Book Description
Offers complete, accessible information on every topic of concern to law students ranging from the LSAT, the Bar Exam, Law Review, computerized research and videotape study aids to obtaining that important clerkship or job. Includes recent data on demographics of law school applicants, current salaries for a variety of legal careers, nontraditional courses, legal clinics, detailed discussions regarding the latest law trends such as deregulation and insider trading. Will appeal to law students at all stages of their education.
Customer Reviews:
Very helpful book.......2007-09-04
As a first year law student with no idea what to expect, this book was extremely helpful. I purchased it the summer before my first semester, and imagine how excited I was when my legal writing teacher recommended this book over all law school aides. This book explains a great deal about law school, including what to expect in general, how to write briefs, and effective outlining methods. I would highly recommend this purchase!
A friendly, but realistic, guide to law school.......2006-07-21
Deaver's book is a good, light read. The main, primary focus of the book is to: (1) introduce you to an outlining system to prepare for your exams (and to help you study for them) and (2) to give you a brief, but reasonably thorough review of your entire law school experience, from the pros and cons of law review to how to write a good scholarly paper. Note the short page length--only about 200 pages. Thus, the book doesn't cover *everything* about law school, but it is a very good start. In addition to law school itself, it has some good overviews and tips about job prospects, the legal profession, summer opportunities, etc. It also has a brief overview of the LSAT and application process, although these areas are really not that informative to be worthy of publication (the main point of the book is, as I said, the outlining system and a rough overview of the law school experience itself--which this book does very well). It is written in an easy, casual manner and the author can be funny at times, too. All in all, a good, light, easy read about how to best study for law school classes.
Law School.......2005-11-17
This was an excellent book; I am still working on my undergraduate degree planning on attending law school. I know people who are attorneys and I have received there feedback but this book was so much more in depth and precise. I am doing a lot of research on what to expect during law school and how to get into a high tier institution. This book tells it all from admissions to class selection to internships. Law school confidential is a must read if you are planning towards law school.
Excellent if you're not sure if law school is what you want........2005-04-05
My ten year career has been in software development management. I have aspirations for business management as well as politics. So I thought perhaps a J.D. would help me further those goals. This book helped inform me exactly what to expect in law school, the tests, the application process, etc. It gives some ideas of what one can do with the degree, etc. It's a nice short book that you can read in one sitting. It was nice to be able to do that and figure out whether or not I really wanted to invest 3 years in law school.
Badly needs to be updated.......2004-09-01
I read this before starting law school and was impressed by its guide to academic success. Unfortunately, after starting law school, reality set in and the book's weak points became very clear; namely, the lack of any discussion of using computers in law school.
It's tough to differentiate this book from the shelves of other similar books, all promising you the knowledge of how to succeed in law school. The problem is that each person has their own way of learning, analyzing and remembering information. What is suggested in one book may be totally useless to one person, yet may be a revelation to others.
This book is of some use for those entering law school, if only to see an outline of learning habits for those anally-retentive enough to follow it on a daily basis. But my experience was that all the self-help books become useless once I developed my own study skills. And, while these sorts of books may be good for 1Ls, they are not very useful for 2Ls or 3Ls.
The lack of incorporating computers into one's learning skills is the absolute weakest aspect of this book. Without laptops and online study guides, many current law school students would be totally lost.
Book Description
The Supreme Court has continued to write constitutional history over the thirteen years since publication of the highly acclaimed first edition of The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court. Two new justices have joined the high court, more than 800 cases have been decided, and a good deal of new scholarship has appeared on many of the topics treated in the Companion. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist presided over the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, and the Court as a whole played a decisive and controversial role in the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. Under Rehnquists's leadership, a bare majority of the justices have rewritten significant areas of the law dealing with federalism, sovereign immunity, and the commerce power. This new edition includes new entries on key cases and fully updated treatment of crucial areas of constitutional law, such as abortion, freedom of religion, school desegregation, freedom of speech, voting rights, military tribunals, and the rights of the accused. These developments make the second edition of this accessible and authoritative guide essential for judges, lawyers, academics, journalists, and anyone interested in the impact of the Court's decisions on American society.
Customer Reviews:
The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States.......2007-08-01
I bought this as a reference work, but I have found that it is a good read, also. Discussions of cases go into the details of what the issues of each case were, what the decision of the majority and minority of the court was, and the reasoning behind the decision. It also gives a clear understanding of the place of the Supreme Court in American government and life. This is a must for those who wish to understand the Supreme Court and how it came to be what it is now.
