Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44209 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 412 pages

Synopsis
I presume it is the experience of every author, after his first book is published upon an important subject, to be almost overwhelmed with a wealth of ideas and illustrations which could readily have been included in his book, and which to his own mind, at least, seem to make a second edition inevitable. Such certainly was the case with me; and when the first edition had reached its sixth impression in five months, I rejoiced to learn that it seemed to my publishers that the book had met with a sufficiently favorable reception to justify a second and considerably enlarged edition. The book has practically been rewritten, so important are the additions, although the first few chapters have been left very much as they were...

Customer Reviews

A Masterpiece
Twenty years ago as a young lawyer I tried a case with one of my firms partners, who was in his eighties. He let me try the case, and we received a rather just decision from the court. I was quite proud of myself, only to learn from my boss that the senior partner felt that my style of cross examination was ineffective at best.

I determined to learn all I could about effective cross examination. The first book I read was also the last- Wellman's The Art of Cross Examination. Although the book was writen around the turn of the century, it contains a treasure trove of illustraions about different kinds of cross examination. How to Cross Examine the Hostile Witness, the Lying Witness , the scientific Witness, the Truthful Witness (the hardest job of all)

The book is a true today as it was 95 years ago.

An insider describing what is all about.
It is not often such as honest description of what cross examination is about and how it is performed is given. I would particularly recommend this book to Medical Doctors who so often recently, end up in the witness box and quickly get 'torn apart' by Barristers after a few masterful strikes. This book is much more useful and fun to read when you compare it to the ones recommended by Medical Journals; these books usually tell you a few tips on how to dress up and prepare for the court but nothing substantive on the ‘insights’ of the process.

One man's quest to publicise his own brilliance...
I read this six months ago and don't remember the finer details of this book.

I'm a barrister. I got this book, eager to pick up skills on how to cross examine witnesses better, when in court.

I found the book was more or long/boring narrative of this particular mans great moments in court. He spends a while setting the context of the case, and then tells us how he caught his witness in a trap. The book does what it says - shows some cross examination techniques, but it seems to me that it could have done it in a more academic and accessible way.

This is not the sort of book which sets out in a structure way which is easily accessible at a moments notice, techniques of cross examination. If you had a particular case, and you were trying to think of ways to cross examine a witness, you couldn't dip into this book and find a suggestion. The tip you were looking for would be lost somewhere in the book's prose.

I recommend a book whose author I forget; "Cross Examination in Criminal Trials". It's about £30 brand new (not worth that much), but you can get the old edition cheaper or borrow it from the library.