Trial and Error: The Education of a Courtroom Lawyer

Trial lawyer and author John Tucker talked about his book, Trial and Error: The Education of a Courtroom Lawyer. Mr. Tucker was once named one of the country’s best criminal defense lawyers but gave up his partnership in a prestigious law firm to write about legal issues that interested him. In this professional biography, he chronicles several of the major cases that shaped his views of the law. Mr. Tucker twice argued before the Supreme Court; his first case involved the question of mental illness and a person’s competency to stand trail; the second trial concerned the controversial practice of patronage hiring and firing. His most famous public interest case was the defense of the Chicago Eight, the major protesters involved in the demonstrations that provoked violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The case that most clearly showed him the uncertainties of the legal system was the landmark Contract Buyer League. close