Product Description
Written for the beginning student as well as the experienced scholar, this introductory analysis of the origin and early development or the English common law provides and excellent grounding for the early study of legal history. Between 1154, when Henry II became king, and 1307, when Edward I died, the common law underwent spectacular growth. The author begins with a discussion of the relationship between the early rules of common law and the social order they serve during this period and concludes with an extended commentary on the durability and continued growth of the common law in modern times. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

REVIEW OF ORIGINS OF THE COMMON LAW
Book came before it was supposed to and was in great condition.WOuld buy again. ... Read more

Product Description
The book highlights the key laws and regulations of interest and importance to foreign investors, corporate lawyers, and private practitioners involved in China on behalf of their clients. Valuable appendices contain contact information for U.S. and Chinese government resources, bar associations, international organizations, and other related organizations on Chinese legal and business efforts. ... Read more

Product Description
This book explores the interface between law and popular culture, two subjects of enormous current importance and influence. Exploring how they affect each other, each chapter discusses a legally themed film or television show, such as Philadelphia or Dead Man Walking, and treats it as both a cultural and a legal text, illustrating how popular culture both constructs our perceptions of law, and changes the way that players in the legal system behave. Written without theoretical jargon, Law and Popular Culture: A Course Book is intended for use in undergraduate or graduate courses and can be taught by anyone who enjoys pop culture and is interested in law. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

I NEVER RECEIVED MY ITEM!!!!!!!! THIS WAS A TEXTBOOK FOR CLASS AND I NEVER RECEIVED IT!!!
I am STILL waiting for this book which I assume at this point will never arrive. I am EXTREMELY ANGRY, as this was a required textbook for a class I am taking that will now be over in two weeks. This was my first time using amazon.com and I will NEVER do it again. I recommend that NO ONE purchase any items from the provider that I purchased this from. Amazon.com is now off my radar officially...

Law and the Popular Culture=A View From the Left
Law and the Popular Culture is used to make the reader think about films concerning Law, Lawyers, Judges and the legal process.However, the author seems to be examining and explaining what he thinks the film-makers intent was from a 1960s leftist-liberal bent.I am old enough to have been one of those 1960s leftist-liberals and I can recognise this leaning easilly.
That said, the author does a wonderful job of explaining tghe technical setups used by the movie directors in framing shots and actions. For a short book, the individual chapers are broken up into far too many subections for fluid reading.Easy micro-section is set up for the professor/lectuer teaching a course to make the aithor's point to the class.
My professor supplemented this with many outside readings which gave alternate poltical points of view, while using this text for the technical overview of the films.

Iwould frecommend this book to explain the legal film genre, but not for the political interpretation of the writer-directors' political bent(s).

Law and Popular Culture, mistitled yet momentous
We used Law and Popular Culture as one of several texts in an undergraduate class I am taking entitled, "Law and Society." If the prospective buyer of this text is interested in its substantive content, then he or she should be forewarned that Law and Popular Culture should, more appropriately, be entitled Law in Films. Though its authors acknowledge the pervasiveness and varied nature of popular culture as a whole in their "Preface," including in this designation "films, television shows, books, songs, advertisements, and numerous other imaginative texts," they choose to focus solely on films--13 specific films, to be exact. That being said, the book is incredibly informative, as Mr. Doherty attests, for students of either film or of law. More important, Law & Popular Culture would serve any student of both law and film particularly well, as its authors' critiques of its thirteen films are made with an interdisciplinary acumen.

The book is divided into three major sections: "Law, Lawyers, and the Legal System," "Criminal Justice," and "Civil Justice." In each section, chapters focus on a particular theme and explore said theme by way of analysis of a particular movie, likewise headlining the chapter. Thus, Chapter 3, "Lawyers as Heroes," explores the hero character of Atticus Finch in the chapter's assigned film, To Kill a Mockingbird; Chapter 4, "Lawyers as Villains," limelights the film The Verdict, and so forth.

In this way, the text is structured such that an instructor could easily create a course with Law and Popular Culture as its primary text, showing or assigning each of the thirteen movies that Asinmow & Mader analyze, which each headline a specific theme. The downside to this, as other reviewers have mentioned, is that the text is somewhat useless to a reader who has not previously viewed the movies that Law and Popular Culture considers. Moreover, for the creation of a course that actually intends to delve into law and popular culture as an overall theme, Asinmow & Mader's work is lacking in that its analysis is not complemented by an overarching synthesis on the subjects of its title.

Included in most chapters are snippets of historical data surrounding the creation of the film, tangential discussions of related historical figures, and technocratic terminologies relating to film production. While Law and Popular Culture does not completely serve the purposes of a student of law as it is portrayed in popular culture, these tangents provide a meager substitute for broad-based analysis of popular culture's portrayal of law as a whole by providing a brief and detailed window into the popular culture surrounding the creation of a chapter's headline film.

All in all, Asinmow's and Mader's text is one of significant synthesis with a misnomer for a title, as it at worst adequately and at best wonderfully explores specific films with law-related subject matter.

A Useful Book for a Niche Group
Review of "Law and Popular Culture: A Course Book (Politics, Media, and Popular Culture)"
Michael Asimow; Shannon Mader
273 pp. with index;
New York, Peter Lang; August 2, 2004
ISBN 0820458155

