I’m a sucker for memoirs of trial lawyers. I’ve been hooked on such books ever since I was 13 years old, when I first read Louis Nizer’s “My Life in Court.” They inspire me to keep on doing what I’m doing, and to try to do it better.

The eloquence of counsel; the excitement of the courtroom; the art of the cross-examination, litigation strategy and tactics; the tension and uncertainty of outcome; the battle of wits—all these are on display in great profusion in autobiographies of trial lawyers.