Legal Books

A great read. I love mysteries that are puzzles and this is one the best. Author is familiar with the criminal justice system; the novel rings with authenticity. The plot is well paced and suspenseful. The protagonist is an original, a jurist as the detective. Justice Scott is richly nuanced, neither eccentric nor stuffy, one of a kind. Overall, the mystery has a fresh and original quality.

I'm a legal groupie. Holmes Marshall led me through the Vatican-like halls of the Second District Court of Appeals with the confident step of an insider. That's what I loved in his new mystery novel -- peeking under those medieval robes of Justice. Justice Cameron Scott is Cinderella-in-reverse: a handsome, principled, Appeals Court Judge who shines during daytime hours on the bench but falls to shambles once he leaves the polished mahogany courtroom. Scott has a failed marriage, an under achieving son and sexual adventures that draw him into a catacomb of greed and murder. Marshall's sophisticated take on the delicate balance between corrupt palace politics and a democratic judicial system makes MURDER ON APPEAL a smart, intriguing thriller... and you do get to peek!

I'm a legal groupie. Holmes Marshall led me through the Vatican-like halls of the Second District Court of Appeals with the confident step of an insider. That's what I loved in his new mystery novel -- peeking under those medieval robes of Justice. Justice Cameron Scott is Cinderella-in-Reverse: a handsome, principled, Appeals Court Judge who shines during daytime hours on the bench but falls to shambles once he leaves the polished mahogany courtroom. Scott has a failed marriage, an under-achieving son and sexual adventures that draw him into a catacomb of greed and murder. Marshall's sophisticated take on the delicate balance between corrupt palace politics and a democratic judicial system makes MURDER ON APPEAL a smart, intriguing thriller... and you do get to peek!

As an instructor of a Music Industry class at the University of Oregon, I highly recommend this book for the chapter on the recording contract alone. The publisher sent me a copy for consideration to use in class. While I currently use the Brabec book I do tell my students about the Biz and Legal Guide. Should I ever expand the class I will certainly require it. Meanwhile, I can at least give it a good review.

My music business legalities course is using this book as THE text book for class. Pretty detailed and gets into examples.

This book is an absolute must have for musicians. It is a "how-to" manual for musicians. I STRONLY advice never signing any contract or enter into any deal, as a musician, until you have read this book!!!!! It has saved my @$&@ more than once. Whether you are just playing gigs at bars and clubs, recording at home, or trying to go big, this book can be used as a stand alone road map. I have been using the first edition since the early 90's and just decided to purchase the 4th. This version is even better than the first because now it has been updated for the digital age. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. One browse through its pages and you will quickly realize the gem you hold in you hands. I must sound like a spoke person for the book, but I really believe in its value.

This book was an invaluable source of information for my research on tribal sovereignty. Wildenthal focuses on 5 topics: The Cherokee Cases, Indian Treaty Rights, Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction, Tribal Civil Jurisdiction, and Tribal Gambling. Each topic has an introduction section, a historical background section, and a description of the cases and the many issues.

Each topic is also subdivided into its seminal Supreme Court cases such as Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, Oliphant v. Sququamish, and Worcester v. Georgia. The second part of the book compiles various documents that deal with the majority of these cases; two treaties, one gaming compact, and 13 opinions.

There is also a chronology, a glossary of people, laws, and concepts, and a table of cases and statutes. Throughout the book are sections on "reccommended reading" and an extensive annotated bibliography that provide new ideas and books for further research.

Wildenthal writes in an engaging manner, asking questions and raising issues. The style of the book encourages learning; he gives background, then describes the case, then tells you to read the opinion or relevant document, and then discusses the issues.

This is an awesome book!

The latest in the "On Trial" series from ABC-CLIO, Native American Sovereignty On Trial examines the history of court litigation and important legal controversies involving Native American treaty rights, especially concerning the historical background and modern-day implications of Native American sovereignty. Painstakingly compiled by Bryan H. Wildenthal (Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Law and Social Justice at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, California), Native American Sovereignty On Trial presents primary source documents such as court decisions and rulings, as well as an A-Z list of crucial individuals, laws, and ideas, a chronology. All this and more fill the pages of this informed and informative casebook which is especially commended for inclusion with Native American Studies reading lists and American Jurisprudence Studies reference collections.

This first book by Brian H. Wildenthal instantly positions him as a law-thinker who has disturbing new perspectives to offer about how law drives American history. The subject of how callously and exploitively U.S. law -- and often the Supreme Court as well -- has treated our native American peoples is a long-neglected one. So is the subject of how vastly different from that of blacks and other racial groups is the legal treatment of our U.S. tribes, because they started off dealing with the U.S. government as sovereign nations. U.S. law has often had the effect of attempted genocide on the tribes, not only in the past but right up to today, whether it's the festering old treaty issues or the continuing policy of removing Indian children from tribal homes and putting them up for adoption with non-Indian families. Technically a textbook, "Native American Sovereignty on Trial" is highly readable and accessible to the layperson. It gives a vivid picture of the long sad history of issues and court decisions -- from the Cherokee removals and the broken treaties of old, to controversies around criminal jurisdiction and tribal gaming today. As an American of mixed-blood descent, with relatives who are enrolled tribal members, I felt my blood boil as I read this book, and hope "Native American Sovereignty" gets the wide visibility that it deserves. Wildenthal has been teaching at the Thomas Jefferson College of Law in San Diego for years, with a major focus on this subject. I look forward to Wildenthal's next book.