A student can take away a lot from this book, whether they are a student of film or a student of law, but sometimes the information presented in this book will only interest a student of one or the other.I recommend it for students who are interested specifically in the intersection of law and culture, but are deeply engaged in both, who have a desire to consider both issues related to filmmaking and specifics of the law.
As an undergraduate political science student, I found the discussion of law in the film specifically useful.Yet, I found some of the descriptions of filmmaking techniques mildly interesting, rather technical, and not wonderfully useful for my purposes.For example, in the second chapter, the authors discuss long takes and deep focus in Anatomy of a Murder.This did not seem particularly useful to me.Though film students may find this section useful, they might not find the extended sections on law as useful.These sections are able to be more detailed as one of the writers, Michael Asimov, is a Professor of Law and the other, Shannon Mader, is a scholar of film.Since this book provides information for students of two different studies, the book in its entirety will only apply to a small niche of students, but is still a useful source for students of either field.
The authors thus divide the book into short numbered sections throughout each chapter.This has its pros and cons, since it helps the reader pick out that from the book that may be of interest to them, but it also gives the book a disjointed feel.It lacks flow as it quickly moves from one barely related section to another.An overarching argument of a chapter is sacrificed for breadth and diversity of information.
Each chapter emphasizes a specific film that fits the topic, such as Anatomy of a Murder for "The Adversary System and the Courtroom Genre," or Philadelphia for "Civil Rights."One gets a lot less out of the chapter if she or he has not seen the related film.There are thirteen different films and it is likely the reader will not have seen all of them.Hence the reading experience will be much enhanced if the reader is using the book with a class where the films will be shown or if the student has access to the films.
There is a good deal of fascinating material in this book that may not be closely related to the topic, but is worth reading and becoming engaged in.Specifically, sections of race in film and the section on the Hays Code are interesting in ways not necessarily connected with the intersection of popular culture in the form of film and law.Some readers may see these as tangents, but I found them as quite useful, even if distantly connected and not fully addressing the issue at hand.
This book is a useful resource, but mostly useful for a small niche of students.If you are interested in both law and filmmaking, than this is a book should check out, especially if it is connected through a class that will let you view the films as you go through the films.

An Intellectual Course Book
Review of "Law and Popular Culture: A Course Book (Politics, Media, and Popular Culture)"
Michael Asimow; Shannon Mader
273 pp. with index;
New York, Peter Lang; August 2, 2004
ISBN 0820458155

In the last fifteen years there has been a proliferation of courses in law schools dealing with law and lawyers and their place in popular culture as defined primarily by motion pictures and television programming.

Last year, a colleague of mine at the Catholic University School of Law and I began to put together a film course focusing on Hollywood''s view of Lawyers and the lawyering process. We knew that there were law review articles that discussed some of the films we had chosen for the class but not all. Moreover, we could not find a good text that discussed the overarching themes of the lawyer''s place in the culture and how lay people viewed individual lawyers and their work.

I called Michael Asimov at UCLA School of Law, who I knew to be one of the gurus in the law and popular culture movement and co-author of Reel Justice, to see if he was aware of a suitable text. I had come to the right place because Mike and a colleague, Shannon Mader, had just completed the manuscript of Law and Popular Culture: A Course Book and he was willing to let me use the book in manuscript form.

The book was perfect for our needs. While we did not assign readings from every chapter, we leaned heavily on material that provided a strong rationale for the course, discussed legal education in a way that gave new insights to our students regarding what they were doing in law school and how they will relate to society and presented overarching themes tying together and analyzing particular movie genres such as lawyers as villains (chapter 4); unethical law firms (chapter 13) and lawyers as vehicles for social messages (chapter 3). Helpfully, the authors intersperse real world relevant information and observations in boxes throughout the text.

This work provided the intellectual backbone for our course and encouraged the students to view the chosen films and the legal profession in the broader context of our society and culture. The authors can take a bow for their contribution to the understanding of law, lawyers and lawyering. I recommend this text to any instructor teaching a course involving legal films or television series involving attorneys.

Harvey L. Zuckman
Ordinary Professor and
Former Director, Institute for
Communications Law Studies
Columbus School of Law
The Catholic University of America
LL.B. NYU School of Law, 1959
A.B. University of Southern California, 1956 ... Read more

Product Description
Leo Strauss's Philosophy and Law contains a groundbreaking study of the political philosophy of Maimonides and his Islamic predecessors, and it offers an argument on behalf of that philosophy which is also a profound critique of modern philosophy. Here is an entirely new and complete English translation of Strauss's work, which takes as its ideal the exacting standards of accuracy that Strauss himself emphasized in his own work. It includes a prefatory essay introducing the argument of each of the four sections of Philosophy and Law.

This is a fresh and challenging treatment of the perennial conflict between reason and revelation, or philosophy and religion. Strauss's key contention in this book is that the most influential modern approaches to this conflict have run aground in ways that reflect their loss of key insights developed by the medieval philosophers of Islam and their Jewish pupils, especially Maimonides. Strauss challenges the modern view that scientific enlightenment must ultimately amount to atheism, and that therefore there can be no such thing as enlightened religion. Through a careful, original, and detailed treatment of central works of the medieval Islamic-Jewish tradition, especially Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, Strauss aims to recover their key insights into this question. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Thank you!
The book was a little more worn than I anticipated, but still a good product.

Poor Condition
The description of the book said that it was in Good Shape.I might be on a different scale, because I personally do not think good condition means to have the cover all bentwith the pages being all marked up.

POOR
I never received item and have not received a refund back yet either.Emailed seller a few times and they never returned an email back.Very dissapointed and unhappy with this order.Will be very weary next time I purchase anything from Amazon. ... Read more

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“Law school applicants should consider this a guide to producing a competitive, superior essay. . . . These successful examples speak louder than any written how-to instructions could.” –The Book Watch

Each year, thousands of people apply to the most prestigious law schools across the country, competing for an ever-smaller number of spaces. But each applicant gets one chance to distinguish himself or herself from the pack: the law school application essay. In the essay, you can spotlight the qualities you possess that transcripts and LSAT scores cannot reveal.

Essays That Worked for Law Schools shows that winning essays come in a variety of styles and voices. One student writes about running a day-care center. Another tells a harrowing story about driving a cab in New York City. And a third gives an incredibly convincing argument for why the world needs one more good lawyer. From the thousands submitted each year, the essays in this book were considered some of the best by admissions officers at the nation’s top law schools.

If you’re facing essay anxiety, this book will educate and inspire you–and most important of all, help you write an essay that will give you the best chance of getting into the law school of your choice.Amazon.com Review
While almost anything goes in a college-application essay,law-school applicants are expected to be a little moresophisticated. No navel-gazing allowed. But please, no pontificating,either. Like admissions officers everywhere, those at law schools arelooking for something fresh. That means, says Boykin Curry, thatunless you are quite certain that you've got a spectacular newapproach, you should avoid such topics as "Why I want to be a publicdefender," "I have always wanted to be a lawyer since I was ten," and"What I think about justice" ("lecturing on the law--before you havestudied it--" Curry warns, "is likely to bore and irritate thereader"). Instead, be honest, and be creative. Use these essays forinspiration. One essayist here demonstrates his bargaining skills byrelating his Peace Corps experiences haggling over goat meat in Niger.Another writes touchingly of his stated goal: to practice law with thesame integrity that his grandfather brought to his carpentrybusiness.

