Quick Question
I have a few people who are either considering law school or will go to law school and I want to get them Christmas gifts. Specifically I want to get them books that are sort of a primer on the American judicial system. So if any of you have any recommendations, please e-mail me at armenaut-at-gmail-dot-com.
Labels: 0L/1L Advice, Law School
posted by Armen Adzhemyan at 11:44 AM
15 Comments:
Well, I bought a general interest book about the law a few months ago, but I haven't read it yet. I hear it's good. It's Jeffrey Rosen's, The Most Democratic Branch: How the Courts Save America. Rosen is a legal affairs writer for The New Republic.
Lawrence Friedman, the American legal historian, seems to write a lot of general interest books about the law.
Dershowitz wrote a book three or four years ago about landmark trial cases in American history, dedicating three or four pages to each one, setting the scene and explaining each case's significance.
Well, if you want to scare them away from law school, there's always your hand-me-down copy of Hart & Wechsler's The Federal Courts and the Federal System.... :(
I think Jonathan Harr's _A Civil Action_ is a great primer. It's readable and has a lot of civil procedure. It's a good gift for non-lawyer intimates of those about to enter law school, too. (Not a huge fan of the movie, though.)
_A_Civil_Action_ is a great suggestion.
Hart and Wechsler's Fed Court's textbook - hah!
Check out Lawrence Friedman's American Law: An Introduction. It sounds like it could be what you're looking for. I read it the summer before law school.
Isn't there a book they have the LLMs read? It's a primer, if that's what you're looking for.
I would say give em the Fed. R. Civ. P. to let them get a head start on Joinder.
If you get them the Bluebook, make sure to give them the "Guide to Understanding How the Crap to Read This Stupid Thing"
Give them the gift I wish someone had given me: a note that says "Don't go to law school, you moron. You'll thank me when you hear your friends who went to law school start bitching."
I can't believe it took 9 comments before someone suggested telling them not to go to law school.
I read Scott Turow's '1L' before I started. Not going to recommend that one.
Volokh is promoting his academic legal writing book again... you should think of sending that. Hahaha!
Fundamentals of American Law - a survey book out of NYU - has pretty good coverage of the broad range of law school subjects. Not a fun read though.
I know you hate LS Confidential, but seriously, in terms of pragmatism, it's the best.
Volokh has no shame. I mean seriously, does that guy just stop and consider that he's looking like a door-to-door salesman with a blog?
I don't dislike Law School Confidential. It's actually pretty good. I've just said that I disagree with some of its points.
Thanks to everyone who responded, I think there's plenty here to keep me busy. And if anyone else wants to watch The Office, it's all here. HT to JJ.
Hey Armen, that's a most awesome link. An impressive website. It's all there! And I thought you were Officing on Itunes.
For those who don't (or don't want to) fit the description of the 'reasonable man,' I'd recommend _Women Lawyers_ by Mona Harrington, _Becoming Gentlemen_ by Lani Guinier, and _Silence at Boalt Hall_ by Andrea Guerrero.
Damages by Barry Werth is probably the most balanced and realistic journalistic account of a civil lawsuit and also a fascinating introduction to the world of medical malpractice.
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