WHAT THE HELL IS JUSTICE?"" The Life and Trials of a Criminal Lawyer

by Paul Hoffman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1974

Hoffman, who provided a montage of Wall Street attorneys in his recent Lions in the Street, here focuses on the career of one man to offer a compelling cinema verite view of the practice of criminal law. Jack Evseroff is a special breed. His skills are not at research or negotiation but at courtroom rough and tumble -- the selection of juries, the examination of witnesses, the fast foot work that the fluid trial situation demands. His goal is a simple one -- acquittal for his clients, who include everyone from teen-agers up on drug charges to mafiosi to cops accused of corruption or even murder. Hoffman begins by immersing himself for a week in Evseroff's practice, then turns to particular cases, like that of policeman Thomas Shea, recently found innocent in Queens of the murder of a ten-year-old black boy. Observation not judgment is Hoffman's approach but the clear message is that victory not truth is the name of the game. Evseroff emerges as a consummate showman, a professional who enjoys both his job and its rewards. This is certainly an accurate, disturbing but irresistibly readable look at the lawyer as hired gun.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1974

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Playboy Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1974

Categories: NONFICTION