Words have been, and always will be, the basic tools of the lawyer. As legal scholar Charles Alan Wright noted, 'Whether we are trying a case, writing a brief, drafting a contract, or negotiating with an adversary, words are the only things we have to work with.' It is no surprise, then, that the profession attracts individuals with a fluency for words, and that the best of them hone that skill into a weapon more precise and lethal than a stiletto. Not all lawyers are wordsmiths, of course, nor is everyday legal discourse a joy to the ear. Quite the contrary, in fact. But buried in the sludge, are nuggets of wit and wisdom that have been mined for this book. In compiling her selection of gems, Kathryn Zullo has read countless law reports, transcripts, press statements, interviews, profiles and a host of other writings. Some of the quotations are light-hearted quips; others are solemn truths.
