Law Books - Page 12

The Federalist Papers (Audio Classics)

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Fascinating...For the Right Person 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 21 people found this review helpful.

You don't need to be told that the Federalist Papers are not for everyone, but for a niche audience of which I happen to be a member. And so, the qualifications: you need to have a pretty fluent command of the English language, and not just modern usage but also more archaic structure and vocabulary; you have to have a good grasp of history, at least a rough outline of it solidly in mind; you have to have a love for politics, political science and the Constitution.

If all of that is true of you, you'll probably enjoy reading this. At least, to a point. The Federalist Papers, written mainly by "Father of the Constitution" James Madison and "Shot by Aaron Burr/Closet-Monarchist" Alexander Hamilton, is a very lengthy defense of the then-proposed Constitution, point by point. And what I mean is, they will take items over which there could be seemingly no substantial debate and then write a series of three or four essays on that point. And so, it is possible that even the die-hard history/political science buff will be bored by the thirtieth page of the debate over whether standing armies should be allowed to be kept during peace time.

The most laugh-out-loud moment (and yeah, there are a few) is when the "Interstate Commerce clause" is dismissed in a slip of a paragraph, which is, of course, one of the most important and controversial passages to the modern reading of the Constitution, forming the basis for a good deal of our current legislation. Whatever one feels about our current "construction" of the Constitution, I think a fair reading of the literature will show that it is not the same construction as that of its authors.

Not laugh-out-loud at all, however, is the roaring silence on the subject of slavery. It does come up, from time to time, but the lack of debate on these matters (there are, maybe, 2-3 pages on the 3/5 compromise and a paragraph on the ending of the slave trade) proclaims the volatility of the subject matter, even 100 years before the Civil War. Madison wasn't looking to offend his audience, after all.

Of course, all of these debates are mostly moot (with a couple of exceptions) and so the Federalist Papers are largely a historical artifact... but there is something very telling about them. That is, how incredibly learned, intelligent and eloquent our Founding Fathers really were. They debate calling on historical antiquity, philosophies ancient and modern, then-current foreign political systems, the Constitutions of the several states and the Articles of Confederation. These people knew what they were doing and it all mattered to them, very much. It's kind of sobering to see with what care and deliberation they forged this Constitution, and then to compare it with the "guardians of the flame" today who can't even seem to agree on the meaning of terms like "liberty," "democracy," or, in the case of one former President, "is." When reading, you'll wish we had Madisons and Hamiltons today, or even politicians who bothered to read them... or, maybe we do, but the general level of care and education of our country today does not allow men such as those to rise. The Federalist Papers is an interesting insight into the incredibly well-thought-out origins of our country.

Editorial Review:

Published as a series of newspaper articles contains many of the ideas that made the American Revolution a remarkable political experiment. It has been called the third most important document in American history-third only to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution itself.

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

Jay M. Feinman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

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

Strategies & Tactics for the MBE (Multistate Bar Exam)

Steve Emanuel, Kimm Alayne Walton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Must-Have 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Contrary to what another reviewer said, this book doesn't have two full-length exams, or at least not the edition I have (2005). It has the AM and PM sections of a full-length exam.

Other reviews also mention the tips in this book, but the real value in this book is all the actual MBE questions from past exams as well as the explanation to those questions (including the full-length exam). I have found that the barbri and PMBR questions and answer choices are noticeably different much of the time from these past questions and their answer choices. Both companies make their questions long, and barbri's are unnecessarily long. But most actual questions are short. Barbri's explanations are also long and repetitive, whereas the explanations in this book are more concise. Most importantly, these questions are harder than the ones you're doing from barbri and even PMBR. Even the majority of the questions in the one barbri book that has past MBE questions in it are easier in comparison. If you can understand the questions/explanations in this book, you will be prepared for the bar.

As for the tips, I have found around two or three extremely valuable ones in each section that I've read so far. This is not to say the majority of the tips/writing in the book is helpful or that you can use this book without barbri/subject outlines. But the helpful tips that I got out of this book are ones that barbri doesn't spell out and I wouldn't have figured out on my own. Those tips alone really will raise your score, because you will get at least a few more questions right in every single subject from them.

I agree that this book is pricey, but if you can find a cheaper copy somewhere then that's your best bet because you need this book.

Gilbert Law Summaries: Contracts

Melvin Aron Eisenberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent Supplement 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

I just finished my Contracts final, but I will not blame my grade on this book.

This does what it is supposed to. It supplements the material that the Prof. presents in class. If you are not sure what the modern rule is, this is where you go. If you are not sure if there is an exception, this is where you go. If you are not sure what the basic functions of the rule is, this is where you check. If you are not sure what Restatement or UCC section applies, this is where you check.

If you want to know the reasons Why, this is not where you go. The book explains the rationale behind the rule in only a few situations. If you have an exam that is only multiple choice, you could skip every class, read this cover to cover three times and do pretty well. Unfortunately, most exams are not like that.

This book is great for supplementing your notes and filling in the gray areas. For that, it is invaluable, but like all commercial outlines, it cannot replace your notes.

