Book Discussion: The People v Clarence Darrow: The Bribery Trial of America's Greatest Lawyer

Tuesday July 24, 2018   6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Meet the author and join the discussion as LA Law Library continues to explore the rich background and history of the City of Los Angeles when we discuss The People v. Clarence Darrow: The Bribery Trial of America's Greatest Lawyer, by Geoffrey Cowan. Darrow is remembered as the man who defended the right of John Thomas Scopes to teach Darwin's theory of evolution, and as a champion of labor and the poor, but less is known or remembered of the 1912 trial against Darrow for alleged jury tampering. On October 1, 1910, a time of industrial strife and union unrest, the Los Angeles Times building was blown up by dynamite, starting a fire which killed 21 newspaper employees and injured 100. It was termed "the crime of the century". Darrow represented the labor leader and his brother who were accused of the bombing. Many were shocked when the brothers plead guilty. Darrow was later charged with attempting to bribe a juror and was himself represented by Earl Rogers, allegedly the most brilliant criminal lawyer in Los Angeles at that time. The author reconstructs the bribery trial that almost put Darrow behind bars. The retelling of this piece of history is filled with colorful anecdotes, historical figures and insights into Darrow and the tumultuous time in which he lived.

About the author:

  • University Professor, Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership, and Director USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy at USC
  • First director of UCLA's Communications Law Program; spent more than 20 years teaching law to undergraduates in UCLA's Communication Studies Program
  • Co-founder of the Center for Law & Social Policy, the first public interest law firm in the U.S.
  • Lawyer, academic administrator, government official, bestselling author, distinguished professor, non-profit executive and Emmy Award winning producer

Registration fees: FREE
Classes fill up fast, register today to reserve your seat! All registrants must check-in 10 minutes prior to class time to ensure your seat is not reassigned to waiting-list and walk-in attendees when classes are full.

This book is out-of-print. Copies are available at the Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles County Library, used bookstores and your favorite online used bookseller.

No legal advice:
LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The Law Library is pleased to offer our patrons the opportunity to obtain assistance from third party legal service providers at this and other events within the Library. However, the Library does not control and is not responsible for the content or scope of any assistance given by those providers.

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