The jury,
and even the court, may laugh, but they are not impressed, and you
have not helped your case; _and you are there to win your case_. As in
your argument, so in your examination of witnesses, _keep to the
point_.
In arguing a case, no matter what its nature, before a court or jury,
never rage or rave. Get to the point. Speak with great earnestness,
but not with violence or volume of sound. Remember that even the most
terrible emotions of the human heart in their most intense expression
are comparatively quiet. Be earnest. Be sincere. Be the master of your
case, and the result must be satisfactory.
It sometimes becomes necessary for an attorney to assert his rights
and privileges to the judge himself. Do not shrink from it. It is your
duty to your client, your profession, and the cause of justice. Never
cringe to a court. Never cringe to any one. He will despise you for
it, and properly so. Remember the dignity of your profession. Erskine,
in his first case, rebuked a prejudiced and perhaps an unjust judge
with such vigor that England rang with it.
Cultivate lucidity of style. You will do that at some risk at first.
When a young lawyer is extremely clear, he is apt to be regarded as
not deep.
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