An excellent reference.......2006-06-03
It is difficult to say whether the contentious atmosphere that currently exists regarding the legal opinions of the Supreme Court is greater than any other time in the history of the United States. There have been times, especially during the Civil War and World War I when the Supreme Court raised the ire of many a citizen. Some of the "activist" justices, as some of them are now called, could perhaps be designated as "activist light" if compared with some of the justices of the past. This book gives ample evidence for this comparison, but also gives information on a wide variety of legal issues that the Supreme Court has had to deal with throughout its history. It would probably not be read from cover to cover, but instead serves as a general reference for those readers who are not and do not intend to become legal scholars, but are curious as to the reasoning patterns deployed by the justices who sat on the Court. Readers who are approaching this subject for the first time will find many surprises about the Court, both in the opinions expressed by the judges and in their personal histories and backgrounds. It is fair to say that legal opinions are guided predominantly by the historical context in which they are put forth, and this claim seems to gain more substantiation as more articles in this book are read and studied.
One of the more surprising things to learn from this book is that the Supreme Court never really considered free speech issues with the First Amendment until as late as 1919, in Schenck v. United States. This case is also discussed in this book, and revolves around Charles Schenck, who was general secretary of the Socialist party of the time. Schenck and a few other defendants were convicted with a violation of the 1917 Espionage Act by conspiring to obstruct military recruiting and enlistment via the circulation of pamphlet. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote the unanimous opinion for the court ruling against Schenck and defendants and thus upholding their conviction. This case was the first time the famous statement of "crying fire in a public theatre" was used to restrict an "absolutist" interpretation of the First Amendment. It could also be viewed as an example of how even legal authorities, who are supposed to be calm and rational during emergencies or times of war, can succumb to the pressures of the times (in this case the pre- and post-war hysteria of World War I) and not be able to divorce themselves from their past personal histories (Holmes himself was wounded three times while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War). The Holmes Court effectively said that the First Amendment is not to be taken literally, and if speech presents a "clear and present danger" then governmental agencies have the right to punish the purveyors of this speech. Free speech issues dominant legal discussions at the present time, and the legal standing of "hate speech" is discussed in an article in this book. One can find solace in knowing that the Supreme Court has not found "hate speech" to be prohibited by the Constitution, despite attempts of many groups to justify its prohibition by appeals to constitutional law. The article on "hate speech" discusses some of these cases and gives a few references.
Without doubt the most despicable legal decision ever put forth by the Supreme Court was the case Scott v. Sandford in 1857. Known famously as the `Dred Scott Case', it is characterized in this book as one of the most important cases in American constitutional law. The decision essentially said that blacks are not citizens of the United States and therefore could not sue in federal courts. In addition, slaves were "property" that was "protected" by the Constitution. Naturally, and justifiably from a moral standpoint, the decision provoked hostile reaction against the Court, and the justices who ruled against Scott clearly were "activist heavy". In reference to the Dred Scott decision, the abolitionist William Garrison was justified in his statement that the Constitution was a "a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell."
The case Roe v. Wade is also discussed at length in this book, as expected. It will be interesting to see whether this case is overturned in the near future. If it is it might be because of a kind of `legal fatigue' that seems to be setting in dialog about the case. The arguments both for and against Roe v. Wade are repeated over and over again and have become almost platitudes. Rather than being a complicated Constitutional issue, is seems that the legal reasoning surrounding Roe v. Wade has become desiccated and has exhausted itself, offering no further insights or justifications for privacy.
Massive tome on the Supreme Court........2005-10-07
_The Oxford Companion to the United States Supreme Court of the United States_ (Kermit Hall, ed.) is a massive tome containing a vast swath of information: cases, traditions, theories of constitutional interpretations, historical events, and biographies of all of the Supreme Court Justices. It has the same material (word for word) as Kermit Hall's _The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions_ but this is much more worthwhile reference work because it contains more contextual material than the cases themselves. This book is by no means exhaustive, but it provides a very informative overview of what the Supreme Court has been up to for the past two hundred years and the very different personalities serving on the body.
A worthy companion.......2005-09-29
As the nation prepares to welcome the seventeenth Chief Justice, this book is a wonderful guide to the processes of the least 'media-exposed' branch of the federal government and its highest institution, the Supreme Court.
This book has many handy features for researchers and general enthusiasts. There are brief biographies - personal, professional and judicial - of each of the Chief Justices and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court (there have been 108 in all, with 113 appointments, as 5 Associate Justices have later been appointed as Chief Justice) together with pictures of each. There are synopses of over 400 of the most pivotal cases in the history of the Supreme Court (Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, even Bush v. Gore from the year 2000) - each of these cases is presented with voting record (who wrote the opinion, who concurred, who dissented, and who wrote additional opinions) as well as the pertinent issues in the cases and the implications of the decisions.
