Lessons Learned

Years of working as a trial attorney and judge taught Randy McGrath countless lessons about human folly and hubris. In this book, McGrath reveals many of those lessons through stories, both humorous and sad. His stories include the robber who didn't bother to change his identifiable clothing after his getaway-and the murderer who changed his appearance as he ran, significantly undermining his insanity defense. Then there's the rapist who asked his victim for a date, and the rapist who declined a generous plea deal only to wind up with a much longer sentence. McGrath also bares some weak spots in the judicial system, from prosecutors who let law enforcement officers' opinions influence their prosecutorial judgment to defense attorneys who aren't adequately committed to representing their clients. Readers, as the author, will learn lessons about people, crime and justice in these true tales from inside and out of the courtroom.