But before he became the city's star quarterback, he was a high-priced attorney. And lawyers should play the game by different rules, according to Harvard Visiting Professor Peter Murray. In his recent book Basic Trial Advocacy, Murray outlines the problem of visual presentation in the courtroom -- specifically, an attorney's use of his hands when addressing groups of people. As Murray says, "Some common hand positions are believed to convey certain messages."
Willie Brown's hand positions and messages seem to be in direct violation of Professor Murray's thesis, according to these recent images. Our mayor may be running a large metropolis, but he's certainly not setting a good example for young lawyers. And with body language this distracting, he can forget about ever retiring to teach at Harvard.
All quotes are taken from Basic Trial Advocacy.