This is a very comprehensive guide. There are essays on key issues that are very thorough - for example, the essay on 'Federalism' is an eleven page entry that includes general political principles as well as court work. There are essays on each Article of the Constitution as well as each of the Amendments. One of the longest entries is the essay on 'History of the Court', subdivided into major chronological sections - this is one of the best, brief encapsulations of the history of the high court and how it is has made an impacted (and in turn been influenced by) society that I have read. There are also entries on the physical structures of the court - the essay on the building gives an historical overview of where and in what setting the court has met, and minor entries include features of the current building (for example, there is a short entry entitled 'Barber Shop', which talks about the facility for Justices and male employees of the court to get a haircut - it mentions nothing of where O'Connor, Ginsburg or the female court employees might get their hair done). One also learns that there is a basketball court in the gymnasium of the Supreme Court, but that basketball is prohibited while the court is in session, as the dribbling balls can be heard in the court chamber.
There are also entries on key judicial concepts. The concept of Constitutional Interpretation is something that many people take for granted, but is in fact an continually changing methodology. There are Common Law concepts such as the Writ of Mandamus and Writ of Certiorari (each have an entry) as well as the more structured Writ of Habeas Corpus. One also discovers here that 'Mootness' is a word.
There are several appendices that are also handy features. The first appendix, appropriately, is the full text of the Constitution. The second appendix lays out the nominations, terms and succession of the Justices in several ways, including an interesting graphical representation organised alongside presidential terms, as well another chronology that shows number of days without a full court appointed (when we imagine that a few months is a long time to go in the nomination and approval process, we can see that from 1843 to 1846, there were 965 days without a full court).
For trivia buffs, appendix three is a fun piece - there is a listing of the trivia and traditions of the court, divided into 'Firsts' and more general 'Trivia'. Too bad it doesn't list why Chief Justice Rehnquist wore stripes on his sleeves as Chief Justice! Perhaps that is an update for the third edition.
This is a book with great information, as well as a good deal of spirit and wit. It is a valuable addition to any library.
A companion readers can't do without.......2005-08-16
Since its initial publication in 1992, The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States has served as a valuable resource on the history of the Court. With articles on the justices, their key decisions, legal philosophies, and even aspects of Court life, the Companion has been an indispensable addition for anyone interested in American law or the history of the Court.
With the passage of time, though, the need for an update taking into account subsequent cases and topics has only grown. This need has now been met with the second edition, which includes new articles on a variety of topics, and revision of many of the earlier ones. While a few mistakes were missed (the entry on Supreme Court clerks, for example, was not updated to include Stephen Breyer among the names of the justices who previously served as clerks) and while the bibliographies at the end of each article have only been indifferently updated (while the entry on William O. Douglas includes Bruce Allen Murphy's recent biography, the one on Benjamin Cardozo includes neither of the important books written about him over the past decade), the overall result is a work of continuing utility for readers and scholars alike.
Average customer rating:
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The Companion to Law and Society (Blackwell Companions to Sociology)
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The Law and Society Reader
ASIN: 0631228969 |
Book Description
The Blackwell Companion to Law and Society is an authoritative study of the relationship between law and social interaction. Thirty-three original essays by an international group of expert scholars examine a wide range of critical questions, covering topics such as the various legal systems favored by different societies and cultures, the effect that law has on scientific and technical advancement, and how legal institutions have embraced and constructed, as well as silenced and stigmatized, various national, social, cultural, and personal identities.Authors represent various theoretical, methodological, and political commitments - from positivism to interpretivism, from rational choice to critical scholarship, from radical to policy-oriented research, and from the new institutionalism to cultural studies. Each chapter reviews the state of knowledge in its area, emphasizing key research findings, theoretical developments, methodological controversies, and points the way for new inquiry. The result is a collection that is useful, engaging, and responsible, but also provocative.Contributors are drawn from many different countries and cultures, reflecting the world-wide significance of North American law and society scholarship, and engaging the exciting work now being done in England, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, South Africa, and Israel. The Blackwell Companion to Law and Society provides a definitive resource, offering the first truly global overview of the field.
