DALLAS (October 24, 2017) – An invaluable A-to-Z lawyers’ guide to courtroom preparation and strategy entitled “On the Jury Trial: Principles and Practices for Effective Advocacy,” is being released this month by University of North Texas Press. The book – written by leading Texas trial lawyer and Winston & Strawn Dallas Managing Partner Tom Melsheimer and respected Texas Judge Craig Smith – spells out the do’s and don’ts of jury selection, witness preparation, opening statements, jury research, and more. Providing a fly-on-the-wall insight into world-class trial preparation and strategy, the book serves as a combination of advice, illustration, and commentary for litigators. In an age when the jury trial is vanishing, I think a book such as ours is a must-read, said Tom. To preserve the jury trial, we must preserve the skills involved in trying a case effectively and efficiently. Judge Smith and I wrote this to add to that effort. Veteran trial lawyers whose comments appear on the book’s jacket laud the work for its down-to-earth advice, illustration and commentary, as Tom and Judge Smith take readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the inner workings of the judicial process.

Real-world, real-life insights. A book that every lawyer should read, said Michael E. Tigar, author of Persuasion:
The Litigator’s Art and Examining Witnesses.

I will definitely order a copy of this book for every associate in my firm and recommend that others do so too, said Steve Susman of Susman Godfrey L.L.P. Before being elected to the 192nd District Court in Dallas County in 2006, Judge Smith was an accomplished trial lawyer for more than 25 years. As a judge, he was honored as Trial Judge of the Year by the Dallas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and was elected president of the Texas Association of District Judges in 2010. Tom has tried cases for more than 30 years. He is a past Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Texas Chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates and by the Dallas Bar Association. He is a Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and an Advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with 16 offices located throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. More information about the firm is available at www.winston.com.