By Jim M. Perdue
Published by Texas Bar Books
KF 8700 .P47 2004
Taking perhaps the most famous fictional lawyer as his inspiration and muse, author Jim M. Perdue weaves together true stories that inspire trial lawyers to strive toward the attributes that Atticus Finch embodies and become the type of lawyer who commits to his clients and sees that justice is done. Perdue divides his book, I Remember Atticus: Inspiring Stories Every Trial Lawyer Should Know, into five main sections, each focusing on a different quality: faith, freedom, equality, courage, and perseverance. Using the story of Susanna from the Book of Daniel as the basis for his discussion of faith, Perdue delves into the role that faith played in the modeling of the law and how justice is a product of faith. From the Ten Commandments to the parables of Jesus, Perdue points out the lessons and morals to have come from these laws and stories. For his chapter on freedom, the author relates the story of Edward Bushell, a juror on a case against William Penn and William Mead, who refused to be bullied into giving a verdict with which he did not agree. He and several jurors were subsequently jailed for their verdict. For equality, Perdue examines the Haywood trial, a case in which the general secretary of the Western Federation of Miners was accused of hiring a hitman to kill the former governor of Idaho and yet, despite the powerful forces against him, was found not guilty. Courage is exemplified by the story and trial of the so-called Scottsboro boys, African-American youths who were accused of raping two white women on a train in Alabama. Reverend Joseph DeLaine is the author’s inspiration for perseverance for his fight to achieve equal educational opportunities for African-American schoolchildren in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Rounding out his book, Perdue offers facts that every trial lawyer should know and describes how trial lawyers can frame their own stories.
Be inspired. Read this book.