Objections at Trial.

• Author: Kelly, Dennis M.

The successful trial practice handbook, Objections at Trial, by Senior Circuit Judge Myron H. Bright and Prof. Ronald L. Carlson, has been published in a revised edition. It follows the practical format of the original edition. Evidentiary objections, supporting reasons and authorities, and a short, precise commentary as to each, are organized in tabular format, allowing ready and quick access to usable information when it is most needed.

The revised edition is updated to include recent and important cases. Some sections have been substantially rewritten, particularly "Expert Testimony Improper," which, together with "Opinion Rule Violated: Expert Witness" and "Scientific Evidence," discuss recent cases dealing with the admissibility of scientific evidence, problems with DNA profile evidence and the potential impact of Daubert v. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc., 113 S.Ct. 2786 (1993), decided by the U.S. Supreme Court after publication of the revised edition.

The new edition also contains sections dealing with subjects such as the admissibility of computer graphics evidence. A trial lawyer proposing to use or to deal with an opponent's use of computer-generated evidence, such as models, animations, simulations, charts and graphs, would be well served by the authors' concise analysis of the rules and recent cases. Additional sections have been added to the book, including "Tainted Evidence" and "Witness Lying."

The revised edition carries four appendices. The first, "Making the Record," and the second, "Ten Commandments of Objections," were also in the earlier work. The third appendix, "Objections to Opening Statement and Closing Argument," is new, and the fourth, for ready reference, is a reprint of the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Like its predecessor, the revised edition is a user-friendly, pocket-sized reference work that provides a practical application of the rules of evidence. The presentation of objections and the bottom-line reasons supporting those objections offers a highly functional approach to this often arcane subject matter and a valuable asset to practitioners in or out of court. The appropriately placed blank pages for "Local Authority Notes" allow incorporation of personal impressions and work product and add to the volume's functionality.

The book is a helpful practice tool not duplicated in other treatises on the law of evidence.

Briefly Noted

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