A chart at the beginning of the book illustrates just how muchimportance various schools place on the essay (the University ofWashington gives it little consideration; Harvard and Yale say it's avital part of the application).--Jane Steinberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

law school entrance personal statement prep
There was nothing unique about this book.I bought 4 different books to help me write my personal statement.They all said the same thing with the same insight.Talk about plagarism.They weren't word-for-word, but the gist was the same.

Save your money and buy only 1 book!

Very helpful for me
I have a biology and computer science background and was very nervous about my ability to write an impressive essay compared to other applicants with a background in english, history,and political science.I quickly identified with the essays of non traditional applicants, but also learned a great deal from the wit, charm, and literary styles of the other essays.I found the book to be invaluable in my application efforts.Thank you.

A helpful book but could have been better
I personally found it helpful to see what other applicants had written.The forty essays in this book are separated into seven categories.They are essays about: Character, the school and you, important changes, entering the legal profession, contemplative, crimes, and applicants with colorful backgrounds.I found about half of the essays to be of little help to me personally as they were more the result of an applicant's specific abilities than a good essay.For example, I did not find essays about being a congressman's son, growing up as a Native American, or living in Niger to be to helpful.It would also have been nice to know which essays worked at which schools.It mentions the schools on the cover but does not tell which essays went to each school.This would be especially helpful since some worked at Florida State and Tulane while others worked at Harvard and Stanford an obvious difference.Personally, I found How to get into the Top Law Schools to be more helpful but this is good as supplementary reading.

Boring Essays
The book has its helpful points, but the overwhelming majority of the essays in this book are boring and don't stand out in too many ways, in my opinion. I'm having a hard time seeing why the various admissions officers chose to submit the essays in this book--probably because most applicants write boring essays, as even the admissions officers in this book will tell you. I also guess it's because the title of the book is "Essays That Worked," not "Essays That Are Impressive." And I'll bet the essays mainly "worked" because everything else in their admissions files was stellar and they were written in a decent fashion.

One of the essays I remember particularly well basically read like a laundry list of things that can easily be found ELSEWHERE in his application, which I specifically remember reading in just about every other book/advice about law school essays NOT to do. There don't seem to be many truly revealing essays (interesting life events), essays that grab at you or cultural essays--all of which, in my opinion, are the absolute best ones. The essays do tell you something about each person's character and most are well-written, which probably contributes to why they worked, but the way in which most of the authors acheived their ends is not exemplary. Their methods are plain, as if they are too scared to really open themselves up or talk about something very personal. I believe you can write much better essays than these.

Perhaps the most exemplary and interesting essay in terms of writing style, topic and revelations about the author is the last one in the "Essays About Character" section where a young woman wrote about, what I will call, her conflicts with her mother. Her essay is an example of what I mean by very interesting life events that reveal something about the authors in a much deeper way than the average essay does.

The most helpful parts of the book, for me, were the questions in the beginning about essays that were answered by admissions officers and the chart that shows how much estimated importance each of the top schools places on essays. It's truly eye-opening to see how much schools like Harvard and Yale value personal statements while schools like Duke and Boalt place the least amount of emphasis on it out of the top schools listed on the chart (I don't consider Indiana a top school, and their were rated as seeing essays the least important). I would, perhaps, buy the book just for this information and maybe to get an idea of how much better you can do on your essays...and also for the one stand-out essay I mentioned.

Even if you're not a minority, I believe the best essays I've read are the ones in the upcoming book by Evangeline Mitchell entitled "Profiles and Essays," a book that is basically targeted at African Americans. Not all the essays are about being Black--in fact, most aren't--so you can still get some good ideas and see good, race-neutral essays. The book is likely officially coming out this fall, but you can probably order a rough copy of it now at hopespromisepublishing.com as I did. The essays I've read in other books are, more or less, boring as well...although Richard Montauk's "How To Get Into Top Law Schools" and Willie Epps's "How To Get Into Harvard Law School" present SOME good essays.

Perfect for applicants
I am an educational counselor and received all four of the new "Essays That Worked" books recently. These newly revised editions are perfect for any applicant stumped by or anxious about writing a personal statement. The essays are inspiring, and the advice is frank and fresh. The authors did a great job of updating these classics, and I highly recommend them to anyone applying to college, law school, business school, or med school. ... Read more

Product Description
This new translation offers fidelity to the Latin in a readable version that will prove useful to students of the natural law tradition in ethics, political theory, and jurisprudence, as well as to students of the Western intellectual tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent reading
The reader of the cassette tape version of *Treatise on Law* does an excellent job--well-paced, clear, and natural-sounding (as natural as a medieval philosopher can be made to sound!).I listened to this a few times while commuting.That's not easy to do as the book is rather dense, and I would not recommend doing that unless you already have some familiarity with subject matter.There is one thing that makes putting Aquinas's *Summa Theologica* on tape particularly unwieldy: the objections are all stated, followed by the responsio, and then the replies.By the time you get to the replies you will probably have forgotten which objection was which, and the context of the replies does not always make this clear.I rate the production 5 stars nonetheless, because I think it would probably be taking too great of inappropriate editorial liberties to group objections with replies together--even though this would probably make them easier to understand.Obviously, you should have a copy of the text to refer to when you get home; then you can sort out confusions.

Anyone who gives classics like this fewer than 5 stars on grounds of the content of the works is being silly.I give the production itself 5 stars as well.

