Perspectives on Law Books - Page 2

Ladies And Gentlemen Of The Jury: Greatest Closing Arguments In Modern Law

Michael S Lief, Ben Bycel, H. Mitchell Caldwell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Celebrity cases, mostly of the left - certainly not the "greatest." 3 out of 5 stars.
12 of 20 people found this review helpful.

The authors claim that these "greatest closing arguments in modern law" were chosen for the "quality of [their] summation, as well as for [their] historical significance." The immediate question is who is judging the quality of the summation and, more importantly, their historical significance?

The view here is obviously that left-wing causes have the most historical significance, though some cases, such as Nuremburg, are politically neutral. Clarence Darrow's summation in behalf of two young men who brutally murdered another is an argument against the death penalty. Many would consider the resulting verdict an injustice, compounded by early release of one of the murderers. Also, the fact that the case was argued in a Cook County, Illinois courtroom, one of the most corrupt jurisdictions in the nation, casts the power of this closing argument into doubt since the parents of the murderers were wealthy and in Cook County, money has always spoken loudly even when passed in silence from one hand to another.

Gerry Spence is without a doubt one of the most eloquent and effective litigators in the nation. But the science his Silkwood argument rests upon is, to some, suspect as were the alleged facts.

The closing arguments are presented with a wrapping of context, though it is a bit on the light side. With that in mind, the closing defense argument in the John DeLorean case is truly great, cataloging a series of government misdeeds. But the reader searching for political balance may be troubled by equally meritorious closing arguments in the Rosenberg and Alger Hiss cases.

Vincent Bugliosi's closing in the case against Manson and his followers is competent, but isn't great. It is a narrative that virtually any competent prosecutor could have put together. The Manson case involved celebrities, but otherwise wasn't much different than many murder cases of the same nature: groups of people motivated to murder. Johnny Cochran's closing in the O. J. Simpson case was far more powerful, in my opinion, far outclassing Bugliosi in persuasiveness.

The inclusion of Robert Jackson's closing at Nuremberg is puzzling. It was not an American trial. The guilt of the accused was beyond doubt, though law underpinning the tribunal was not. From the commentary, I derived the feeling that the authors were trying to rescue Jackson's reputation from his disastrous cross examination of Hermann Goering.

William Kunstler, in the opinion of many, was a living insult to the practice of law. The authors describe his closing in the Chicago Seven case as a "four-part clinic in how to excel in persuasive argument." Others might see it and Kunstler's behavior in a circus presentation of how to flout the law. All of Kunstler's clients were convicted: so much for the persuasiveness of his argument. The convictions were overturned owing to the trial judge's behavior. Again, this was in Cook County, Illinois where for many years both the state and federal judiciaries were of abysmal quality, products for the most part of the Democratic political machine. (Many of the "murderers" convicted under the current Chicago Mayor, Richard M. Daley, had their convictions overturned because DNA testing became available. At least one Cook County judge accepted bribes to free a murderer. Great place.)

The authors note that it is probably "terribly presumptuous" of them to choose the ten greatest arguments - and they are correct. They admit to choosing only "noteworthy" trials . . . and it is there that they blinded themselves to a far wider range of great closing arguments.

All the arguments are interesting and all the lawyers who made them were clearly eloquent, so more so than others. But to call these ten the greatest in modern law? I think not.

Jerry

Editorial Review:

Presents to the reader a selection of the finest closing arguments in American history. Softcover. DLC: Summation (Law)--U.S.

Emanuel Law Outlines: Corporations

Steven L. Emanuel

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Comprehensive, but unbelievably out of date. 3 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This book simplifies corporations law and gives concrete examples and good summaries.

However, be aware that the book is in many places completely out of date and cites sections of statutes that were changed 12 years ago (even though this edition was published in 2002). You'll have to check constantly in your statutory supplement and in your case book to make sure that what you're reading is up-to-date.

It's hard to understand, really, how an author could fail to update sections of a book over such a long period especially an author with a law degree who is, therefore, giving outdated legal advice).

That all being said, the meat of the book is well done.

Editorial Review:

The most trusted name in law school outlines, Emanuel Law Outlines support your class preparation, provide reference for your outline creation, and supply a comprehensive breakdown of topic matter for your entire study process. Created by Steven Emanuel, these course outlines have been relied on by generations of law students. Each title includes both capsule and detailed versions of the critical issues and key topics you must know to master the course. Also included are exam questions with model answers, an alpha-list of cases, and a cross reference table of cases for all of the leading casebooks.

God, Guns, & Rock 'N' Roll

Ted Nugent

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Total reviews: 76 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

What is WRONG with you people? 1 out of 5 stars.
10 of 34 people found this review helpful.

Anyone who buys into Nugent's "patriot" hype is somehow totally misinformed. He was a well-known draft dodger back in the Vietnam era. All of his flag-waving is nothing but a publicity stunt. As for his big talk about values, he has the morals of an alleycat.

Why is it that the radical right-wing these days has to promote chickenhawks and hypocrites as their spokesmen?

Why do so many otherwise fully functioning, well-meaning Americans buy into their bull?

If you want to promote this clown's masquerade as an uberpatriot, then buy this book. If you're truly concerned about the future of our country, then speak out against these merchants of intolerance. America works best when we work together. These guys who try to turn us against one another are doing a lot more harm than good. They appeal to your base emotions, without providing any solutions. Don't be sucked in.

Editorial Review:

Rock and roll legend Ted Nugent contends that a lot of what is wrong with this country could be remedied by a simple, but controversial concept: gun ownership.

Civil Procedure: Examples and Explanations (The Examples & Explanations Series)

Joseph W. Glannon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Ok, but No Freer 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.

E&E is a great series. I've found many of the books helpful in supplementing law school reading that can be at times difficult to synthesize. However, Freer's supplement on civil procedure is unbeatable.

Law school is about knowing the rule and applying the facts. E&E is great at helping you to know the rule. However, it doesn't help you figure out how to apply the facts, especially in a way pertinent to law school exams. Freer's book is full of examples and frameworks that assure success on your CivPro exam. This is especially true of the frameworks he lays out for analyzing Personal Jurisdiction problems and Erie.

Buy Freer and you'll be happier going into your final.

Editorial Review:

Students know they can count on expert study guide author Joseph W. Glannon to clarify even the most complicated topics. Unquestionable effectiveness earned his civil procedure guides their bestselling status. Extensively revised and updated for its Fifth Edition, "Civil Procedure: Examples & Explanations" continues to introduce the principles of civil procedure and illustrate how they apply in typical cases.

How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation (book w/ CD-Rom)

Anthony Mancuso

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Create a nonprofit in your state without a lawyer!

The process of becoming a tax-exempt organization may appear intimidating, but with How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation, you can do it quickly, easily and with confidence.

This bestselling book includes complete instructions for obtaining federal 501(c)(3) tax exemption and for qualifying for public charity status with the IRS. It will help you:

complete an IRS tax-exemption application

prepare articles of incorporation

write the bylaws of your nonprofit

fill in minutes of the organizational meeting

understand your state's specific nonprofit requirements

The 8th edition is completely updated to provide the latest federal and state rules. It also provides the latest forms you need, including the new IRS Form 1023, Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(3)(c).

What are you waiting for? Incorporate your nonprofit without a lawyer and save the money for your worthy cause!

Property: Examples and Explanations (Examples & Explanations Series)

D. Barlow Burke, Joseph A. Snoe

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Do not attempt this course without this book 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

You will read the cases and go to class, but you can't touch this subject until you've answered fifty questions WRONG. It can either be in this book or on the exam. You decide.

Get this book if you have a riddle-talkin' professor! 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book got me through my Property Exam, especially the parts concerning conveyances. If you have a professor who'd rather ramble on for hours on end about conveyances, without really explaining what all the terms mean, then you are going to need this book. The other parts are also helpful -- covenants, nuisance, and restrictions on land use -- but I mainly focused on the conveyance sections.

Editorial Review:

A favorite among law students and professors alike, the Examples & Explanations series is ideal for studying, reviewing and testing your understanding through application of hypothetical examples. Authored by leading professors with extensive classroom experience, Examples & Explanations titles offer hypothetical questions in the subject area, complemented by detailed explanations that allow you to test your knowledge of the topic, and compare your own analysis.