Product Description
Take a look through the Forbes annual issue of the richest Americans, and you will find a majority of those personal fortunes have something to do with real estate. Real estate rental income rarely experiences wild swings in value, instead providing predictable returns at many times the rate of money market accounts or CDs. In addition, there can be substantial tax advantages as well. However, being the landlord can be difficult, time consuming, and potentially wrought with financial and legal obstacles. This new book will make the process of managing your rental properties easier. This new book and companion CD-ROM will teach you how to avoid headaches, hassles, and lawsuits by learning how to professionally manage your rental property. Maximize your profits and minimize your risks. Learn about advertising, tenant screening, managing tenants, legal rights, landlord rights, discrimination, vacancies, essential lease clauses, crime prevention, drugs, gangs, security issues, as well as premises liability, security deposits, handling problems, evictions, maintenance, recordkeeping, and taxes. The CD-ROM contains dozens of forms, sample contracts, letters, notices, rental applications, agreements and checklists. It includes topics such as evicting irresponsible tenants, collecting damages, running multiple properties, handling complaints, emergency procedures, expenses, and utility management. We spent thousands of hours interviewing and e-mailing real estate property managers and investors. This book is a compilation of their secrets and proven successful ideas. If you are interested in learning hundreds of hints, tricks, and secrets on how to make money (or more money) on managing your rental properties, then this book is for you. Instruction is great, but advice from experts is even better, and the experts chronicled in this book earn $1,000 to $300,000 per month managing rental properties. Inside the pages of this new exhaustively researched guide you will find a jam-packed assortment of innovative ideas that you can put to use today.
Customer Reviews:
Informative, Useful, and Easy to Understand.......2006-11-09
Ms. Burrell does an excellent job of providing an informative yet concise look at the complex business of rental property management. This book is a must read for novice investors as it allows one to enter the business with eyes wide open - aware of pitfalls and precautions that can be taken to protect the investment. Alternatively, there are so many forms, examples, techniques, and tricks for the experienced manager that it is a great read for them as well. Truly a great resource for any RPMS library - or toolbox, as the case may be.
Make Yourself a Professional.......2006-11-02
I have a few rental properties that I've managed myself over the years, with some success, but I was looking to do better and acquired Jamaine Burrell's book to get some pointers. Her book, The Rental Property Manager's Toolbox does the trick!
The "Toolbox" has all the advice, tips, forms, and sample letters that one could possibly need to make the transition from an "amateur" rental property manager, like me, to a professional. I can see a number of areas in which I have not taken the best approach in the past (especially regarding unsupervised children) and believe that, following Burrell's advice, I can not only be a more effective manager but make more money too.
The book covers all the bases, including financial and legal issues, property acquisition options, advertising, finding and screening potential tenants, tenant problem and complaint management, and property sale, and also includes a CD with all of the forms discussed in the book. This is a great resource for anyone intending to get into property management or for anyone, like me, who has been managing properties without the benefit of professional advice.
Avoid unnecessary hassles, buy this book!.......2006-10-13
This book is a great resource for rental property owners and managers, whether this is your first project or your fiftieth. "The Rental Property Manager's Toolbox" has everything you need to be successful in owning or managing your own rental property.
This book will teach you tips and tricks for purchasing rental property, handling legal and tax issues, dealing with tenants, maintaining properties, and even selling properties if need be. Easy to read large type and conversational format ensure that the information is as clear cut as possible. For further clarity, Burrell provides a comprehensive glossary of terms. The easy-to-use table of contents and full index make searching for that special tidbit of information a breeze. Burell also includes a list of resources such as property management companies and several rental property owners.
Included with this book is a companion CD-ROM that contains useful forms in both MSWord and PDF format. The CD runs itself, so no technical knowledge needed.
A Rental Management Must.......2006-10-05
This book is written for those who are currently involved in the search for and ownership of rental property. The chapter dedicated to acquiring rental property covers financing and loans, various types of mortgage loans, other types of finance, and what to look for during a pre-purchase inspection. The chapter also stresses the importance of finding the right real estate agent, lawyer, accountant, and financial advisor.
Also included with the purchase of the book is a CD-ROM featuring pre-written forms, agreements, letters, and legal notices. Samples of the documents are also included in the book, such as a tenant information letter and a rental agreement violation letter. Legal documents are often intimidating and difficult to understand in one reading. I found the inclusion of these documents allowed me to review, research, and understand each document at my own pace.
The information presented in this book will allow a rental property manager to become pro-active rather than reactive, preventing small problems from becoming sticky situations. I recommend this book to anyone involved in the rental property management industry interested in simplifying and streamlining their business.
Comprehensive, well-written, and useful guide.......2006-08-22
Did you know that December is the worst month to rent property? And that the best months are June and July? If you are a property manager, The Rental Property Manager's Tool Box is an essential reference and serves as a powerful tool in your management belt!
The Rental Property Management's Tool Box is a highly readable and comprehensive guide to successful property management, whether employed by a firm, self-employed, or anyone thinking of starting a career in the lucrative field of property management. Useful case studies serve to further bolster the well-researched information explained in the chapter.
The ten chapters of this book extensively cover the course of managing property, beginning with a thorough explanation of the role and function of property management. The book provides a current and historical definition of property managers and its place in the field of real estate. A special mention is made on the professional stature of managers in the field, as well as professional associations that wield great influence on the profession.