A Seminal Work in the History of Natural Law
Admitedly a difficult work to read, Thomas Aquinus' Treatise on Law is well worth the effort. Its difficulty stems from the strictures of its genre-- the scholastic method of dispution, important in the devolpement ofmodern critical thinking. The treatise is a rich work that seeks to probethe limits of human ethical knowledge. He asks us to consider the questions"what are my rights, how can I know and guarantee them, what are thelimits of the state in relation to the individual." If you've everpondered the meaning of the words "we hold these truths to beself-evident" in the Declaration of Independence, start with thisbook. Aquinus has few peers in his understanding of what it means to be ahuman-being. Agree or disagree with him, Aquinus' vision of a universewhose very fabric both constitutes and guarantees a moral order is deeplymoving and ennobling. No less a person than the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Kingacknowledged in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail his debt to the Treatiseon Law. If you love freedom, read this book!

Thomas Aquinas knows his stuff.
Thomas Aquinas knows his stuff. If you find discussions on the essence of goodness or talk of why all things act as agents to a good to be of any use then Aquinas is an absorbing read. If you find this kind of cavilling to beinvigorating you are a dullard and are in Good company with Aquinas.

As true today as it was in the 13th Century
The treatise on law provides a concise definition of law, a fabulous discussion of natural law, and a view into the inner working of our own human law.A must for lawyers and legislators. ... Read more

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First published in 1973, The Birth of the English Common Law has come to enjoy classic status.In a new preface, Professor van Caenegem discusses some recent developments in the study of English law under the Norman and earliest Angevin kings.The book provides a challenging interpretation of the emergence of the Common Law in Anglo-Norman England, against the background of the general development of legal institutions in Europe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Birth of the English Common Law
The Birth of the English Common Law, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press 1973, 1988, R.C. van Caenegem

In The Birth of the English Common Law (2nd ed) van Caenegem by a thorough analysis of primary sources produces a coherent and fascinating exposition of the birth of the common law.The author explores centuries old controversies; did the common law arrive with the Conqueror in 1066 or was there a nascent common law in operation in pre-conquest England? Did the jury pre-date the conquest?The work is replete with fascinating insights concerning medieval society of general interest.The notion that the ordeal (trial by water or fire), and battle were surpassed as modes of proof because the royal courts were able to offer jury verdicts that were considered more reliable is just one example.Promotion of the jury in the royal courts of the Norman rulers accompanied the development of a centralized judiciary.The common law did not so much arrive with William, but flourished in Norman courts because it surpassed existing methods and found acceptance by the English.The loss of the continental Crown possessions saw the common law thrive in England alone.Van Caenegem, in a measured way, paying due attention to those of a different mind, makes a fascinating case that England did not make the common law.Rather, the common law made England.
... Read more

Product Description
Posner discusses the structure and behavior of the legal profession, constitutional theory, interdisciplinary approaches to law, the nature of legal reasoning, and legal pragmatism. Briliantly written, eschewing jargon and technicalities, it makes a major contribution to the debate about the role of law in our society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Science, Economics and the Nature of Law
Richard Posner, a US Federal Court of Appeal judge and a senior lecturer of law in the University of Chicago is one of the most important Legal scholars living today.For me personally, reading his Sex and Reason was a transformative experience: it completely changed the way I looked at the Law.Perhaps the most curious thing I learned about Posner's outlook from reading `Overcoming Law' is that he isn't as swayed by his own ideas, maintaining a more careful and tentative approach.

I'll return to that point shortly.`Overcoming Law' is a collection of essays, mostly already published book reviews, to which Posner added much new material and re wrote some of the old.The result is a tour de force of breathtaking intellectual scope and penetrating analysis.Posner ranges from offering an economic-psychological account of Judges to discussing homosexuality in ancient Athens; from a critique of modern constitutional theorists to discerning legal thought in E.M Forester's novel Howards End.Posner is a brilliant writer, managing to simplify complex issues and keeps his 597 page book a page turner.That is not to say that it's all easy; Posner's an intense and subtle thinker, and I for one need to reread some of the more theoretical chapters.

Posner offers devastating critiques of intellectuals and thinkers left and right - but mainly left.Although Posner is invariably civil and respectful even to people he completely disagrees with, he seems occasionally biased to the Right.Compare his devastating analysis of Martha Minow's book about the disabled and the Law Making All the Difference: Inclusion, Exclusion, and American Law(chapter 12), with his discussion of Robert Bork's The TEMPTING OF AMERICA (chapter 9).Minow is making a good faith attempt to deal with difficult issues, although Posner is correct in noting that she's too Utopian;Bork's approach is, "militant[t] and dogmati[c]" (p. 241).Furthermore, because Bork's views are not really derived from Original Understanding, Bork is either self deluded or simply lying.And yet Posner compares Minow to a fruitcake who seeks refuge in an imaginary world of the Stone Ages.Bork on the other hand "should have been confirmed and would have been an outstanding Justice" (p. 230, n).(Full disclosure, I've read neither book).

And yet, Posner is not really right wing, except economically.If he were to construct a "comprehensive theory of the rights that the constitution should be deemed to recognize" he tells us, he would "come out closer to [Liberal legal philosopher Ronald] Dworkin than many would expect" unless they are familiar with the full range of his writing (pp. 175-176).Posner is the true, 19th century liberal (and I mean this in the best sense of the word) - believing in a wide scope for personal freedom in the political, economic and social spheres.

In my review of `Sex and Reason' I discussed how I thought economic analysis of the law can offer us an objective way of interpreting the law that would promote social welfare.For Posner, the purpose of `Overcoming Law' is similar, but narrower and less ambitious:he wants to "nudge the judicial game a little closer to the science game" (p.8).That is, to make Judging and Jurisprudence more empirical.
Since Posner is able to apply the economic analysis of the law to such a wide array of issues, not only Commercial Law but also criminal law and the regulation of sexuality, why does he settle for such modest goals?Given the triumphs of scientific methods in other fields of inquiry (and Posner is very much pro-science), and given the emptiness of traditional, so-called "Bottom Up" legal reasoning, which Posner calls "spurious" (p. 177), why not call for the wholesale substitution of scientific for legalistic inquiry?

I'm not sure.One possibility is that Posner thinks that such a substitution is too ambitious - it can't happen given the institutional constrains on the law.Maybe - but scientific methods are now commonplace in most fields of inquiry, in both the social and the natural science.Why not the law?

