As legal professionals adapt to using Zoom for work, Kelley | Uustal's founding partner John Uustal in Fort Lauderdale has found another use for the platform: setting up a legal literary book club, aimed at improving trial skills.

The Top Shelf goes live the first Thursday of every month, and Uustal says its inaugural session June 11 attracted an assortment of young lawyers and renowned trial attorneys from across the U.S., specializing in both civil and criminal law.

There's also a guest bartender who appears around the 45-minute mark to demonstrate how to make a new cocktail.

The goal is to bypass "dry academic texts" in favor of fun reads, such as, "And the Sea Will Tell," a true crime story by trial attorney Vincent Bugliosi and author Bruce Henderson. The book recounts the acquittal of Stephanie Stearns, whom Bugliosi defended in a high-profile trial over the murder of a wealthy California couple.

"He [Bugliosi] tries cases very differently than most lawyers," Uustal said. "He's one of the best trial lawyers that ever lived, and he talks about his decisions and why he did things, so it's probably the single biggest influence on me as a lawyer."

Stearns' trial came after her boyfriend and co-defendant Duane "Buck" Walker was convicted of murder after the couples sailed to a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean together.

"It reads like fiction," Uustal said. "It's like a thriller, but there are lessons for the trial lawyer."

Uustal came up with the idea while teaching an online session of Trial School — a series of retreats and workshops for plaintiffs lawyers — when a student asked for a list of the many books he'd mentioned, all of which he says "massively affected" his lawyering style.

One excerpt, for example, describes how Bugliosi walked over to his client mid-trial and placed his hand on her shoulder while explaining that the only reason she was being tried for murder was because she fell in love with Walker.

That sparked a discussion among the book club attendees about what they do to communicate to a jury in nonverbal ways.

"That was a very powerful moment of communication to the jurors about the innocence of that person, and he did it without saying anything," Uustal said. "It was the physical act of standing behind her, standing with her and putting his hand on her shoulder."

Likewise, the protagonist's "insane level of preparation" provided the opportunity to discuss, "What is the right level of preparation?"

"How do you be alive in the courtroom and not be tied to your notes, if you take the time to do those notes?" Uustal said. "Great trial lawyers disagree over that, so young lawyers can listen in and hear both sides."

"And the Sea Will Tell" will feature for another two sessions, before Uustal moves to another legal theme. These include inspirational books about what lawyers can do to improve society and how to "be alive" in the courtroom by making tactical decisions as events unfold.

The book club starts at 6 p.m. ET and is open to anyone. The next drink will be an old fashioned, and Uustal said those interested in attending can email him for information on the readings.

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