What About Law

“'What About Law?' succeeds where so many legal guidebooks fail ... [it] skilfully demystifies the law and ably proves its argument. The law is, indeed, all around us - and this book will whet your appetite to find out how and why.” – Alex Wade, The Times (of the previous edition) Law is one of the few subjects that the school leaver, choosing a degree course, will have very little real understanding of. This book comes to the rescue by clearly setting out what a prospective law student can expect and why a student should choose to study law. This new edition is updated to reflect the reality of studying law today, highlighting changes due to Brexit and reforms to constitutional law. The book covers the compulsory subjects every law student has to study: contract, criminal, property and trusts law, and brings them up to date. With a clear core structure and approach it takes a case from each of these subjects to illustrate legal issues and methodology. The writing style is accessible and has the audience – novices to law – firmly in mind. What About Law? shows how the study of law can be fun, intellectually stimulating and challenging. It introduces prospective students to the legal system, legal reasoning, critical thinking and argument. Written by a team of experienced teachers, this book should be read by every student about to embark on the study of law.

“'What About Law?' succeeds where so many legal guidebooks fail ... [it] skilfully demystifies the law and ably proves its argument. The law is, indeed, all around us - and this book will whet your appetite to find out how and why.” – Alex Wade, The Times (of the previous edition) Law is one of the few subjects that the school leaver, choosing a degree course, will have very little real understanding of. This book comes to the rescue by clearly setting out what a prospective law student can expect and why a student should choose to study law. This new edition is updated to reflect the reality of studying law today, highlighting changes due to Brexit and reforms to constitutional law. The book covers the compulsory subjects every law student has to study: contract, criminal, property and trusts law, and brings them up to date. With a clear core structure and approach it takes a case from each of these subjects to illustrate legal issues and methodology. The writing style is accessible and has the audience – novices to law – firmly in mind. What About Law? shows how the study of law can be fun, intellectually stimulating and challenging. It introduces prospective students to the legal system, legal reasoning, critical thinking and argument. Written by a team of experienced teachers, this book should be read by every student about to embark on the study of law.

What is law? This question has preoccupied philosophers from Plato to Thomas Hobbes to H. L. A. Hart. Yet many others find it perplexing. How could we possibly know how to answer such an abstract question? And what would be the point of doing so? In Legality, Scott Shapiro argues that the question is not only meaningful but vitally important. In fact, many of the most pressing puzzles that lawyers confront—including who has legal authority over us and how we should interpret constitutions, statutes, and cases—will remain elusive until this grand philosophical question is resolved. Shapiro draws on recent work in the philosophy of action to develop an original and compelling answer to this age-old question. Breaking with a long tradition in jurisprudence, he argues that the law cannot be understood simply in terms of rules. Legal systems are best understood as highly complex and sophisticated tools for creating and applying plans. Shifting the focus of jurisprudence in this way—from rules to plans—not only resolves many of the most vexing puzzles about the nature of law but has profound implications for legal practice as well. Written in clear, jargon-free language, and presupposing no legal or philosophical background, Legality is both a groundbreaking new theory of law and an excellent introduction to and defense of classical jurisprudence.

This brief book is designed to prepare students for their first year of law school, thereby decreasing their anxiety and increasing their chances of achieving academic success. Also appropriate for non-J.D. students, including LLM students from foreign countries and graduate students outside law school. Features: Gives student basic grounding in discrete non-legal topics that are important to the contemporary study of law Includes and“Test Your Understandingand” boxes to allow students to use what they are learning Friendly writing style Images and graphics help students remember material

This advanced introduction to central questions in legal philosophy attempts to breathe new life into stalled research.

Top US legal scholars and political scientists examine how the law shapes judges’ behavior and decisions, and what it means for society at large. Although there is a growing consensus among legal scholars and political scientists, significant points of divergence remain. Contributors to What’s Law Got to Do with It? explore ways to reach greater accord on the complexity and nuance of judicial decision making and judicial elections, while acknowledging that agreement on what judges do is not likely to occur any time soon. As the first forum in which political scientists and legal scholars engage with one another on these hot button issues, this volume strives to establish a true interdisciplinary conversation. The inclusion of reactions from practicing judges puts into high relief the deep-seated and opposing beliefs about the roles of law and politics in judicial work. Praise for What’s Law Got to Do with It? “Geyh (associate dean for research and John F. Kimberling professor of law, Indiana Univ. School of Law) is well qualified to edit this reader about the interaction of law and politics in contemporary society. The contributors . . . are among the very best scholars in the legal and political science realm . . . . The writing is lively and easy to follow for the somewhat sophisticated reader . . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice “Readers will find these essays fascinating, thoughtful and sometimes infuriating, as conventional disciplinary wisdom is defended, modified and refuted. The result is a terrific text for all students of the legal process.” —Mark A. Graber, University of Maryland “This volume pulls together an excellent cast to examine one of the most intriguing and most difficult questions in the study of law and politics today—what role does law play in the job of judging? There is a lot to learn in these pages, and this book does a fine job of pushing the conversation forward.” —Keith Whittington, Princeton University

This pioneering book is the first to identify the methods, strategies, and personal traits of law professors whose students achieve exceptional learning. Modeling good behavior through clear, exacting standards and meticulous preparation, these instructors know that little things also count--starting on time, learning names, responding to emails.