For California Attorneys I would strongly suggest you add this book to your "war chest", if you do DUIs. There are a few other DUI books out there, but his one is very solid on the law and the reality behind the law. Mr. Taylor gives you some good examples of cross examination, which I have modified and used. In addition, with the updates, most of the motions I wanted were provided.

I had only two minor complaints. First, I disagree with Mr. Taylor about DMV hearings. In this section, Mr. Taylor essentially states that you will always lose. Wrong. I have won a few hearings, as I am sure he has, on technical grounds. I wanted to see if had any such technical grounds that I may have overlooked; he had none. Come on Lawrence, I have paid you for the book, where are my inside tips. I have also won DUI hearings on the merits. As such, again, I am sure someone from Mr. Taylor's offices has done the same. Unfortunately the book is silent on these points.

Second, Mr. Taylor quotes cases which are not published. He will then tell you that they aren't published, after you have read them. Judges may not rely on unpublished cases. If you cited them in court, even if you informed the court that they aren't published, it can only hurt you. Either the judge will presume you were trying to mislead them, or they will assume that the case wasn't published for a reason. I just have not found it worthwhile to cite those cases.

Still these are only minor points. Overall this book is well written and well reseached. A DUI attorney could, but shouldn't, rely only on this book and still come out well in court. It is well done and a good read.

This is the California version of Taylor's national book, Drunk Driving Defense (5th edition), a bestselling classic for over 20 years. I can't imagine representing a client in California without this detailed guide. The sample pretrial motions and the cross-examinations of the cop and the breath/blood technician alone are worth the price. And the detailed checklists are invaluable.

An earlier reviewer noted that the caselaw seemed outdated, but it was a review written in 2000 of Taylor's old 1st edition -- which clearly says it was published in 1988! Make sure to get the newest version, which I believe is the 2nd edition. Also, get the annual supplements to stay on top of new laws and stuff like new blood alcohol studies.

Easily the most used book in our library!

I am an attorney who defends people accused of driving under the influence in California. This review assumes that you are also an attorney, not necessarily in California.

As any attorney will know the laws of one state are not binding, although they may be influencial. Mr. Taylor's book has an excellent overview of the laws of th 50 states. I read this book and learned alot about how I could defend my clients better. Unfortately, DUI laws change more then most. The laws cited here, even when they were applicable to California were old. While you can update them in your library, I would prefer a book where I didn't have to do that as often. As such, I would recommend this book, as one of many, to give you an idea about the general state of the laws and some ideas about human chemistry/biology. But, for a practical guide, I would recommmend his other book "tailored" for California. Still it is a good book, it is well written, and I do recommend it.

This new edition is even better than the previous editions -- which were great! Updated laws, new scientific studies on breath alcohol analysis and field sobriety tests, new sample pretrial motions and cross-examinations, jury selection, license suspensions, etc. I particularly found the detailed checklists helpful, along with the sample cross-examinations of the cop on things like DUI symptoms, nystagmus, field sobriety tests and breath tests. Taylor's book became my bible years ago, and this new edition is even bigger and better!

If you are a Robert Taylor fan as I am, you will love this book. The pictures are magnificent!! However in some areas Mr. Quirk shows a real bias. He gives lots of praise to the military films but gives little if any praise to most of the romances. Considering who the book is about this is unfortunate. Anyone writing a book on Mr. Taylor needs to appreciate the very strong romantic appeal that he had. Mr. Quirk criticized some films that women have traditionally loved. Also, Mr. Quirk got some of the names and dates wrong under some of the photographs. On the whole, however, this book would
delight any true Robert Taylor fan.

This is an interesting work, but not to the public at large. It is part narrative and part biographic bits. Thus it is more of a reference work than a story book or something intended to be read straight through. I have had it for some years now and have consulted it occasionally but never felt the need to read it through as I have others. It covers a great number of extranjeros (strangers or foreigners) who for one reason or another appeared on the stage or in the wings of the Revolution. Some sought gold, some adventure, some glory, some fought for a cause, some reported; the only common thing was they were not born in Mexico. Even so, many died there.

this is a very instering thing.

I love this author