While the responsibilities of the property manager are discussed in great detail, The Rental Property Manager's Tool Box does a superb job of explaining the legal, financial, and marketing responsibilities that fall on the property manager's shoulders. Though not always in the property manager's purview, a conscientious property manager develops these skills in order to yield the maximum investment return on rental properties.
Chapter 7 enumerates the many contractors and service providers that a property manager encounters in his career, and discusses many ways to cultivate special relationships with all. Two substantial chapters are devoted to tenants--how to identify viable tenants, and what to do when tenants become problematic--are especially useful for anyone that deals with rental property.
User-friendly in nature with easy to read text and layout, the book is also illustrated and includes a very useful glossary, providing over fifty pages of property management terms as well as an extensive selection of sample rental agreements and most commonly-used forms. They are easily reproduced as a handy CD is provided as part of the book package. The book also has an easy to use index, providing quick access to the book's range of subjects and topics.
Book Description
The best way to protect your invention is to keep good records. Let The Inventor's Notebook track and prompt you to take care of every important step in the process. Use it to:
*document the development of your invention
*help you can make refinements while building and testing
*assess the commercial potential of your invention
*calculate how much capital you are likely to need
*organize your search for funds to build, test, manufacture and distribute your invention
*create a record of contacts who know of your invention and have signed confidentiality agreements
The perfect companion to Nolo's bestselling Patent It Yourself, this book includes:
*worksheets
*forms
*sample agreements
*instructions
*references to relevant areas of patent law
*a bibliography of legal and non-legal aids
*and more
The Inventor's Notebook also includes up-to-date agreements, a glossary of patent terms and a section on using the Internet to develop and promote your invention.
Download Description
"The best way to protect your invention is to keep good records. Let The Inventor's Notebook track - and prompt you to take care of - every important step in the process. Use it to: -document the development of your invention -help you can make refinements while building and testing -assess the commercial potential of your invention -calculate how much capital you are likely to need -organize your search for funds to build, test, manufacture and distribute your invention -create a record of contacts who know of your invention and have signed confidentiality agreements The perfect companion to Nolo's bestselling Patent It Yourself, this book includes: -worksheets f-orms -sample agreements -instructions -references to relevant areas of patent law -a bibliography of legal and non-legal aids -and more The Inventor's Notebook also includes up-to-date agreements, a glossary of patent terms and a section on using the Internet to develop and promote your invention. --List of Forms-- Consultant's Work Agreement Proprietary Materials Agreement Joint Owners' Agreement Assignment of Invention and Patent Application Universal License Agreement Request for Participation in Disclosure Document Program Invention Disclosure Provisional Patent Application Cover Letter "
Book Description
This Companion provides a comprehensive overview of the major themes and topics pertinent to ancient Greek law. Many of the 22 essays, written by an international team of experts, cover procedural and substantive law in classical Athens, but significant attention is also paid to legal practice in the archaic and Hellenistic eras. The essays offer substantial evidence of legal practice in Crete and Egypt, as well as the intersection of law with religion, philosophy, political theory, rhetoric, and drama.
Book Description
Adopted at more than 70 law schools after its first year of publication, this supplementary text contains the litigation documents from Anderson v. Cryovac, the toxic tort case portrayed in the bestseller A Civil Action. Used in conjunction with Harr's book and any civil procedure casebook, A Documentary Companion to A Civil Action makes the first-year civil procedure class uniquely exciting and enlightening. The book can also serve as the sole text for an advanced litigation class. The authors have arranged documents from Anderson v. Cryovac topically to illustrate every phase of the litigation process, from notice to appeal. Their extensive notes and comments provide informative analysis of the legal, tactical, and ethical issues raised by the materials, as well as inside information about the case from extensive interviews with the lawyers. The book also presents thought-provoking questions to facilitate class discussion, as well as materials such as photographs, maps, newspaper articles, and excerpts from scientific reports.
Customer Reviews:
Parallel realities?.......2005-07-29
Do the events in this case and the history prior to it have anything to with the Whitey Bulger case?
In 1994 a man who worked for Grace appeared in a local newspaper story about his search for his unknown father and all the obstacles in his path. Not 6 months later Whitey vanishes and Harr's book comes out. The man had also written an autobiographical account in which early years in Woburn is mentioned prior to this book. As things heated up over the Bulger case AND in the movie adaptation of Harr's book, the man became mired in the resulting confusion and old 'friends' began exhibiting strange behavior.
Some of these friends appeared as possible plants to keep an eye on the boy(now a man) and to report back info to various parties for review and countermeasures, as of the boy was collateral against key players in the Bulger case with a link to the Woburn cancer tragedy discussed here.
