An Introduction to Law, Law Study, and the Lawyer's Role


Book Description

This unique book is designed to introduce non-lawyers to what law is and how it is interpreted and made, and to prepare prospective law students for law school. Although primarily intended for those interested in going to law school, it is also very useful for those who simply want a working knowledge of how the American legal system actually works. The text is highly pragmatic, helping the reader understand not just theory but the realities of how law works and what lawyers actually do to assist clients in the real world. To that end, it contains a sample legal problem along with the necessary legal materials to address it and an illustrative answer.




An Introduction to Law, Law Study, and the Lawyer's Role


Book Description

In this newly updated volume, Moliterno and Lederer take a fresh and innovative look at the subject of law and what law study and the practice of law entail by combining a traditional academic viewpoint with elements of law practice and ethics as it continues to be widely used in orientation and introductory courses. The American legal system can be hard to understand. Going to law school is both difficult and anxiety-producing. Introduction to Law is designed to help in both areas. Written by two highly-experienced legal educators at America's oldest law school, Introduction to Law provides the reader with a written equivalent of William & Mary Law School's famous introductory law school week. Often light-hearted, this useful and pragmatic book combines an innovative introduction to the American legal system with material on how to read and understand court cases and, critically, the lawyer's interaction with the client. All too often, legal texts ignore people, especially the client whose need for legal advice first engages the legal system. The text shows the reader how a lawyer must ascertain facts and goals from a client and then apply what the new lawyer (or law student) has learned about law and its interpretation to solve the client's problem. Revised in 2004 to be fresher, more readable, and more timely in its current events references, Introduction to Law is an ideal book for a soon-to-be law student or for anyone who wants a better understanding of how our legal system and lawyers function. A teacher's manual is available. "... an excellent book ... Different students learn in different ways. Some learn best by reading an abstract analysis ... while others learn best by studying examples. [The authors have created] a range of materials that will appeal to various types of students ... I especially enjoyed the [teacher's manual's] transcripts of class discussions. This is an innovative technique that gives tremendous food for thought." (on the first edition) - Roy D. Simon, Hofstra University School of Law




The Lawyer's Craft


Book Description

For as long as legal writing courses have existed, students have been given large quantities of information all at once. They are then expected to digest it in one large gulp and to "do it." The Lawyer's Craft takes a different approach. The authors of this innovative book take the specific skills required to write a memo or brief and divided them into discrete "building blocks" that can be more easily absorbed by students. The approach to drafting legal documents is highly structured to enable students to see how different parts fit together. Memos and briefs are divided into parts and organized into a required format. The format also provides students with a checklist to consult when constructing legal documents. The Lawyer's Craft recognizes that skills must be practiced to be learned. No matter how carefully students read the text and discuss it in class, they will not be able to learn the material until they actually put it to work. For this reason, The Lawyer's Craft includes numerous examples and exercises. The level of difficulty of the examples and exercises is gradually increased, allowing students to master the basics before moving on to nuances and exceptions. A Teacher's Manual is available to professors.




Introduction to Law and the Legal System


Book Description

Written from a legal and institutional perspective, this text provides students with an overview of the American legal system. Broad coverage, flexible organization, and inclusion of up-to-date, teachable cases make Introduction to Law suitable for a variety of departments (business, political science, government and criminal justice departments, and paralegal and pre-law) and courses (Survey of Law, Introduction to Law and the Legal System, Law and Society, Legal Studies for Paralegals, and Legal Process).Expanded ethics coverage includes a chapter (devoted entirely to the topic) with icons highlighting interesting ethical dilemmas and an appendix discussing the ethical dimensions of case studies.




Thinking Like a Lawyer


Book Description

This primer on legal reasoning is aimed at law students and upper-level undergraduates. But it is also an original exposition of basic legal concepts that scholars and lawyers will find stimulating. It covers such topics as rules, precedent, authority, analogical reasoning, the common law, statutory interpretation, legal realism, judicial opinions, legal facts, and burden of proof. In addressing the question whether legal reasoning is distinctive, Frederick Schauer emphasizes the formality and rule-dependence of law. When taking the words of a statute seriously, when following a rule even when it does not produce the best result, when treating the fact of a past decision as a reason for making the same decision again, or when relying on authoritative sources, the law embodies values other than simply that of making the best decision for the particular occasion or dispute. In thus pursuing goals of stability, predictability, and constraint on the idiosyncrasies of individual decision-makers, the law employs forms of reasoning that may not be unique to it but are far more dominant in legal decision-making than elsewhere. Schauer’s analysis of what makes legal reasoning special will be a valuable guide for students while also presenting a challenge to a wide range of current academic theories.




What Every Law Student Really Needs to Know


Book Description

This brief book is designed to prepare students for their first year of law school, thereby decreasing their anxiety and increasing their chances of achieving academic success. Also appropriate for non-J.D. students, including LLM students from foreign countries and graduate students outside law school. Features: Gives student basic grounding in discrete non-legal topics that are important to the contemporary study of law Includes and“Test Your Understandingand” boxes to allow students to use what they are learning Friendly writing style Images and graphics help students remember material




Thinking Like a Lawyer


Book Description




Legal Literacy


Book Description

To understand how the legal system works, students must consider the law in terms of its structures, processes, language, and modes of thought and argument—in short, they must become literate in the field. Legal Literacy fulfills this aim by providing a foundational understanding of key concepts such as legal personhood, jurisdiction, and precedent, and by introducing students to legal research and writing skills. Examples of cases, statutes, and other legal materials support these concepts. While Legal Literacy is an introductory text, it also challenges students to consider critically the system they are studying. Touching on significant socio-legal issues such as access to justice, legal jargon, and plain language, Zariski critiques common legal traditions and practices, and analyzes what it means “to think like a lawyer.” As such, the text provides a sound basis for those who wish to pursue further studies in law or legal studies as well as those seeking a better understanding of how the legal field relates to the society that it serves.




Lawyers in Society


Book Description

Among all those who encounter the law in the conduct of their lives or who consider it as a career, few have a solid understanding of the legal profession in America, and fewer still know anything about systems in other parts of the world. Lawyers in Society offers a concise comparative introduction to the practice of law in a number of countries: England, Germany, Japan, Venezuela, and Belgium. Extracted from the editors' three highly successful volumes Lawyers in Society, these essays guide readers through the differing worlds of civil and common law, law in Europe and Asia, and first and third world legal systems. One contribution addresses the changing role of women in the profession--women comprise half of all new lawyers in most countries--and the changes they are bringing. A new introduction and concluding essay reflect on the place of this volume in current and future research.




Tomorrow's Lawyers


Book Description

From the bestselling author of The End of Lawyers?, this book predicts fundamental and irreversible changes in the legal world and offers essential practical advice for those who intend to build careers and businesses in law. A definitive guide to the future for aspiring lawyers, and for all who want to modernize today's legal and justice systems.