watching the P-Diddy trial and following to see how criminal law is practiced. I am quite amazed by this book and seeing the perspective of a defense criminal lawyer, which we often mistake as being contemptuous and co-conspiritators as crime.
August 4, 2025
Mixed
I had mixed feelings on this one. The cases cited were not particularly enlightening but served the purpose of providing context for a lawyer’s experience. It was “ok”. Interesting revelations in the last 5 minutes.
I had mixed feelings on this one. The cases cited were not particularly enlightening but served the purpose of providing context for a lawyer’s experience. It was “ok”. Interesting revelations in the last 5 minutes.
March 22, 2013
Thanks to Netgalley for letting me review this book.
I decided to read this one because I'm in school to be a paralegal and one of my teachers is a defense attorney. We always ask him after discussing local gruesome cases how he can defend these people and he gives the answers Seymour did in the beginning of his book. Anyway, it was interesting to read about the criminal justice system from the "dark" point of view and guess what, criminal attorneys have feelings too.
That judge that was a total ass was shocking. Too bad this was before the day of cameras in the courtroom but it sounded like he had plenty to appeal on. What a douche. I enjoyed the author's journey from hard ass to man with a conscience and wondering if this was the right path for him. It must be difficult to be a defense attorney and not let it get to you. I don't know how people do it their entire career and not get jaded. My teacher says all attorneys are assholes, their main job is to curtail their asshole tendencies in social settings. Sounds like Seymour also had difficulties in his personal relationships because of the training he had as an attorney, it stripped some of his humanity and social graces. All in all I thought this book was really interesting and extremely well written although nothing earth shattering.
I decided to read this one because I'm in school to be a paralegal and one of my teachers is a defense attorney. We always ask him after discussing local gruesome cases how he can defend these people and he gives the answers Seymour did in the beginning of his book. Anyway, it was interesting to read about the criminal justice system from the "dark" point of view and guess what, criminal attorneys have feelings too.
That judge that was a total ass was shocking. Too bad this was before the day of cameras in the courtroom but it sounded like he had plenty to appeal on. What a douche. I enjoyed the author's journey from hard ass to man with a conscience and wondering if this was the right path for him. It must be difficult to be a defense attorney and not let it get to you. I don't know how people do it their entire career and not get jaded. My teacher says all attorneys are assholes, their main job is to curtail their asshole tendencies in social settings. Sounds like Seymour also had difficulties in his personal relationships because of the training he had as an attorney, it stripped some of his humanity and social graces. All in all I thought this book was really interesting and extremely well written although nothing earth shattering.
September 3, 2019
Revealing and somewhat self-effacing
This is the sort of book that surprises you as you read it. It is tightly edited but at first seems rather pedestrian. There is the pall of gloom and depression that one would expect from a criminal lawyer's tales of prosecuting and defending clients in Newark, New Jersey. Yet as the pages go by the book gains in power and effect. It's a dirty business, unfair, but one that has to be done and in the end one that we are doing as best we can, perhaps.
Seymour is a card-carrying, bleeding-heart liberal who visited the Soviet Union as a college student in a friendship program in the sixties, a Jew whose father walked halfway across Eastern Europe to immigrate to the US, a man who gets a lot of personal satisfaction from defending the underdogs of society. One of the surprises in the book is how much he reveals about himself that is not positive. Yet he does manage to bottom line it that he is a good guy.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the sensational mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
This is the sort of book that surprises you as you read it. It is tightly edited but at first seems rather pedestrian. There is the pall of gloom and depression that one would expect from a criminal lawyer's tales of prosecuting and defending clients in Newark, New Jersey. Yet as the pages go by the book gains in power and effect. It's a dirty business, unfair, but one that has to be done and in the end one that we are doing as best we can, perhaps.
Seymour is a card-carrying, bleeding-heart liberal who visited the Soviet Union as a college student in a friendship program in the sixties, a Jew whose father walked halfway across Eastern Europe to immigrate to the US, a man who gets a lot of personal satisfaction from defending the underdogs of society. One of the surprises in the book is how much he reveals about himself that is not positive. Yet he does manage to bottom line it that he is a good guy.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the sensational mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
August 14, 2013
This book is at the same time entertaining and insightful. I am a paralegal student and I am currently taking a criminal law class. This book is a nice companion to the textbook, because it offers real life stories and the author does a great job explaining his feelings, reasonings, and the technicalities of his job. I enjoyed reading about his cases, and also his explanations of ethical behavior for lawyers. The public likes to view a criminal lawyer as someone who puts criminals back on the street, and I found it interesting to read about his feelings about the subject. I have attended a seminar by a local criminal lawyer, and he touched on many similar reasonings as the author. This boos can be read by someone who just wants to hear anecdotes about cases, but also offers food for thought for those who want to dig deeper.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Copy provided by NetGalley
March 15, 2014
Quick but deeply insightful read. The hard edge criminal defense attorneys develop is strikingly similar to the one emergency room personnel have. There were a few moments where I laughed out loud, but mostly this was a disquieting view of my spouse- a former criminal defense lawyer.
June 9, 2008
No novel comes close to this amazing description of the real life of a trial lawyer as described by Seymour Wishman. I highly recommend.
September 25, 2017
I loved it. This lawyers attitude though. Everyone should read this. I was surprised how fast I read this. Very smooth.
January 23, 2020
Im a student and am not easily interested in many books or topics, but this book will pull you in like no other. For sure read this if youre into law and psychology.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews