Law 101: Everything You Need to Know about the American Legal System

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Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About American Law (eBook) Pub. Date: 5/13/2010 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
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Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About American Law Pub. Date: 6/11/2010 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

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Law 101: Everything You Need to Know about the American Legal System (Older Edition) Pub. Date: 2/28/2000 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

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Law 101: Everything You Need to Know about the American Legal System (REV) Pub. Date: 4/29/2006 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

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Overview

The best-selling first edition of Law 101 provided readers with a vividly written and indispensable portrait of our nation's legal system. Now, in this revised edition, Jay M. Feinman offers an updated survey of American law, spiced with new anecdotes and cases, and incorporating fresh material on topics ranging from the President's war powers, to intellectual property, standard form contracts, and eminent domain.
Here is an exceptionally clear introduction to law, covering the main subjects found in the first year of law school, giving us a basic understanding of how it all works. 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 though the law is voluminous and complex, it is accessible to all.
Everyone who wants a better grasp of current legal issues—from students contemplating law school, to journalists covering the legislature or the courts, to fans of Court TV—will find here a wonderful source of information: a complete, clear, and colorful map of the American legal system.

"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

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Although it falls a long way short of delivering "everything you need to know" about American law, 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 one is fun to read." But how much fun is to be found here is questionable. Although Feinman does explore a few juicy cases, such as the successful lawsuit against McDonald's by a woman scalded by its extra-hot coffee and the headline-grabbing criminal prosecution of subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz, much of his book is a no-frills restatement of the most general legal principles, minus the titillating nuances. Uninitiated readers may prefer Feinman's regular-guy style ("some contracts just stink") to his more academic voice ("The decision in a particular case will depend on the level of generality at which the court states the controlling principle"). They may also wish he had provided a glossary for quick reference. But many readers, particularly those contemplating law school, will find this a painless introduction to American legal theory and practice. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

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From The Critics

Rutgers law professor Feinman has written an entertaining and informative introduction to the law. Taking the basic subjects covered in the first year of law school (constitutional law, tort law, contract law, property law, and criminal law), the author explains how the law applies to everyday situations. Each of the nine chapters has a series of questions and answers regarding the type of law. For example, the author asks in Chapter 4, "Your Day in Court," when a lawsuit can be brought and what makes a case federal. He methodically explains the steps that take place throughout a trial and shows that TV trials do not reflect reality. To his credit, he tackles high-profile cases--the McDonald's hot-coffee injury case, the Pennzoil-Getty Oil contract dispute, the Lorena Bobbitt assault prosecution, and the Supreme Court decisions on busing and abortion--and shows how the basic principles of law apply to them. Feinman is even-handed in his comments on the cases but gives his opinions. For journalists, those interested in the law, and fans of television law dramas, this book should be required reading.--Harry Charles, Attorney at Law, St. Louis Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\
-- Joanna M. Burkhardt, University of Rhode Island College of Continuing Education Library
-- Joanna M. Burkhardt, University of Rhode Island College of Continuing Education Library
-- Joanna M. Burkhardt, University of Rhode Island College of Continuing Education Library

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780195179576
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date: 4/29/2006
Edition description: REV
Edition number: 2
Pages: 384
Product dimensions: 9.30 (w) x 6.40 (h) x 1.40 (d)

Meet the Author

Jay M. Feinman is Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University School of Law at Camden. An expert on contract law, tort law, legal education, and legal theory, Feinman is the author of five books and more than fifty articles. He lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

1	There are no secret books : you can understand the law	1
2	Constitutional law and constitutional politics : interpreting and applying the Constitution	9
3	First freedoms : constitutional rights	47
4	Your day in court : the litigation process	91
5	Auto accidents, scalding coffee, and medical malpractice : personal injuries and tort law	137
6	When is a deal a deal? : businesses, consumers, and contract law	181
7	You are what you own : the law of property	215
8	From insanity to in cold blood : criminal responsibility and criminal law	257
9	Protecting the innocent, freeing the guilty : criminal procedure	305

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Brooke22

Posted September 23, 2010

For those obsessed with Law & Order

Law 101, overall was both entertaining as well as informational. Each chapter explains in depth different forms of law including contract law, tort law, criminal law and property law. Within these chapters the author explains the basic rules that are generally applied as well as the thinking process that lawyers actually experience from case to case. Themes throughout this book are primarily focused on the process of litigation (process in court) and problem solving skills that apply to judges and lawyers a like, making every case as fair as possible. Most of the cases presented in the book are well known, making it easier for the reader to connect to them like the famous Mcdonald's case where the woman won $480,000 after receiving third degree burns. The book was well written and easy to understand, Feinman wrote it all as if they were all short stories, like mini episodes of Law & Order but with more explanation. Shortly after reading the first chapter I was skeptical about if I had chosen the wrong book, but trust me once getting past the first chapter you're hooked. Anyone who is obsessed with Law & Order, aspires to be a law student, or just wants a better grasp on the American legal system should definitely read this book. By going into depth on several public and private cases, it will keep your interest while elaborating the type of law you're trying to comprehend.

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Law 101: Everything You Need to Know about the American Legal System

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For those obsessed with Law & Order