In Posner's discussion of the Philosophy of Richard Rorty, Posner seems to accept Rorty's skeptical outlook towards science.It's a subtle thing, and I cannot hope to capture Posner's views in any nuanced form in this review.Yet perhaps the difference between my ambitious dream and Posner's cautious one is that Posner is a shade more relativistic then I am.He writes: "theories can never be shown to be true, but only to be false, or useful, or both." (p.450). One can hear echoes of the Falsification philosophy of Karl Popper in this sentence.Yet the dichotomy is false.We can never be absolutely certain that any theory is true; but we can never be absolutely certain a theory is false, either.It is always possible that something other than the theory falsifies the experiment (if we want an extreme example, a Descartesian malicious demon can be playing with our observations) similarly, we can never be absolutely certain that a theory is useful either (if for no other reason, the statement that theory x is useful is a theory also).But we can be (in legalese) certain beyond any reasonable doubt that a theory is true, or false, or useful.Just conceivably, the difference between Posner's most genteel relativism and my insecure realism is the root of the difference between our judicial philosophies.

`Overcoming Law' is a brilliant and varied book.It does assume, however, a certain amount of familiarity with Legal philosophy and practice, particularly American.The chapter in which Posner answers criticism to his `Sex and Reason' is of limited interest even to those who have read his book, and of no interest to those who haven't.Thus for the uninitiated, I would recommend `Sex and Reason' first; but for those familiar with the challenging and exciting scholarship of Judge Posner, `Overcoming Law' is a must.

Scattered Text From The Great One.
Judge Posner offers his thoughts on many topics correlating to the profession.

That's the crux of the book!Interesting insight and commentary from the Great Judge, however, the topics are scattered and often end "open-ended," leaving the reader to wonder why he chose to lecture on the topic in the first place.

For example: In the chapter "The Left-Wing History of American Legal Thought,"a part of the last paragraph states: "Reactionary judges, aware that a realistic conception of the corporation was the crest of the slippery slope at the bottom of which lies my potato-chip example, resisted "modern" ideas of the corporation--and proto-legal-realists embraced those ideas for the same reason.This is the kind of story that Horwitz tells well." What?

Decide for yourself.Not bad.I rate it three stars.

Posner is overrated.
he's really not that bright. Go read Lon Fuller instead.

Great essays. His other books are better.
Another reviewer noted that this is the best intro to Posner. It probably is. The essays here touch on legal reasoning, economics, philosophy of law, sexuality and many other topics, giving the reader a 'survey' view of Posner. Most books of essays, though, have a cohesiveness that I did not detect here, which is fine, so long as the intention is ONLY to get a sampling.

I can not stress enough how phenomenal a writer Judge Posner is. The essays are both challenging and readable; contraversial yet objective. In one, Posner defends his book 'Sex and Reason' against radical feminism. In another he examines Richard Rorty and the impact that modern philosophy has on law. Perhaps the best essay is on pragmatic legal reasoning, entitled "What am I? A potted plant?'.

Besides the lack of cohesion, the biggest reason for the subtracted star is that, while Posner discusses economics, legal method and gender issues, his full length books on the subjects are better. Respectively, they are "The Economics of Justice", "The Problems of Jurisprudence" and "Sex and Reason." For the student of any one of these areas, read those first, read this after. Everyone else, start here!

Readable, even if you do not agree with the Judge
Judge Posner is in the news these days because he has served as a mediator in the Microsoft trial.He is both a public intellectual and a judge, as well as one of the leading philosophers of the movement in legal theory called "Law and Economics."

This is an admirable record, andone way the judge has built his reputation is by being a prolific andreadable writer on law.Overcoming Law is one of the best summaries of hiswork because as a series of essays, the reader is at liberty to dip intothe most interesting topics.

Understanding law and economics is aprerequisite.This is Posner's (and Ronald Coase's) idea thatdescriptively, judges try to maximize social wealth by allocating toclaimants the results that those claimants are most willing to pay for. Prescriptively, to Posner, this is a Good Thing.

Solomon in the Bibleacted in a Posnerian fashion because the "good" mother valued herchild's life over her possession of the child whereas the bad mother valuedher possession over the kid's life.Posner would not say that Solomon sawthe abstract good and made a decision according to his conception of theabstract good (which Posner feels can be flawed.)Instead Posner would saythat Solomon found a decision procedure which revealed the true values ofthe claimants.

This makes sense.What makes less sense is that Posnerturns Marx's theories on their head, and this is rather dizzying, sinceMarx turned Hegel on his head.In Posner's ideal world, any atomicbusiness transaction reveals that actor A values product or service P morethan B does if B transfers that product or service at price R.

Bettercritics than I have pointed out that economic actors who are acting closeto the bone, such that they must work or trade, or die, may not value theirmininum wage more than the service they render.They may value the timehighly but sacrifice it anyway as a precondition for their existence.AsKant would say, existence is not a predicate, but a precondition to havingpredicates.Translated to the economic sphere, existence is not a Yuppieluxury, like an SUV, nor is it a necessity like bread.It is aprecondition for having either.

Posner writes, I believe, from thestandpoint of the lucky American who has never had to face extinction as aconsequence of the economy and this gives his thought a certain lack ofheart which is also a failure to think things through.

This is most ondisplay in Posner's essay "Hegel and Employment at Will."Here,Posner speaks directly to legal philosophers including Drucilla Cornell whohave made a case, based on the thought of Hegel, for property rights tojobs.Posner's defense of employment at will (which was thought, asrecently as 1980, to be an out of date theory) is based on nothing morethan an empirical, and questionable, economic claim: that we enjoy highereconomic growth in America as a consequence of employment at will.

Thisis to be misled by the numbers, for many observers of European societies(with their social welfare programs and longer vacations) have pointed outthat qualitatively, the consequent higher unemployment in Europe does NOTseem to lead to a high level of misery.In Japan, during the last tenyears, that country has been in deep recession, with high unemployment, butqualitative commentators have noticed that the Japanese react differentlythan Americans have done.

Posner tends to accept high levels ofemployment which result from churning in the employment market as a goodthing.As a sitting judge with probable lifetime tenure, Posner does notsee the disruption that results from employment at will...even tobusinesses themselves.

