(1908 - 1974)
Moe Levine was arguably the greatest civil lawyer of his time and was revolutionary in his lectures on advocacy techniques. He was a mix of pioneer, celebrity, genius, and hero. He was an eloquent speaker and frequent lecturer to legal audiences around the country.
Moe developed what he called the whole man concept which involved his arguing to juries that you cannot injure part of a man, but instead injure the whole person. He also argued pain destroys the enjoyment of life. He told juries any loss of life, loss of mobility, or loss of ability, no matter how insignificant it may seem to society, has an impact not only on the victim but to the people who loved that person as well. Moes style of advocacy was to elevate the jurors as the voice of the community. He argued: Your decision does not speak merely for yourself but speaks for community justice. He told lawyers: Whether it is a slip and fall, a Good Humor ice cream truck case, or a simple automobile accident, the justice in the case must rise to the conscience of the community. There is no question that his words empowered the jury to feel singularly important in their role of setting community standards. Moe told lawyers: The identification of the jury with the community to me is the most important thing that ever struck me, like a bolt of lightning. We have all skirted the issue. Do it directly, Jurors you are the voice of the community. When you speak, you speak for the community attitudes.
