Overview

"Law is everywhere. Every day, the news features a notorious criminal trial, a massive lawsuit, or a new constitutional claim. But it all seems so complicated. In a book brimming with legal puzzles, interesting anecdotes, thought-provoking questions, and intellectual stimulation, Jay M. Feinman offers a delightfully clear introduction to law, giving us a solid understanding of the American legal tradition, and covering the main subjects taught in the first year of law school. Readers are introduced to every aspect of the legal system, including constitutional law, the litigation process, personal injury law, contract law, property law, and criminal law. Feinman illuminates each discussion with many intriguing, outrageous, and infamous cases, from the sensational murder trial in Victorian London that led to the legal definition of insanity, to the epochal decision in Marbury v. Madison that gave the Supreme Court the power to declare state and federal laws unconstitutional, to the infamous McDonald's hot coffee case. He broadens the reader's legal vocabulary, clarifying the meaning of everything from ""due process"" and ""equal protection"" in constitutional law, to the distinction between ""murder"" and ""manslaughter"" in criminal law. This third edition has been fully updated throughout, and incorporates the most recent developments in the American legal system, including new material on 2009 Supreme Court cases, the legal response to the war on terror (such as the Guantanamo detainees and electronic surveillance), and new and updated material on law on the Internet. Everyone who wants a better grasp of current legal issues, including ordinary citizens, students contemplating law school, and journalists covering the legislature or the courts, will find here a wonderful source of information-a complete, clear, and colorful map of the American legal system."

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9780195395136

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Reviews

An engaging introduction to just about every aspect of law. --The American Lawyer All the benefits of that first year of law school without the tedium, the terror, and the sleep deprivation...These legal lessons are presented in a style nearly always engaging and very often humorous. --Jurist An entertaining and informative introduction to the law...For journalists, those interested in the law, and fans of television law dramas, this book should be required reading. --Library Journal A layperson's introduction to the legal subjects that assault every first-year law student. From constitutional law to contracts to Dickensian procedures that guide civil suites, the book gives an approachable overview of the cases and concepts that combine to form our legal system. --NewarkStar-Ledger Though a book is aimed at laypersons, it offers a good refresher course to update legal practitioners and paraprofessionals in areas where they do not specialize. A good read overall for those interested in the law. --Booklist Law 101 attempts to teach you how to think like a lawyer--without requiring that you dedicate three years and tens of thousands of dollars to the task. The result? A practical book that is also a pleasure to read. --The Trenton Times This basic text offers nonlawyers a concise, accessible overview of topics typically introduced in the first year of law school. Feinman, a law professor at Rutgers, cites seminal cases to highlight key concepts in the fields of constitutional law, civil procedure, torts, contracts, property, criminal law and criminal procedure. He does not minimize the actual complexity of these subjects, conceding variously that contract law has tormented the most students, property law most irritates students, conflicts of law tortures students and civil procedure is the most alien. Nevertheless, he distinguishes his book from the various how-to-be-your-own-lawyer manuals on the market: 'This

<br> An engaging introduction to just about every aspect of law. --The American Lawyer<br> All the benefits of that first year of law school without the tedium, the terror, and the sleep deprivation...These legal lessons are presented in a style nearly always engaging and very often humorous. --Jurist<br> An entertaining and informative introduction to the law...For journalists, those interested in the law, and fans of television law dramas, this book should be required reading. --Library Journal <br> A layperson's introduction to the legal subjects that assault every first-year law student. From constitutional law to contracts to Dickensian procedures that guide civil suites, the book gives an approachable overview of the cases and concepts that combine to form our legal system. --Newark Star-Ledger<br> Though a book is aimed at laypersons, it offers a good refresher course to update legal practitioners and paraprofessionals in areas where they do not specialize. A good read overa

"""An engaging introduction to just about every aspect of law.""--The American Lawyer""All the benefits of that first year of law school without the tedium, the terror, and the sleep deprivation...These legal lessons are presented in a style nearly always engaging and very often humorous.""--Jurist""An entertaining and informative introduction to the law...For journalists, those interested in the law, and fans of television law dramas, this book should be required reading.""--Library Journal ""A layperson's introduction to the legal subjects that assault every first-year law student. From constitutional law to contracts to Dickensian procedures that guide civil suites, the book gives an approachable overview of the cases and concepts that combine to form our legal system.""--Newark Star-Ledger""Though a book is aimed at laypersons, it offers a good refresher course to update legal practitioners and paraprofessionals in areas where they do not specialize. A good read overall for those interested in the law.""--Booklist""Law 101 attempts to teach you how to think like a lawyer--without requiring that you dedicate three years and tens of thousands of dollars to the task. The result? A practical book that is also a pleasure to read.""--The Trenton Times""Many readers, particularly those contemplating law school, will find this a painless introduction to American legal theory and practice.""--Publishers Weekly""Feinman's style makes for easy reading, and Law101 is chock full of analyses, anecdotes, examples, questions, and legal reasoning set out in lay terms. Overall, the book provides an excellent explanation of what American law is, and it frequently suggests ways in which it might be improved.""--The Federal Lawyer"

Author Information

Jay M. Feinman serves as Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers University School of Law, Camden. He is the author of five previous books, including 1001 Legal Words and Un-Making Law: The Conservative Campaign to Roll Back the Common Law.

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