Law 101: Everything You Need to Know about the American Legal System
 | Oxford University Press, USA, 1899, Kindle Edition Customer Rating: 30 reviews Recommend |
|---|
Most of us know very little about the law. We pick up bits of information from television and newspaper accounts of current legal battles, and from bestselling novels and popular movies. But these pieces do not give us an accurate or complete picture.
In Law 101, Jay M. Feinman offers a delightfully clear introduction to law, covering the main subjects found in the first year of law school and giving us a basic understanding of the American legal tradition. Readers are introduced to every aspect of the legal system, from constitutional law and the litigation process to tort law, contract law, property law, and criminal law. Feinman illuminates each discussion with many intriguing, outrageous, and infamous cases, from the scalding coffee case that cost McDonald's half a million dollars, to 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. 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. Perhaps most important, we learn that law is voluminous and complex, but accessible to everyone.
Anyone who enjoys Court TV will find this book irresistible. Everyone who wants a better grasp of current legal issues, from students contemplating law school to 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.
Thanks to TV cop shows, most Americans can probably recite the Miranda warnings, but do they know when the warnings do — and do not — apply? Tort reformers cite the $2.7 million in punitive damages a jury awarded a little old lady in Albuquerque when the cup of coffee she had set between her legs spilled and scalded her. These crusaders against "excessive" damage awards do not usually note that the trial judge reduced the award to $480,000, or that the coffee was 20 degrees hotter than competitors' coffee.
The law is all around. People continually invoke their rights, and every year millions of Americans are involved in formal legal proceedings. Yet most people are ignorant of even the basic concepts and organizing principles of U.S. law. Into the breach comes Jay Feinman's engrossing book Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About the American Legal System. Akin to a crash course in the first year of law school, Law 101 is a clearly written, eminently readable guide to the tenets of our legal system. It is structured around basic questions such as "If a contract is unfair, can a court refuse to enforce it?" and replete with clarifying examples — real and hypothetical. In explaining battery, Feinman writes: "If someone consents to a certain bodily invasion, he does not necessarily consent to any bodily invasion, however. When Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield are in a boxing match, Holyfield has consented to Tyson punching him in the nose ... but he has not consented to Tyson biting off a piece of his ear." Much clearer.
Law 101 won't instruct you on how to write your will or get divorced, but it will educate you at a more systematic level. It is also a great read. — J.R.
Title: Law 101: Everything You Need to Know about the American Legal System
Sales Rank: 10254 in Books
Author: Jay M. Feinman
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA, 2 edition, 1899-11-30, Kindle Edition, 384 pages
- Lucid, engaging, and entertaining
- Recently finished this book and I highly commend the author for penning the improbable: a book about law that is incredibly lucid, engaging, and even entertaining. I found myself fully absorbed every time I picked it up. The writing is excellent and the organization clear. I've come to believe over the years that very few books actually need… More reviews
- Law student 101
- As a first year law student, I purchased this book before the start of my semester hoping to have a little insight into what was about to come. The book is basic, informative and I find myself referring to it when we cover some less than crystal-clear topics in class. A great purchase for anyone even the least bit interested in how our legal sytem (should)… More reviews
- Great general overview
- This book is a great general overview of our legal system, and law in general. He covers all aspects of law in an easy to read format - this book should be useful for anyone considering a law degree. More reviews
- Good, but tough read.
- Law 101 is nothing if not informative about our legal system and its roots in English Common Law, but it despite the author's best efforts, it reads like a reference book. The average person on the street would probably not be able to absorb much, despite what the blurbs on the jacket say, but it may be a good primer for potential law… More reviews
- Decent Overall Review of Law
- The book basically does what it claims it's going to do. It gives you a clear and relatively simple overview of the American legal system. Furthermore, it constantly uses Supreme Court cases as a way of showing how certain laws were created and constantly changed over time as standards changed.
The writer doesn't get preachy or starts to discuss complicated theories… More reviews