As the previous reviewer says, the flow charts are excellent. This certainly facilitates understanding, I would just recommend not putting all your eggs in this basket.

Editorial Review:

Gilbert Law Summaries are America’s best selling outlines and have set the standard for excellence since they were introduced more than thirty-five years ago. It’s Gilbert’s unique combination of features that makes it the one study aid you’ll turn to for all of your study needs! Walk into class prepared with a comprehensive outline of the law, a concise capsule summary perfect for a quick review before class, charts of every kind, a text correlation chart so that you can match your specific reading assignment to the relevant pages in the Gilbert outline, and an index and table of cases. Ace your final exams with a step-by-step approach to attack your exam, exam tips, and sample multiple choice, true-false, and essay questions.

Defiance: The Bielski Partisans

Nechama Tec

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The prevailing image of European Jews during the Holocaust years is one of helpless victims under a death sentence, unable to fight consignment to the ghettos, to the camps, and to the gas chambers. In fact, many Jews struggled alone or with others against the terrors of the Third Reich, risking their lives against overwhelming odds for the slimmest chance of survival, or a mere glimpse of freedom. In Defiance, Nechama Tec offers a riveting history of one such group, a forest community in western Belorussia that would number more than 1,200 Jews by 1944--the largest armed rescue operation of Jews by Jews in World War II.
Describing the entire partisan movement in the region, Tec shows that while most forest fighters in Belorussia were rifle-carrying young men, the members of this extraordinary community included both men and women, some with weapons but mostly unarmed, ranging from infants to the elderly. She reconstructs for the first time the amazing details of how these partisans and their families--hungry, exposed to the harsh winter weather, always on the lookout for German patrols--managed not only to survive, but to offer protection to all Jewish fugitives who could find their way to them. Driven by courage born out of despair, they dug wells, set up workshops to repair guns, made clothes, and resoled shoes, supplied services to other guerilla units, and even established a makeshift hospital and school in the forest. Arguing that this success would have been unthinkable without the vision of one man, Tec offers penetrating insight into the group's commander, Tuvia Bielski, and his journey from his life as the son of the only Jewish peasant family in an isolated rural village to his emergence as a leader possessing the charisma and courage to command under all but impossible circumstances.
Tec brings to light the untold story of Bielski's struggle as a partisan who lost his parents, wife, and two brothers to the Nazis, yet never wavered in his conviction that it was more important to save one Jew than to kill twenty Germans. She shows how, under Bielski's guidance, the partisans smuggled Jews out of heavily guarded ghettos, scouted the roads for fugitives, and led retaliatory raids against Belorussian peasants who collaborated with the Nazis against their former Jewish neighbors. Refusing to turn away the weak or the old for the sake of the survival of the larger group, Bielski would warn new arrivals to the forest, "Life is difficult, we are in danger all the time, but if we perish, if we die, we die like human beings."
A scholar, a writer, and herself a Holocaust survivor, author Nechama Techas devoted the last two decades to studying the fate of European Jewry, recording rare but vital examples of human compassion, resistance, altruism and heroism in the face of overwhelming horror and despair. Drawing on wide-ranging research and never before published interviews with surviving partisans--including Tuvia Bielski himself two weeks before his death in 1987--she reconstructs here the poignant and unforgettable story of those who chose to fight.

The Informant: A True Story

Kurt Eichenwald

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Total reviews: 96 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From an award-winning New York Times investigative reporter comes an outrageous story of greed, corruption, and conspiracy--which left the FBI and Justice Department counting on the cooperation of one man . . .

It was one of the FBI's biggest secrets: a senior executive with America's most politically powerful corporation, Archer Daniels Midland, had become a confidential government witness, secretly recording a vast criminal conspiracy spanning five continents. Mark Whitacre, the promising golden boy of ADM, had put his career and family at risk to wear a wire and deceive his friends and colleagues. Using Whitacre and a small team of agents to tap into the secrets at ADM, the FBI discovered the company's scheme to steal millions of dollars from its own customers.

But as the FBI and federal prosecutors closed in on ADM, using stakeouts, wiretaps, and secret recordings of illegal meetings around the world, they suddenly found that everything was not all that it appeared. At the same time Whitacre was cooperating with the Feds while playing the role of loyal company man, he had his own
agenda he kept hidden from everyone around him--his wife, his lawyer, even the FBI agents who had come to trust him with the case they had put their careers on the line for. Whitacre became sucked into his own world of James Bond antics, imperiling the criminal case and creating a web of deceit that left the FBI and prosecutors uncertain where the lies stopped and the truth began.

In this gripping account unfolds one of the most captivating and bizarre tales in the history of the FBI and corporate America. Meticulously researched and richly told by New York Times senior writer Kurt Eichenwald, The Informant re-creates the drama of the story, beginning with the secret recordings, stakeouts, and interviews with suspects and witnesses to the power struggles within ADM and its board--including the high-profile chairman Dwayne Andreas, F. Ross Johnson, and Brian Mulroney--to the big-gun Washington lawyers hired by ADM and on up through the ranks of the Justice Department to FBI Director Louis Freeh and Attorney General Janet Reno.