In general, Posner is a clever and readableideologue and apologist for Reagan-era ideology.No matter what your viewson these changes it is a very good idea to read Judge Posner...if only tobe able to spot arguments which use his thought, and to show (as doesphilosopher Martha Nussbaum) that by their lack of qualitative, and evenethical, reflection, they lack the rationality they claim. ... Read more

Product Description
This ambitious volume traces war as a legal concept from Roman times through to the twentieth century. Neff demonstrates how war has been seen variously as a law-enforcement operation, as a duel between states and as a 'crime against the peace'. He also considers the post World War II definition of war as an international law-enforcement mechanism under UN aupices. Although unsuccessful, this attempt did help transform war into a humanitarian, rather than a policy, problem. This book will interest historians, students of international relations and international lawyers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Complementary readings to Neff's book
There is already an excellent review, so I will only suggest reading the following books on war in addition to Neff's: a) "War in human civilization" by Azar Gat; b) "War before Civilization. The Myth of the Peaceful Savage", by Lawrence Keeley; c) "How War Began" by Keith F. Otterbein; and d) "War and Peace and War: The Rise and Fall of Empires" by Peter Turchin.

Magisterial, Comprehensive, Scholarly
This marvelous book should be in any library with collections on international law, international relations, or intellectual history.In just 400 pages, it gives a sweeping overview of the legal concepts that have shaped the law of war from the Middle Ages to the War on Terror.The storyline is simple:medieval "just war" theories gave way to 19th century concepts of war as an instrument of policy, only to be replaced by the UN Charter's treatment of war in terms of aggression and self-defence.Along the way, the book fleshes out this basic story with historical examples and discussions of technical issues such as neutrality, reprisals, and humanitarian law.At all points, legal evolution is related to changes in the international system.The writing is clear, and the author has a genius for summing up complex topics in a paragraph or two.A gem of a book.Highly recommended.Six stars. ... Read more

Product Description
"I truly enjoyed The Politics of Law. It's a well-guided tour through contemporary legal academic thought, in general and critical legal studies, in particular. For lawyers--or laypersons--interested in alternative perspectives on the law and legal institutions, this book is an invaluable aid."
--Scott Turow, author of Burden of Proof and Presumed Innocent

The Politics of Law is the leading and most widely read progressive critique of the nature and role of the law in America society. This revised--and over a third entirely new--edition continues the book's concrete focus on the major subjects and fields of law. New essays on emerging fields and the latest trends and cases have been added to update versions of the now classic essays from earlier editions.

A unique assortment of leading scholars and practitioners in law and related disciplines--political science, economics, sociology, criminology, history, and literature--raise basic questions about law, challenging long-held ideas like the separation of law form politics, economics, religion, and culture. The address such issues contextually and with a keen historical perspective as they explain and critique the law in a broad range of areas.

This third edition contains essays on all of the subjects covered in the first year of law school while continuing the book's tradition of accessibility to non-law-trained readers. Insightful and powerful, The Politics of Law makes sense of the debates about judicial restraint and range of legal controversies so central to American public life and culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Blast From the Past
A great blast from the past! A taste of the baby boomers in their full glory, when we all thought we were writing a theoretical basis for understanding the law that would have lasting power and would provide a basis for re-understanding the law. Ah well. Times have passed this all by. That's for sure. Read it and remember when...

Unsatisfying and theoretically immature
"The Politics of Law" is a collection of essays by legal scholars from a progressive point of view, or rather a range of progressive points of view. Every major topic of law has one or two essays criticizing the current legislation and jurisprudence from a leftist perspective. Attention is paid not just to traditional injustices such as racism and access difficulties, but also more modern subjects like gay rights, feminism and the environment. So far, so good.

The essays themselves, however, are by and large very disappointing. About half of them are so general and so vaguely outline areas that may or may not be a problem that may or may not be worth addressing either inside or outside the legal scholarship, and so on, that they are largely useless to any reader but the most uninitiated. The other half tend to be thorough in their critiques, but make far too many assumptions about the nature progressive criticism should take, and often merely assert their critiques with no evidence at all. For example, whether affirmative action is to be considered good or bad from a radical progressive perspective is quite a debatable topic, but in this book it is basically assumed that the reader is an avid proponent. Same thing with constitutional jurisprudence such as Griswold vs. Connecticut and Roe vs. Wade; one can very well make a leftist argument against such creations as a "right to privacy" by emphasizing its antidemocratic constructs, but no attention is paid to this at all.

That seems to be the main problem with almost all essays in the main part of the book (Kairys' own article on free speech is a notable exception): there is a very strong presumption in favor of legal and especially judicial resolution of social problems, as opposed to for example a call for a more thorough democratization. It's probably because of the background of the contributors as law professors and radical lawyers that this top-down legal tendency is incorporated in all the criticisms, but it is not at all uncontested in radical progressive circles.

Finally, there are quite some silly mistakes and poor reasonings. Consistently misspelling Lochner as "Lockner" and implying that the 'imminent lawless action' test and the 'clear and present danger' test are the same are errors that should not be in any professional legal work. Rhonda Copelon's article explaining why the US is evil for not immediately implementing the various UN declarations' assertions such as "the right to the continuous improvement of living conditions" consists of nothing but angry assertions and makes a very amateuristic impression. The constant invocation of "the conservative Rehnquist court" as some sort of conspiracy to take away all civil rights, without any backup or argumentation whatever, is shrill and stupid.

The main virtues of this collection are the broad reach of its criticism and the last couple of essays, gathered under the header "progressive approaches to the law". These articles are more theoretical in nature and discuss the relation between progressive political views, especially radical ones, and legal systems. Particularly worthwhile is Cornel West's discussion of the role of law vis-à-vis radical leftist movements in the United States. The reader would do best to borrow this from the library to read that essay, and not to bother with the rest.

This book changed my life
As a non-traditional student returning to college to complete my undergraduate degree at the age of 47, I had accumulated hundreds of questions in my mind about the confusing state of American legal and political thought.Everywhere I turned, I ran into brick walls impermeable to logic.For example, if I helped to save the whales, how would that activity do anything about racism?And how would women who stayed at home with their children be empowered by entering a working environment rife with sexual harassment and discrimination?Why was it ok for so-called "captains of industry" to engage in selfish and rapacious behavior while being honored as "astute businessmen"?Why did some people's work receive more respect than others?

