Trial Lawyer: A Life Representing People Against Power

by Richard Zitrin

On August 21, 1971, six people, including Black Panther leader George Jackson, were killed at San Quentin State Prison. One of the most violent episodes in the history of American prisons, it has remained an enigma. The trial, when it finally occurred, was then the longest criminal trial in American history. Today, little is remembered, less is clear, and much remains unknown and unknowable. From the beginning, the case was filled with conspiracy theories and to this day, basic facts about the case on the Internet and even mainstream media are full of factual inaccuracies. What is known is that three of the six Black and brown defendants were acquitted of all charges, and the only person who was convicted of murder had his conviction overturned twice by an appeals court and was freed over thirty years ago. He was Richard Zitrin’s first client, Johnny Spain.

Richard Zitrin became an internationally known legal ethics professor. But from this very first case as a young law student, he embarked on a parallel forty-year career as a trial lawyer. Zitrin’s work as a trial lawyer placed him on the front lines of fighting systemic racism, pervasive elitism, and injustice against individuals in the legal system. Throughout his one-of-a-kind career, he has worked on dozens of cases that underscore the inherent biases of the legal system – towards people of color, the poor, the less educated, and those who just don’t appear to fit the mold of whatever society considers “normal.”

Part memoir, part social critique, Trial Lawyer: A Life Representing People Against Power shares details of the most compelling cases Zitrin has encountered, exposes the ethical dilemmas he faced, and explores the systemic racism and elitism he witnessed. His personal stories bring the reader inside the courtroom to experience a unique cast of characters, strange-but-true facts, brilliant trial tricks and tactics—and not-so-brilliant ones that failed miserably. Each had its own lessons: about social justice, fairness, strategy, ethics, morality, and more. Showcasing the profound, the consequential, the shocking, the bizarre, even the humorous, Trial Lawyer brings to life what it means to represent people against power.

Pervasive bias, of course, has many forms, and Zitrin has seen it used against all kinds of people: a young Vietnamese man whose family faced racial targeting and hostility and who was then accused of a serious crime just for talking about protecting his family; an indigenous woman who became an addicted street hooker because her life experience left her so few choices; a teenager from a Middle Eastern background who was racially profiled by a cop in an upscale white, suburban town; a poor Latina whose truthfulness was disputed because of her language skills and status – and because her community’s July 4th celebration occurred at a local bar instead of a country club. These stories pull back the curtains of our justice system to show the truth of what really happens inside our courtrooms. Trial Lawyer is a captivating and vivid picture of how one lawyer has overcome the powers aligned against his clients by determination, innovation, and simple human understanding.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 2022

Reviews

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love nonfiction books about law, trials and battling uphill you will definitely love this book. I was given this book by net galley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. please forgive any grammatical or punctuational errors, I am blind and dictate my review. I recently learned the difference between an ethical man and a moral man is an ethical man knows what is right in the moral man does what is right. After reading this book I think The author Richard Zitron, is an ethical and a moral lawyer. He defended a black panther from the Saint Quintin six, a Vietnamese alleged murderer and Max who had just had enough with police and being wrongfully accused and I found in all his cases he gave it his all and then some. This book was really good, although they did have parts that weren’t as interesting as the court cases it all hair appointment. I was sorry to hear that his mentor David Mayer had shot him self and it was all due to the stress of trying to write so many rolls in the penal system. This lawyer has changed so much about the legal system he works in and I would be remiss not to mention who works in one of the most expensive counties in America and he defends mainly minority accused. So if he isn’t fighting with the world against him I don’t know who is. I thought this book was well told and very interesting and found it hard to put down.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to @netgalley, Richard Zitrin & @SmithPublicity for this free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TITLE: Trial Lawyer
AUTHOR: Richard Zitrin
GENRE: Biography/True Crime
PUB DATE: 6/07/22 (out now! GET A COPY!!)
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TRIGGERS:
- a little language
- description of crime like rape, murder
-No major triggers in this book

READ IF YOU LIKE:
- Biographioes
- Truth from a lawyer
- Fighting for the underdog

HOW I FELT ABOUT THIS BOOK:
Everyone wants to feel like justice is fair for all. Being a minority I know like most of the world knows that justice is not fair or equal. The problem is those who we trust to fight for us know it as well but most will not go against the grain to fight for us.

Richard Zitrin gets it!!

Trial lawyer is about a lawyer who spent the bulk of his career fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. Richard Zitrin understood that in most situations, minorities and the poor cannot only afford proper representation, but still may not get a fair shake if they did.

The stories he tells in this book are true and raw. Pointing out the wrongs in the legal system and how he fought to do his part to correct that. You feel this in the first story he tells about the San Quentin 6. Every citizen and every lawyer needs to read this book. If I were ever in need of a lawyer, Richard Zitrin would be the one I would call.

No matter what side of the justice argument you are on, do yourself a favor and read this book! I think everyone can learn a thing or two from it!!

[Bob Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a memoir, mostly covering the author’s legal practice in the 1970s and 1980s; but it is a page turner nonetheless. Besides being the most readable nonfiction book I’ve read in a long time, it also contains many pearls of wisdom concerning the practice of law, both practice pointers and ethical lessons. It’s a must read for any law student or new lawyer; and very meaningful to some of us who practiced law for a long time. Each individual case recounted contains something important for all lawyers in dealing with the racist, sexist and classist legal system they will confront if they represent ordinary people.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this memoir by Richard Zitrin! As a young lawyer myself, I really appreciated the insight into Zitrin's 40 year career as a trial lawyer. The systemic racism and elitism in our justice system is always so heart-wrenching to read about but so necessary. I tend to prefer to listen ton non-fiction books but found myself really captivated by this one in physical-form! Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy! Highly recommend for anyone interested in hearing about our court systems from the inside.

[Beverly Catron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meaningful and thoughtful, and deeply engaging and well written.

This book is a true story, with great thoughtfulness and meaningful lessons on our legal system and race relations in today’s world. But as a fan of many legal and detective mysteries, I can truly say that this is as much of a page turner as any fiction I have read. I couldn’t put it down, and stayed up late at night to finish the last story. Richard Zitrin has had a remarkable life, and is a remarkable writer too. Kudos to him for this book. Doug Hardy