Acknowledgments

• Jurisdiction: United States

Acknowledgments

There is a joke told by comedian Steven Wright: "To steal from one is called plagiarism; to steal from many is called research." (Notice that I have given attribution.) I have been the beneficiary of the lectures and writings of other lawyers from whom I have learned many of the ideas, concepts, and techniques explored in this book. Their wisdom has been so thoroughly absorbed that I just can't remember who all of them are. In reviewing my research, I have been chagrined when I discovered that what I thought was an original idea was actually something that had been part of a lecture given by somebody else or something I read in a book. In preparing this book, I re-read many of the books that I had first read several years ago, and was surprised that I now had a different (hopefully better) understanding. (Many of those books are mentioned in this book.) To all who have been a part of my education and enlightenment, thank you.

As my ideas about the application of science to advocacy developed, I have written articles that have been published in law journals. Some colleagues have questioned my judgment: "Why are you giving away secrets that the other side can use?" My response has always been the same: "There are no secrets; there is only knowledge that lawyers have the obligation to share with others so that the profession will benefit. And, besides, others knowing about these ideas won't prevent their effective use on behalf of your clients."

To my father, Myron Blumberg (1919-2008), who was my first mentor. I used to sit across from his desk and wonder how I would ever remember all of the things he was teaching me. He was a trial lawyer who had a passion for justice and a commitment to civil rights. He believed that in the practice of law, there...