Is it possible a child involved in the Woburn tragedy has been monitored and reported on by individuals directly or indirectly linked to one or more agencies with an interest in the Bulger case? If so, has such a child been targeted and to thwart any attention to such a possibility-- discreet,planned documentary evidence been fabricated to suggest otherwise, such as conversations steered to counter such charges then recorded without the man's knowledge or permission under a cloak of ComSec or other security provisions?
Far-fetched? Consider that many of the key players in the Bulger case hail from the areas affected by the Woburn case. It is alleged the man was also targeted for surveillance by an older man in his 50s(estimate) with TN license plates who claimed to work 'construction' around the time Barry Mawn was moved to the Boston FBI office AND is a Woburn native!
Not for the casual reader.......2005-07-22
Pay attention to the descriptions above so that you'll know what you're getting. This book is intended for law students or other legal-minded professionals, or only the most die-hard and detail-oriented of laypeople. The word "documentary" in the title will disappoint you if the documentaries that usually interest you are on the History Channel. This book is primarily a compilation of actual court pleadings... you know, those long, verbose, lawyer-written legal-brief-type arguments that have the party names at the top and usually begin with "comes now, Anne Andersen, Plaintiff, who alleges and would show this Court the following..." yadda yadda. Granted, you would never get to see this stuff if the author had not painstakingly gone through the court's casefiles and selected the best documents, but what you're reading is exactly that: the highlights of the court file. If you've never had the desire to show up at the federal courthouse, ask to see the casefile for Anderson v. Cryovac (assuming they'd let you), wait for them to haul the boxes in from the warehouse (remember the forklift at the end of the movie?) and then page through the documents one by one for days on end, then this book will probably not intrigue you. If the thought of paging through the history of these proceedings does interest you, then by all means, get this book. If nothing else, it will show the lawyer how much worse his/her life could be, it will show the law student how complex a case like this can be, and it will give the layperson an appreciation for just how much work can and does go into a lawsuit like this.
Excellent Teaching Tool.......2004-03-16
I have used this book very successfully to introduce business students to the realities of law. It's a particularly useful supplement for business law texts which tend to treat law as a set of rules to be memorized.
Book Description
This is the most comprehensive and readable one-volume reference book in print, accessible to lay readers and specialists alike, on the meaning of the American Constitution as the Supreme Court has interpreted it. It is an indispensable tool for students and lay persons who want to understand today's constitutional controversies and their background in our history. It is equally useful to lawyers and other specialists who seek quick reviews of constitutional issues with immediate reference to cases for further research.
Unlike conventional treatises that discuss the Constitution clause by clause or under a few broad concepts, this book uniquely treats every aspect of the Constitution and every constitutional topic in alphabetical order, in more than 1,000 short essays. It is extensively cross-referenced and exhaustively indexed, so that even a reader with only a minimal notion of the Constitution or constitutional law can quickly find clear answers to questions about pressing issues of the day.
Among the other unique features: a set of introductory essays on the background of the Constitution and the many difficulties of interpreting it; a concordance to each word and phrase in the Constitution; a year-by-year chronology of justices who have served on the Supreme Court; and a table of the more than 2,650 Supreme Court cases from 1792 to the present referred to in the book, listing the vote, the author of the majority opinion, the concurring and dissenting justices, and the length of the opinions.
Customer Reviews:
The Evolving Constitution by Lieberman.......2005-12-29
The work describes constitutional issues considered by the
United States Supreme Court over the past 200 years. Judicial
power has been exercised in the following types of situations:
- disputes between citizens of different states
- appellate jurisdiction of law and fact
- the 14th amendment requiring that no state should enforce
laws abridging the rights of citizens nor deny equal
protection under the laws
- the Supreme Court may balance or weigh state powers as against
individual rights
- strict scrutiny utilizes a rational basis or relationship test
- important criteria include whether or not an important
government objective is served or the issue at bar is
substantially encompassed by the governmental objective
- there is a right to sue when injured by a private person
in the common law
- there is an implied constitutional right of action
- federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of age,
medical condition and physical handicap according to the
American Disabilities Act of 1990.
This work will appeal to a very wide constituency of legal
scholars, American History enthusiasts and others in academia.