This book provided the foundation from which I have been able to distill answers to my questions.The Politics of Law challenges the mythology we are spoonfed throughout our lives.I always get a big kick out the the Right Wing's claims that indoctrination is the special purview of progressive political thought.When our education system is reinforced by our illiberal media and the overwhelming presence of corporate advertising and influence, it's shocking that anyone can think their way out of this maze of programming.Start with The Politics of Law.

Understanding Law as Politics
This book makes sense of the limits of "the rule of law," without giving up on The Law's importance.Cutting through the dream that "we have a government of laws, not of men," Kairys and his contributors demonstrate that The Law is not necessarily on the side of justice, fairness, or democracy.Today, perhaps more than at any time in the last 50 years, the supposedly neutrality of the system of laws has been compromised.In so many crucial areas -- such as the criminal "justice" system, the welfare state, civil rights and civil liberties, labor, women's rights, health, environment law, poverty, and many more -- this book helps us see how The Law is there to serve the powerholders, the "haves" of society, rather than the "have-nots."There is a lot here too about legal processes: about access to the system (and restrictions in people's access), about the legal rights of racial minorities, immigrants, workers, women, low-income people, and gays, and about the politics of policing.

Although highly critical of the present state of The Law, the writers here do not abandon the The Law as a zone where the struggle for justice, equality, and democracy goes on.Indeed they have written this book, in a sense, to redeem The Law as a tool for a true justice.Kairys and his collaborators want The Law truly to serve that cause, not merely to claim that it seeks justice when it so often does the reverse.

The book will be crucial for law students, critical thinkers, and real believers in democracy everywhere.It helps us think about what freedom really means.

Complicated yet lucid...highly recommended for students
I use this book in my Sociology of Law course.The essays in this bookare wonderful for instructional purposes because they are simultaneouslyclear enough that people not firmly entrenched in the legal field can readthem, yet rich in their content, exposing the complexities of law andsociety.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in lawand society, and especially to instructors. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the essentials version of the market leader in family law (Statsky's Family Law, 4th, West, 1996). It is a briefer, less expensive paperback text ideal for shorter courses or for courses that supplement a paperback with state-specific material. Chapters 2-5, most of Chapter 1, all cases, appendices, and assignments that require library research have been eliminated in this version to provide concise, accurate coverage with an emphasis on practical paralegal skills and techniques. State-specific supplements are also available for Texas, New York, California, and Florida. ALSO AVAILABLE California ISBN: 0-314-20594-2 Florida ISBN:0-314-20595-0 New York ISBN:0-314-20596-9 Texas ISBN:0-314-20597-7Study Guide ISBN: 0-314-20838-0 INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructor’s Manual(with Test Bank), ISBN:0-314-20794-5 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

just as described
The book arrived right on time and was in even better condition than anticipated. Thanks!

Informative but a little dry...
Covered many areas of family law but I found the reading a little dry. I would have prefered examples within sample fictious or factual case history instead of often just listing facts. Overall, though, very informative. ... Read more

Product Description
This book sketches the history of Roman Private Law from the Twelve Tables to modern times, and sets out the elements of the system.It does not attempt to summarize the whole law, but explains and evaluates its most characteristic and influential features. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A great introduction to Roman law
A read this book as a student, and I found it an easy guide to the world of Roman law. Though today's legal systems share a common heritage from Roman law, the latter is still an alien system for lawyers today. It is thus not an easy task to present this exotic legal system and society as easy as Nicholas does in this book.

Nicholas - Roman Law
When I was a student at Oxford I specialised in Roman law. The tutorial system was very good at providing education in detail but bad at giving the wider picture. I survived on Nicholas to keep my sanity. Other writers deal with the subject in greater depth (von Lubtow, Daube, Jolovicz, Schulz etc)but he does a unique job, so far as Iam aware, in producing acomprehensible overall map. I reccomend it highly to anyone interested inRoman law. ... Read more

Product Description

Routledge-Cavendish Q&As – your path to exam success!

Has the thought of facing your law exams left you feeling completely overwhelmed? Are you staring at the mountain of revision in front of you and wondering where to start? Routledge-Cavendish Q&As will help guide you through the revision maze, providing essential exam practice and helping you polish your essay-writing technique.

Each Routledge-Cavendish Q&A contains 50 essay and problem-based questions on topics commonly found on exam papers, complete with answer plans and fully worked model answers. The titles are written by lecturers who are also examiners, so you can recognise exactly what examiners are looking for in an answer.

• Key cases and legislation are highlighted within the text for ease of reference
• Boxed answer plans after each question outline the major points you should be aiming to convey within your answer
• The books in this series are supported by a companion web offering you bonus q&as; advice on preparing for your exams; revision checklists; discussion forums and more.

But don’t just take our word for it!

"The book was an answer to my prayers… I’ve been begging tutors to give us ready-made answers so we get a structure as to what we should be including and revising and the Q&As do exactly that!"

Azmina Thanda, 2nd year LLB

"The Routledge-Cavendish Q&As are very well designed and helpful, giving a good indication of what comes up in exams."

Deaglan McArdle, 3^rd year LLB

Customer Reviews (1)

sample is insufficient to make a decision
I tried to sample this book, and others in this series.The problems is that I can only see the preface and table of cases.I would really like to read at least one chapter of the text. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed to provide learners with a foundation in medical law and ethics, this book uses case studies from actual legal procedures to illustrate key points of law, interpretation of statutes, as well as ethical dilemmas.This newly revised edition helps the medical office professional interact with the legal profession, recognize when they need legal advice, and protect their employers from medical malpractice complaints.In addition to understanding their rights as an employee, the rights of the patient are explored, as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Book & Price!
The book was in great shape and I loved the price. It cost $80 less than the school and I received it fast!

The Best...!!!
The book was is great shape. I recieved it quicker than i thought i would. the overall experience was great and i would deff by from this sellar again. thanks so much!!!!