How Judges Think

Richard A. Posner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A distinguished and experienced appellate court judge, Richard A. Posner offers in this new book a unique and, to orthodox legal thinkers, a startling perspective on how judges and justices decide cases. When conventional legal materials enable judges to ascertain the true facts of a case and apply clear pre-existing legal rules to them, Posner argues, they do so straightforwardly; that is the domain of legalist reasoning. However, in non-routine cases, the conventional materials run out and judges are on their own, navigating uncharted seas with equipment consisting of experience, emotions, and often unconscious beliefs. In doing so, they take on a legislative role, though one that is confined by internal and external constraints, such as professional ethics, opinions of respected colleagues, and limitations imposed by other branches of government on freewheeling judicial discretion. Occasional legislators, judges are motivated by political considerations in a broad and sometimes a narrow sense of that term. In that open area, most American judges are legal pragmatists. Legal pragmatism is forward-looking and policy-based. It focuses on the consequences of a decision in both the short and the long term, rather than on its antecedent logic. Legal pragmatism so understood is really just a form of ordinary practical reasoning, rather than some special kind of legal reasoning.

Supreme Court justices are uniquely free from the constraints on ordinary judges and uniquely tempted to engage in legislative forms of adjudication. More than any other court, the Supreme Court is best understood as a political court.

(20080211)

Small Business Start-Up Kit

Peri H. Pakroo

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The best step-by-step guide to starting a business available!

Many people dream of running a business of their own -- but often don't know how to start. Sound familiar? This book can help.

User-friendly and loaded with tips, The Small Business Start-Up Kit shows you how to launch a business quickly, easily and with confidence. It explains in plain English how to:

choose the best business structure

write an effective business plan

file the right forms in the right place

price, bid and bill your projects

draft and use contracts, online and off

manage your finances

be prepared for, and file, required taxes

reach customers online

The Small Business Start-Up Kit also includes all the forms and instructions you need both as tear-outs and on CD-ROM.

The 5th edition is completely updated to reflect the latest legal and tax changes. It includes a new chapter on e-business and expanded information on financing your business. It also features new business-planning spreadsheets on the CD-ROM.

List of Forms
Partnership Agreement
Sample Buy-Sell Agreement Provisions
Application for Employer Identification Number (Form SS-4)
Income Tax Withholding (Form SS-8)
Election To Have a Tax Year Other Than a Required Tax Year (Form 8716)
Entity Classification Election (Form 8832)
Billable Rate Worksheet
Cash Flow Projection Worksheet Break-Even Analysis Worksheet
Profit/Loss Forecast Worksheet
Warranty Track Worksheet

How to Start & Build a Law Practice, 5th Edition (Career Series / American Bar Association)

Jay G. Foonberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Invaluable 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am an attorney specializing in family law and criminal defense. My partner has 35 years of experience, so I wasn't exactly starting or building a law practice, but this book has been invaluable to me. An older attorney let me borrow his first edition copy of the book after I had been practicing for a couple months. What an eye-opener! There were so many suggestions for ways to be more efficient and practical that I quickly applied them and started saving a lot of time and making more money. I bought this edition of the book and use it on a daily basis, from using form letters to deciding whether or not to take certain cases. I would recommend this book for any new attorney, regardless of where he or she works.

Very smart and very practical 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This "how to" book is a practical guide to starting a law practice. Mr. Foonberg's book contains a wealth of practical suggestions organized in short chapters. While one could sit down and read the book front to back, as I did, it also is a an excellent refrence book, that I can see refering to as questions come along.
Probably the most important thing I got out of the book is the feeling that I COULD start my own law practice. This book helped me to feel that starting a practice was a reasonable option.

Editorial Review:

A classic ABA bestseller, you'll find over 100 chapters packed with techniques for getting started.

Business and Legal Forms for Photographers (with CD-ROM) (Business and Legal Forms)

Tad Crawford

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Really bad 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book and its utter waste of paper and money. There are much better forms available for free to be downloaded from the internet. This book is completely useless for anyone who lives outside USA. I think Americans are smart enough to google the kind of forms they are looking for.

A little out dated 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a little outdated, but is very useful in writing you own form. Most of the forms on the disk can't be customized using newer word processing software.

Editorial Review:

Here's the classic "bible" of forms and checklists for every situation a professional photographer may face. Thoroughly expanded and updated to cover the Internet, this brand-new Third Edition contains 31 forms, each ready-to-use as is, or easily tailored to fit any situation. Photographers will find contracts for wedding, portrait, and assignment photography; property and model releases, assignment estimates, confirmations, and invoices; delivery memos; license for Web usage; nondisclosure agreements; and much, much more. An accompanying CD-ROM provides electronic versions of these forms, ready to use on both Macs and PCs.