An Excellent Reference for Lawyers and Non-Lawyers.......2000-04-29
The bulk of A Practical Companion to the Constitution is in dictionary form and provides throrough but concise accessible explanations of the key concepts and terms of art of constitutional analysis. Each entry is also cross-referenced with other related concepts and definitions to aid the reader in fully understanding the concepts discussed. Professor Lieberman also places each entry into a historical context so that the reader may trace the development of doctrines and concepts and understand not only where a doctrine originated but where the state of the law or doctrine stands today. For example, under the entry for "Incorporation Doctrine," Professor Lieberman provides us with a brief explanation of the concept, and then traces the concept through its history and application. At the end of the entry, we find a list of which amendments have been incorporated onto the states, the rights implicated in the incorporation, and the year the amendment was incorporated. Indeed, I was most impressed with how Professor Lieberman has throughout the book explained the abstract concepts of Fourteenth Amendment analysis into easily understandable terms without oversimplifying or doing violence to the concepts. Other sections of the book provide summaries of the cannons of constitutional interpretation so that the reader has a basic understanding of the tools of textual interpretation. Finally, Professor Lieberman provides a thorough table of cases and brief biographical sketches of the justices who have served on the Supreme Court. I give this reference book my highest recommendation. It is a must for law students. It is an excellent resource for lawyers looking for the vocabulary to explain in accessible terms the abstractions of constitutional analysis. It is invaluable for the non-lawyer seeking to understand better the constitution.
An invaluable book by a great teacher.......1999-09-04
Professor Lieberman teaches Constitutional Law at New York Law School. I was privileged to study under him in 1998. He is an immensely knowledgeable man with an unmatched talent for clarity of communication. I am pleased to be able to recommend this book to all readers. For further insight regarding our highest court, I also recommend New York Law School's Dean Harry H. Wellington's very fine book, Interpreting the Constitution: The Supreme Court and the Process of Adjudication.
Book Description
Designed to help students understand the Constitution in all of its splendor and subtlety, this book introduces key events of the founding era, the Declaration of Independence, and the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention. The Constitution and its amendments are explored section by section, along with pertinent historical events, laws, and cases. Since the Third Edition was published in 2001, we have witnessed another presidential election, a second war with Iraq, significant Supreme Court cases on privacy, the death penalty, affirmative action, searches and seizures, and, perhaps most significantly, a series of developments related to America's response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In addition, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has announced her intention to resign. This new edition encompasses all of these developments. The Fourth Edition is the first to be thoroughly revised in its entirety, rather than merely updated. The language has been made even more accessible, rendering this an ideal starting point for students, as well as new citizens, who may be unfamiliar with constitutional law, American politics, or American history. Those already familiar with constitutional issues will be able to make use of the book as a reference guide to landmarks in constitutional history and development. Each chapter concludes with a bibliography of key books and cases useful for further study. The book includes a glossary; the texts of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution; and a section on how to locate cases and understand citations. Fifty leading cases are briefly described. Finally, the book includes two all-new sections, "Highlights in Constitutional History" and "U.S. Supreme Court Justices."
Customer Reviews:
An excellent reference.......2000-09-02
This book has valued my constitutional research more than any other document that I have had the priviledge of reading. Each section (and in some cases each clause) of the governing document of our nation, is clarified in an organized fashion. Said clarification also includes references to major Supreme Court decisions. The book also includes a list of fifty of the major Supreme Court rulings of the last 225 years. The Supreme Court, being the final word on Constitutional interpretation is essential to a book of this nature; however, Mr. Vile's list of cases does leave a bit to be desired. His description of the cases are, in my opinion, far to short, and it is for that reason alone that I can't give the book 5 stars. If you need a reference of Supreme Court decisions, look elsewhere, but if you want an excellent reference for the "meat" of the United States Constitution, and also a detailed description and analysis of each of the 27 amendments, it is without hesitation that I commend this book to your consideration.
Amazon.com
This is a fantastic reference for writers interested--and all should be--in legal issues concerning contracts, collaboration, agents, defamation, copyright, taxes, and high-tech publishing. Authors Brad Bunnin and Peter Beren have written this guide with such style and clarity that you might find yourself reading it, rather than just consulting it. But that's okay: you can't help but feel empowered by having read such a thorough and, when appropriate, opinionated text. Consider, for instance, the book's first chapter, "The Publishing Contract." Contrary to what publishers tell you, Bunnin writes (Beren contributed the chapter on "The Author and the Business of Publishing"), there is no such thing as a standard book contract. In fact, he says, "virtually without exception, publishers willingly change contracts at the author's request." Bunnin proceeds to lead his readers, line by line over 63 pages, through every single element of a publishing contract, including the grants-of-rights clause; warranties and indemnities; royalties, revisions, and remainders; and "all that incomprehensible, apparently unimportant stuff at the back of the contract." Whether or not you've retained a literary lawyer to work on your behalf, you'll want a book such as this on your shelves, to refer to when you need advice on avoiding defamatory statements, protecting yourself against copyright infringement, or even knowing which home-office expenditures you may deduct come tax time. --Jane Steinberg
Customer Reviews:
This novelist wouldn't do without it!.......2001-09-28
Without this book, I would never have been able to negotiate my first book contract. Bunnin and Beren gave me the necessary tools: book contract language and what it means, fair and unfair clauses, negotiating tactics, and how to get most of what I wanted. The sections on contracts alone are worth the price. They are by far the most valuable aspect of this book
But there is more here than information about book contracts. This book will teach you the necessary skills to be a business person, to think like the small business owner you are. Writers have a tendency to want to deal with art only, shying away from finance and law, but the authors point out time after time how dangerous this stance can be. With the knowledge provided here, you will protect yourself and your career.