Clear, concise review
This book provides a clear and concise introduction to the legal aspects related to health care delivery. It is geared mostly toward the medical office professional but it has useful information for any health care provider. Two very nice features: 1. legal terms are defined not only in the text but also on the margins (one can quickly review them by just browsing through the book) and 2. issues pertinent to managed care and HIPAA are clearly marked throughout the text. ... Read more

Product 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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Not Bad
Overall-not a horrible book by any stretch of the imagination. I'd suggest buying a used copy for cheap. I still am looking for a another book to prepare me for law school.

good common sense book...straight forward
I wasn't going to leave a review, but after reading those other reviews that gave a 3/5 star because the book "needs to be updated badly", I decided to throw in my own two cents...first...

This book does not need to be updated...it's fine...Law school hasn't changed in hundreds of years....As for laptops in class, so what?

Laptops are just things for taking notes. This book addresses the very important things: how to create great briefs, how to create a great outline, and how to take a test...that's ALL you need...

If you can't figure out that laptops and Examsoft (AKA the devil) are just ancillary to the above mentioned things...then this book (and any other your find on Amazon) ain't gunna help yo sorry *&$% in law school..

On a more positive note!

I highly recommend this book...Already told my friend to get it...It's very straightforward..takes the guess work out of everything...

BUY IT.

"How to Excel in Law School"
"The Complete Law School Companion: How to Excel at America's Most Demanding Post-Graduate Curriculum" by Jeff Deaver, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1992. ISBN0-471-55491-X, SC 206/229 pages.Appendices I - Intro. Legal Sys.&II - Glossary Terms with Index 3 pgs.No Illustrations.

This Revised & Updated edition (1984 - 1992) is a singularly attractive & informative reading for those interested in the core curriculum, types of study materials and teaching methodologies found in law schools.It is a well-rounded and well-written syllabus written by a cum laude law school graduate who is also a published writer of novels.Deaver provides a succinct explanation of necessary study habits, types of work assignments and obstacles one may expect to encounter in choosing law as a career.Special emphasis is given on steps to maximize performance on law school tests and the bar exam, using test examples and answers which follow a specific format and covers I Short Answer, II Issues Presented, III Analysis (Rule of Law, Applicable Facts, Conclusion), IV Other Considerations and V Conclusion.The author utilizes the LCM or Legal Concept Management as outline for learning this material.

Two Appendices are especially informative, i.e. the Introduction to the American Legal System, a federalist system of laws prescribed by both federal and state government, and a concise review of how laws come to pass and appear on the books, i.e., the categories of Procedural (how to redress) and Substantive (what one's rights are) Laws. A distinction between Criminal and Civil Laws and brief review of the court system (tri-level) into Federal District & Specialty Courts, Geographic or Circuit Courts (Appellate), and the Supreme Court is outlined.

Overall, this is a good read - for the targeted audience of enrolled law students, it is, perhaps, somewhat dated on finer points of law school and bar exam examination taking as some scoring methodology has changed and computer programming is paramount. It contains an excellent overview on "Law Review" and helpful tips on finding law clerkship or related jobs before graduation.

finis

This book is now extremely outdated, but has a few useful things
I just finished my first year at a top ten law school. I didn't read this book or The Law School Companion in full before school started, but I read through parts of it during the year and over winter break. Overall it does help with giving you hints if you are utterly clueless on what to expect, but it is very outdated and there are far more useful books out there. One that I prefer is called Introduction to the Study and Practice of Law in a Nutshell (based off the Nutshell series which is very helpful and used by practicing lawyers). I would recommend Law School Companion but I think that book will tend to scare you too much and be counter-productive. I wish I had gone into law school having read the nutshell book, but the truth is that you will figure everything out once you are there and there is no reason to read a pre-law book unless you are in really in a panic. If you do choose to buy this book BUY IT USED. I had a copy I put into recycling because the used copies are selling for so little.

Very helpful book
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! ... Read more

Product Description
The second edition of Company Law brings clarity and sophisticated analysis to a company law landscape much altered by the groundbreaking Companies Act 2006. Hannigan captures the dynamism of company law, places the material in context and guides students through all the major topics studied at undergraduate level. The book is divided into five distinct sections covering corporate structure (including legal personality and constitutional issues), corporate governance (including directors' duties and liabilities), shareholders' rights and remedies (including powers of decision-making and shareholder engagement), corporate finance (including share and loan capital), and corporate rescue and restructuring (including liabilities arising on insolvency). ... Read more

Product Description
Divorce and Family Law in California provides a clear, concise, and complete guide to divorce and family law in California. Topics covered include:
*Marriage *Paternity
*Divorce *Custody & Visitation
*Annulment *Child Support
*Legal Separation *Guardianship
*Property *Adoption
*Debts *Dependent Children
*Spousal Support *Children's Names
*Unmarried Couples *Restraining Orders ... Read more

Product Description
Global competition now shapes economies and societies in ways unimaginable only a few years ago, and competition (or 'antitrust') law is a key component of the legal framework for global competition. These laws are intended to protect competition from distortion and restraint, and on the national level they reflect the relationships between markets, their participants, and those affected by them. The current legal framework for the global economy is provided, however, by national laws and institutions. This means that those few governments that have sufficient 'power' to apply their laws to conduct outside their own territory provide the norms of global competition. This has long meant that the US (and, more recently, the EU) structure global competition, but China and other countries are increasingly using their economic and political leverage to apply their own competition laws to global markets. The result is increasing uncertainty, costs, and conflicts that burden global economic development.

This book examines competition law on the global level and reveals its often complex and little-understood dynamics. It focuses on the interactions between national and international legal regimes that are central to these dynamics and a key to understanding them.

Part I examines the evolution of the current global system, the factors that have shaped it, how it operates today, and recent efforts to alter that system-e.g., by including competition law in the WTO. Part II focuses on national competition law systems, revealing how national laws and experiences shape global competition law dynamics and how global factors, in turn, shape national laws and experiences. It examines the central roles of US and European law and experience, and it also pays close attention to countries such as China that are playing increasingly important roles in the global competition law arena. Part III analyzes current strategies for improving the legal framework for global competition and identifies the factors that may contribute to a system that more effectively supports global economic and political development. This analysis also suggests a pathway for moving toward that goal. ... Read more