A page-turning real-life thriller that features deadpan FBI agents, crooked executives, idealistic lawyers, and shady witnesses with an addiction to intrigue, The Informant tells an important and compelling story of power and betrayal in America

The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court

Bob Woodward, Scott Armstrong

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A good read 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We were forced to read this book my senior year in high school. I most certainly did NOT want to read a book about the stuffy ol' supreme court! But I did... because I had to... and it turns out that it's one of my favorite books of all time. Now, 15 years later, I'm an attorney and have read the book countless times over the years. It's so interesting to read about the inner workings of the country's highest court, complete with the politics, personalities, and just outright craziness.

Good Behind The Scene Coverage 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I found The Brethren to be quite informative as well as entertaining as I was provided a glimpse of the personalities and quirks of Justices and the Politicians that interacted with them. Seeing behind the somber facades allowed the reader to consider each Justice as an individual with his own biases and beliefs that came into play when many of this country's landmark decisions were made.

Editorial Review:

The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action. Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices -- maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising and making decisions that affect every major area of American life.

Suze Orman's Will & Trust Kit: The Ultimate Protection Portfolio

Suze Orman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

NEW, ONLINE VERSION!

      This is an easy-to-use and fast way for you and other members of your household to create your own will, living revocable trust, and all the other must-have documents you need to protect you and your family. It’s as easy as 1-2-3—simply personalize, print, and protect.

      Suze Orman and her own estate trust attorney have created the most state-of-the-art documents found anywhere. There are more than $2,500 worth of estate documents in this kit. Why pay thousands of dollars when you can get the same documents in this kit for $19.95!

      This kit includes:

•     More than 50 state-of-the-art documents

•     Free automatic on-line updates

•     Verbal and written instructions taking you step by step through the four must-have documents

•     Password protection securing multiple users’ information

•     A tutorial that shows you everything you need to know

•     10 electronic books

                                   

      PC and Macintosh Compatible . . . and good in all 50 states!

 

So Others May Live: Coast Guard's Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death

Martha J LaGuardia-Kotite, Tom Ridge

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Muddy's Coffeehouse in Eliz. City 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Incredible! I am a frequent patron of Muddy Water's Coffeehouse in E. City, N.C. and I have no connection to the Coast Guard. I frequently run into these guys, mostly the kids in the swimmer training program, on Saturdays when they come in to get coffee and study their training material, or e-mail their wives and girlfriends. They are perennially polite and completely pumped up about the program. I have always had lots of interest in learning about what they do. Then came The Guardian. After seeing that, I had more respect for these swimmers than I have for any of the other "Special Forces." (I realize they are not classified as such, but perhaps they should be.) I bought the book to learn more and learn I did. It is unfathomable to me that these young men and women will take the risks they do to save others' lives, particularly when, in many of these cases, people made stupid mistakes to be out on the seas in the first place. I read the book thinking, Yeah, So Others May Live to make some more stupid mistakes another day.

As a writer myself, I thought the book was incredibly well-done. The characterization of these guys as capable, yet humble, rang so true. The story-driven chapters were gripping. I read far too late into the night too many nights in a row. Martha, you owe me some sleep. And, Swimmers, the rest of us owe you and your "teammates" nothing but the utmost respect.

A P.S. to Ms. LaGuardia-Kotite: Your epilogue on "rescuing the rescuers"
answered the burning question I had - what do these guys do with the horrors they have seen and they stress they have borne?

Editorial Review:

Dramatic, compelling, downright unbelievable accounts of the Coast Guard's often unsung heros.

The Independent Film Producer's Survival Guide: A Business and Legal Sourcebook

Gunnar Erickson, Mark Halloran, Harris Tulchin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent book - idiotic title 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a serious but very readable approach to educating filmmakers on the maze of legal hoops that must be jumped through in order to create a film. Indispensable resource to have.

Lawyers not producers 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

It was a book with that gave you a good background on how film production works from a legal perspective. So you should read it if that is your concern. The authors are lawyers, not producers.

Great Resource 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If it's not already, this book will soon become the industry standard for substantive knowledge of the film business for independent filmmakers. Deal points, standard contract provisions, the often technical and confusing jargon, and the historical context for many industry practices are all covered here in comprehensive yet concise fashion. Topics of interest that are covered in depth include standard talent and producer agreements, developing a screen play, financing, and digital distribution. The book was a tremendous asset to me when I had to help an independent filmmaker comply with complicated federal securities laws in order to raise $200,000. Highly recommended.

jeffbrownlegal@gmail.com

Editorial Review:

In this comprehensive guidebook, three experienced entertainment lawyers tell you everything you need to know to produce and market an independent film—from the development process to deal making, financing, setting up the production, hiring directors and actors, securing location rights, acquiring music, calculating profits, digital moving making, distribution, and marketing your movie. This all-new second edition has been completed updated.