This book is the collective work of the Trial Practice Committee of the ABA Section of Litigation. The Trial Practice Committee seeks to promote fairness and justice in the American legal system by enhancing the lives and careers of trial lawyers. Our members aspire to the highest professional levels and join us for access to the innovative, entertaining, and thought-provoking publications and programming we provide across the country.

The Trial Practice Committee conceived of this book as a practical, "how-to" guide to presenting a case at trial. It is intended for use by younger lawyers. With opportunities to "learn by doing" becoming fewer and farther between, lawyers must incorporate other forms of education into their trial practice development. The Trial Practice Committee developed this book as just such a resource. We believe that instructional tools such as Trying Your First Case are important not just for the individual lawyer, but for the justice system as a whole. The basic rationale for our adversarial system of justice--that truth is more reliably determined by the clash of opposing viewpoints--presupposes a basic level of competency between the advocates. Thus, for the system to produce its best results, its players must play their roles well. This book is intended to show young lawyers the way, by giving them a "playbook" to use in preparing and presenting a case for trial.