Brooke at the Bar

Brooke at the Bar is a candid, lively, and sometimes humorous autobiography by Brooke Wunnicke, the first woman to be a trial and appellate attorney in Wyoming and who went on to become a legal legend in Colorado. In conversational writing, Brooke provides insights from a lawyer, mentor, and educator. She advocates that, while not perfect, the United States has the worlds best legal system and that all citizens need to understand and protect their rights, freedoms, and responsibilities. Brooke shares vignettes of her early lifeCalifornia in the Great Depression, college at Stanford, law school in Colorado during World War II, and the 1946 opening of her Cheyenne law office, a precedent for women in law. She vividly describes memorable and amusing experiences with clients, witnesses, lawyers, juries, and judges and explains some significant cases. She recounts important and dynamic events from her twelve years as Denvers chief appellate deputy district attorney, an era during which she was an inestimable mentor to many young lawyers who became prominent in the private and public sectors. Brooke passionately believed the law has been and will continue to be civilizations hope. In her books final part, she demystifies many legal terms and procedures and describes the parts of a civil jury trialincluding information for jurors and witnessesand provides an enthusiastic and clear refresher on the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Brooke at the Bar is a unique and historically important contribution that will be of interest to general readers, scholars, and students interested in US law, political science, government, womens history, twentieth-century western history, civil rights, and legal communities, including those in Wyoming and Colorado, where Brooke was at the Bar.