A Primer On The Civil Law System

This concise primer offers an introduction to U.S. law from a comparative perspective, explaining not only the main features of American law and legal culture, but also how and why it differs from that of other countries. Students beginning LLM programs in the U.S., in particular international students, will find this primer invaluable reading.

This new book offers an approachable user's guide to both the spirit and the letter of the law underlying the U.S. legal system. It provides explanations and examples of most of the concepts covered in law schools explained in plain English, with minimum use of jargon. It also offers copies of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. It's perfect for anyone who wishes a concise and approachable guide to the U.S. Legal system.

A History of Law in Canada is the first of two volumes. Volume one begins at a time just prior to European contact and continues to the 1860s, while volume two will start with Confederation and end at approximately 2000. The history of law includes substantive law, legal institutions, legal actors, and legal culture. The authors assume that since 1500 there have been three legal systems in Canada - the Indigenous, the French, and the English. At all times, these systems have co-existed and interacted, with the relative power and influence of each being more or less dominant in different periods. The history of law cannot be treated in isolation, and this book examines law as a dynamic process, shaped by and affecting other histories over the long term. The law guided and was guided by economic developments, was influenced and moulded by the nature and trajectory of political ideas and institutions, and variously exacerbated or mediated intercultural exchange and conflict. These themes are apparent in this examination, and through most areas of law including land settlement and tenure, and family, commercial, constitutional, and criminal law.

The attorney-client relationship is one of the most important and delicate relationships in all of legaldom (if there is such a word). Lawyers cannot exist without clients. With rare exceptions, clients cannot make it without lawyers. The foundation of the attorney-client relationship is trust. Without the element of trust between the client and the attorney, the relationship simply will not work out. I am reminded of the story about the man who hated to worry about anything and went looking for a surrogate worrier. He approached a lawyer about the issue and said: Potential client: "I would like to retain your services. I'll give a thousand dollars if you will do the worrying for me." Lawyer: "That's fine. I'll do it. Now where's the thousand dollars?" Potential client: "That's your first worry." Trust works both ways in an attorney-client relationship. In order for an attorney to help the client, the attorney needs to know everything about the client's problem or issue. Most clients do not understand that, or simply ignore this point. In any event, few clients abide by it. To encourage clients to speak freely and reveal all to their lawyer concerning their problem or issue, the law grants an absolute attorney-client privilege. Whatever the client tells the lawyer about his or her case is secret and strictly confidential. Only with the client's expressed permission can the attorney reveal this secret and confidential information.