The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win

by Joel P. Trachtman

Unfortunately, greater preparation can also make the weaker argument appear the stronger.

Lawyers break legal questions down into components, or elements, of a crime or of a claim, and then analyze each component separately.

There is no more satisfactory feeling than to do your homework, lay out the arguments, and have your opponent concede that he cannot honestly hold back your tsunami of argument. Where your arguments are this good, it is often strategically advisable to lay them out in detail, even though doing so gives your opponent a chance to respond.

There are two types of knowledge that are important in law: knowledge of facts and knowledge of law.