ewMy fascination with the Judicial System Structure of today’s society was furthered and strengthened after reading and analyzing the works of Edward Greenspan. This superbly written biography recollecting past cases and important events in Greenspan’s life allowed myself, the reader, to learn more about Jurisprudence and the Criminal Code. The entire casebook revolves around several main themes including the balance of Positive & Natural influences in the courtroom, whether a lawyer’s consience intervenes with his duty as a counsellor, and the alarming rate of perjury occuring in front of the juries. To be more concise and clear to the point, Greenspan’s book is a diary of controversial and beneficial issues which have hovered around our criminal courts and will continue to plague and pester them for years to come. By observing and understanding certain issues presented in his book, I was able to comprehend what type of person Greenspan is, what he believes in, what he represents and what he would do for his profession.
The wheels of Jurisprudence are always turning, and I came to realise how Greenspan worked and bargained for his status in the country to be solidified. This book also flourished with innovative situations pertaining to the most diversified of criminal charges, to the most uncanny regions of law ever dealt. It was this thorough look at Greenspan’s life which impressed this reviewer the most. It was quite clear that after the fourth page, I came upon the conclusion that this casebook would create a most influential reaction to anyone who had displayed any interest towards our Law system in general.
Part One of the novel, No Little Clients, presents the reader with the author’s proposed thesis. His ambition is to defend innocent people accused of crimes. Whether they are innocent or guilty without being proven guilty is irrelevant to Mr. Greenspan. A lawyer’s consience must not be his deciding factor when advising or counselling a client.
This viewpoint is elaborated in Part Two (Not Above The Fray) and explained frivolously by Greenspan himself. Throughout the entire novel, the theme bends and curves itself around different and unavoidable situations, but retains its original meaning that no one is guilty until proven so. Greenspan refers to this phrase countless times and explains to the reader that he will not allow his moral beliefs to conlfict with the path of justice (delicately and persuasively explained by both Greenspand and the co-author, George Jonas in Parts Four, Five and Six of the novel). Chapter 13, Playing God, emphatically displays Greenspan’s concern with the treatment of his clients and the decision to push the client until he can make a decision that is in favour with the lawyer himself. The significance of this chapter is that the reader detects the amount of responsibility and endurance is required in order to become a successful pawn of the judicial system.
At this point, Greenspan’s thesis huddles itself around the principle of being a “Pawn of the System” and only serving the system without prejudice and socialistic conflicts. The authors begin their novel with several different themes which branch out and eventually combine. Walking The High Wire is an excellent chapter which focuses on the effects of intended falsehoods employed by the prosecution. When Greenspan takes on a case where the courtroom is changed into a stage for the benefit of a woman who allegedly is raped by his client, it is later realised that through careful investigation and newly discovered evidence, can the truth be used to assist the defendant in being acquitted. In the chapter And Nothing But The Truth, the author presents a situation where even those who enforce the law may lie to obtain a conviction of an innocent person.
When two police officers re-create a false scene for the jury, the reader begins to understand why the author ponders upon different moral questions and creates circumstantial, yet fruitful answers. Like a detective fiction novel, Greenspan proves without a doubt that there is more than meets the eye in accepting and defending a client. As witnessed in the chapter Hi Mom, Guess Who’s In Jail, the reader learns about how the media and
