Spinning the Law: Trying Cases in the Court of Public Opinion »

Kendall Coffey (Miami, FL), a former US Attorney who headed up the largest federal prosecutors office in America, is the founding member of and a partner at Coffey Burlington, PL. As a US Attorney, he was closely involved with the Elian Gonzalez case and the 2000 presidential election recount. A leading media commentator on high-profile cases, he has appeared on The Today Show, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper s 360, CNN Headline News, as well as hundreds of other nationally televised programs.

High-profile courtroom dramas fascinate our nation, especially when they concern the rich and famous. And while the American public has come to realize that the spin factor is a prime ingredient in political tactics and marketing campaigns, many are unaware of the strategies for shaping public opinion when it comes to major courtroom battles. This behind-the-scenes analysis of media strategies presents an intriguing, often entertaining curriculum that they do not teach in law school or journalism classes. As the lead counsel in some of the country s most notable cases and a savvy legal commentator with hundreds of television appearances, author Kendall Coffey brings a distinctive combination of depth as a legal practitioner and experience as a media analyst to this insightful book. He begins with an historic election fraud trial, relying on his personal experience with the basics of law spin. He then guides the reader through an abbreviated, engrossing tour of spinning cases through the ages including Socrates and Joan of Arc, as well as the Charles Lindbergh kidnapping case. Modern cases include the O. J. Simpson trial, the author s own experiences in the international Elian Gonzalez controversy and his thoughts on the possible overwhelming effect that that controversy had on Florida in the 2000 presidential election between Gore and Bush. Coffey also examines the most famous cases of recent times those of Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Martha Stewart, Scott Peterson, Gordon Scooter Libby, and the shenanigans of impeached former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Along the way, the author exposes many of the myths associated with the law, debunking assumptions about legal concepts ranging from circumstantial evidence and cooperating witnesses to so-called prosecutors vendettas. Coffey s many entertaining examples and explanations make this book ideal reading for everyone fascinated by celebrity legal problems as well as for lawyers, public relations professionals, journalists, and media students.

Publishers Weekly

Coffey is a former U.S. attorney who now plies the airwaves (he has appeared on the Today show, Larry King Live, among others), offering commentary on high-profile and sensational legal cases. As U.S. attorney in Florida, he was involved in such cases himself: the Elian Gonzalez case and the 2000 presidential recount. Now he calls on his experience to deconstruct the art and theory of media manipulation in this candid, and cynical, look at how lawyers use the media to shape public perceptions of their clients including Martha Stewart, Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson, and O.J. Simpson. His modus operandi is to give a short example of a media ploy, such as the decision to put Kobe Bryant's alleged victim's sexual history in play, and to follow the example with a pithy "Spinning Lesson" such as "Questions with shock value have news value." Coffey is knowledgeable about the nuances of spin, but his flippant style, although often entertaining, can be out of sync with the sordid cases and the often offensive and borderline ethical behavior of the spinners. Coffey ends with a sentence championing the virtues of the Constitution. It might just be spin. (Sept.)