Courtroom: The Story Of Samuel S. Leibowitz

This exciting read, "Courtroom" was the first Quentin Reynolds book I read and what a thrill to read. In the preface you are set up to read a biography of the incomparable Judge Samuel S. Leibowitz as told by one of the finest storytellers of his time. Reynolds is no Jimmy Olson here. As he explains, he was educated for law, but hunted stories of great human interest instead. For here is one of the most successful criminal lawyers(master of cross-examination) in the third person (at times) recounting his landmark cases when they are not taken verbatim from the transcripts depicting the marks of an exceptional attorney pursuing justice, no matter the client, who can be Al Capone, Richard Hauptmann or John Doe. The writing is crisp and suspenseful through sharp editing, proceeding quickly from crime to courtroom with superb mastery. Then Reynolds follows quickly with petty thieves, burglars, or nobodies, from the heartbreaking to the shocking, all to explain another point of law. Soon you are back on the trail of justice for the Scottsboro nine.(That landmark case alone sealed Leibowitz's greatness)Then another case and another until the Lindbergh kidnapping and trial of Hauptmann. All along you get schooled in points of law and procedure. When you finish these courtroom tales with your heart pumping, you get to calmly enjoy a discussion with the great judge who takes the time to enlarge upon justice and his lifetime pursuit of truth, the makings of a criminal lawyer and so on that makes this read uniquely enjoyable and one for the shelves.

Quentin Reynolds is my favorite aouthro

This is a great book, it is timeless. I read it when I was a teenager as a gift from my dad who specialized in criminal law. I'm an engineer (nothing to do with law) but I still love it and bought it again now in my 40+. I highly recommed this book, I ended up returning the paperback version because the binding is poor and bought a used hard cover.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The reasons why:-Well written. Hard book to put down. You want to know what's happening next.-Great insight into early 20th century America. Almost like a history textbook in that sense.-Leibowitz is a mesmerizing figure to read about.-Parts of it are very much a feel-good story.

This book was well written, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys real courtroom criminal trials. Samuel S. Leibowitz was one of the greatest trial lawyers in the last century. His sharp mind, diligent preparation, and courage set the gold standard for trial lawyers forever.