The American Lawyer Reviews Tom Melsheimer’s On the Jury Trial

Winston & Strawn Dallas Office Managing Partner Tom Melsheimer’s recent book on courtroom advocacy received a rave review from The American Lawyer. In the November 7 article, “Strategy, Storytelling and Cautionary Tales: Winston Litigator and Dallas Judge Spill Jury Trial Secrets,” On the Jury Trial, written in collaboration with Dallas County Judge Craig Smith, is described as “both wise and funny—and should be on every litigator’s reading list.”

Tom told the publication: “We decided we didn’t want a book of a bunch of war stories. We wanted to take what we’ve been learning and seeing in cases and craft something educational—not just for young lawyers, but lawyers of any stripe or age.”

In the book, Tom and Judge Smith explain that although telling a story during the opening statement is important, it is not enough. The statement must include two key concepts: passion and reduction. They illustrate this point by providing real-world examples from court transcripts.

Tom draws from his broad range of courtroom experience—which includes trying cases involving everything from patent infringement to product liability to bank fraud—to provide more dos and don’ts when at trial.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall also provided a glowing review as part of Law360’s Expert Analysis series, calling the book “a breath of fresh air” and “an impressive and easily digestible manual that provides the basics of each stage of the trial.”

All book proceeds benefit the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law.