Whether you are a new writer or an experienced professional, this book is a must-have.
Knowledge really is power.......2000-11-06
Aside from writing every day and knowing his craft like a master, the best thing any writer can do for himself is to understand writing as a business. "The Writer's Legal Companion" is an excellent tool to get you started down that road.
You don't have to wonder at what will happen when you get an offer. You don't have to guess at what this clause and that one means, or what your rights are. You don't have to blindly put all your faith in an agent's say so on what is good and what is bad. The information you need to make confident and informed decisions on your own career is right here.
Do yourself a favor. Become an informed writer. Keep a copy of "The Writer's Legal Companion" on your reference shelf.
Never Sign the First Contract.......2000-10-07
To understand why, I will begin with a page on author-publisher contracts from my own book: Successful Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books.
"The contract you receive from your publisher may be in two colors and printed on fancy paper but it is not chiseled in stone. Only new authors sign and return a publisher's first offer. You may make changes to the contract and return it-that is a "counter offer". The contract may go back and forth until someone "accepts it."
"I took a distressing telephone call from an author who had just received a contract from a large New York publisher. There were a total of 21 items in the contract she didn't like or didn't understand. After discussing some of them, I suggested she call her editor and have a discussion. Better communication was certainly required here.
"She called back two days later, both astonished and delighted. When she asked about the first paragraph in question, the editor said, "that's okay; you can have it." She got what she wanted on the next paragraph in question too. On one other paragraph that concerned her, the editor said something like, "Well, that sounds like this but in the book trade it really means that; so it isn't a big issue."
"The result: she got 19 out of the 21 things she asked for. So contract discussions do not mean pulling the wool over the eyes of your publisher. This was a win-win negotiation.
"Take the contract to a book attorney (not just any attorney, not a contract attorney and not a media attorney). When it comes to literary properties and money, you need professional help. And make a counter offer.
"As Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale says: "Remember, all of this is negotiable. The contract looks like it is set in stone when you review it, but anything can be scratched out or inked in. If you want more books, a better discount, or more help with marketing, negotiate for it. You may not get it, but you never know if you don't ask."
"And remember: The big print giveth and the small print taketh away."
The Writer's Legal Companion covers contracts (intimidation, negotiating, terms), publishing in magazines (contracts, serializations), collaborations (problem areas, alternatives), agent relationships (finding contracting), defamation (intrusive fact gathering, invasion of privacy, libel), copyright (the old law and the new, establishing, categories, length, derivative & collective works, notice, registration), protecting copyright (proving infringement, what to do), taxes & the freelance writer, resources (where to find a lawyer, how to choose, fees & bills), business (editor's role, the marketing process, non-traditional sales, premiums, special sales, the book trade, selling to libraries, subsidiary rights), new technology (eBooks, downloads, electronic media, negotiating), and much more. The appendix is filled with resources: There is a glossary of terms, sample contracts, comparisons of the copyright acts, permission guidelines, author's questionnaire and an index.
Brad Bunnin is a skilled book attorney.
Peter Beren is a well-known author, agent and publisher.
As the author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I have kept (previous editions of) this book within easy reach for almost twenty years and have referred to it often. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.
Comprehensive and professional.......2000-08-24
While many books are designed to help writers navigate the increasingly complex array of legal and marketing issues, most just skim the surface. This book is a rare exception. Not only does it help writers avoid awkward business arrangements, but it provides specific examples of wording which would be essential to include in contracts. But is this book an absolute must? Only for the writer who is serious about avoiding problems and making sales. Buy it!
Every Writer Should Have One.......2000-01-06
This is a guide to copyright, contracts, agents and all of the messy "non-creative" part of writing that you need to know if you are writing for commercial publication, even if you are acting as your own publisher.
The great benefit is that it takes the arcane business of contract and copyright law and presents it in terms that a non-lawyer can understand. It will help you to ask the right questions before you submit a poem, article or manuscript. It will teach you what copyright is, what it protects and what you need to do to ensure and enforce it.
Seriously, if you write, you'll find this at least as useful as Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style."
Books:
- The Digital Person: Technology and Privacy in the Information Age
- The French-Inspired Home, with French General
- The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World
- The Gregg Reference Manual
- The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
- The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
- The Invisible Woman: Gender, Crime, and Justice (Wadsworth Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice)
- The Land We Share: Private Property And The Common Good
- The Law of Contracts and the Uniform Commercial Code
- The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry
Books Index
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