For scholar-activists concerned with systemic connections between animal, environmental and human oppression, Nature Ethics provides a lens through which to examine other philosophies, theologies and political and environmental theories. Exploring the connection that Kheel makes between human violence and socially constructed masculine identity is like donning a pair of 3-D glasses that exposes previously unseen dualisms in even the most esteemed perspectives on animal rights, Gandhian nonviolence, environmental protection and ecological holism.

The ecofeminist invitation to develop empathethic relationships with individual beings validates the experiences with animal suffering that move many toward activism in the first place. Kheel's refusal to rely solely on the "conceptual force" of rational arguments make her final call to a conscious ethos of contexualized care toward nature and individual other-than-human animals hard to resist. If you have ever been frustrated by rational or spiritual systems that don't seem to wed theory with praxis, Nature Ethics may illuminate why.

In this book, Marti Kheel calls into question the dominant utilitarian ethic in nature philosophy which regards the individual as expendable for the sake of the species. Ultimately, she validates the importance of subjective experience and emotion for ethical decision-making, challenging the masculinist orientations of previous nature philosophers.

This book is an important contribution to the work of bridging movements such as environmentalism, feminism, and animal rights, while raising questions and paving the way to implementing policy and measures to do so.

This is an essential read for anyone interested in the above topics.

In her recent book, "Nature Ethics," philosopher Marti Kheel activates my sympathy with "other than human" individuals. Like Chief Seattle spoke, animals are our sisters and brothers. Kheel examines the holist nature philosophers prevalent in the field of environmental ethics. After explaining their contributions, she critiques their platforms including hyper-masculinity, ecosystems, ethics, and Deep Ecology. She consistently uncovers a focus on the abstract or universal "whole" embodied in generic concepts like "species" and "ecosystems," rather than a concern for particular individuals like the deer fleeing the hunter's bullet, or a doomed cow interred in a slaughterhouse. After defining the characteristic thought in the literature, Kheel disseminates the dominant zeitgesit of ecofeminism. I wrote a paper on ecofemnism and Kheel's book covers the field. She explains the "ethics of care" and applies it to care for particular others within nature, such as the domesticated animals raised for food and research. She describes "allopathic ethics." For instance, modern medicine meets a health challenge with battle, to radiate and poison the cancer tumor. ALternative medicine restores the strength of the person by reducing what makes them sick in the first place therefore restoring innate balance. To understand why humans devalue nature, Kheel researches the psycho-social underpinnings of gender development.The book ends with the stories of "other-than human" individuals such as the pig profiled in the movie "Babe" or the actual story of "Emily the cow" who in 1994 escaped a slaughterhouse in Boston. Kheel validates emotions and motivates people to refrain from killing by adopting a vegan lifestyle in response to animal suffering. As a lacto-ovo vegetarian, I admire Kheel's commitment and her invitation to join an ethics of care for particular individuals as exemplified in her vegan ecofeminist philosophy. I highly recommend this book as a great review of ecofeminism and ecological philosophy. Kheel has been writing about this subject in journals and books for many years and is widely cited in the literature.

I just started my own business and leased space. If I had not read this book I could have been duped 100 times over. There is so much good information in this book. It covers every major area of the process. It gives many examples of points discussed. It gives tips and warnings for you to avoid getting talked into a bad lease. It covers brokers, lawyers, contracts, and more. It does not give a sample lease because it says they are all so different and amendable. Read this or risk getting stuck in a bad lease for 3-5 years and learning the hard way you could have done a lot better if you were informed.

If I could buy one book about commercial leasing and I was a small business owner, this would be the one. I consult to small business tenants daily and the tips in this book will help them avoid a lot lost money and hassle!

Anthony Dyson

As Founder and Broker of Record of Realty Executives Dyson Inc, a real estate lease consulting and brokerage firm, Anthony provides his 25 years of expertise in real estate lease negotiation to large and small business tenants nationwide by phone, fax and email as well as providing commercial real estate brokerage services in Toronto.

This book is perfect for what we needed as a first time business leasee. Knowledge is key in any negotiation allowing you to negotiate from a position of strength. This book gives you that knowledge.

The potential to save money and/or not get stuck in a long term lease on an inappropriate property makes this a must-have book. Read it before signing any lease contract.

A truly oddball cast of suspects including a brooding, not-to-be trusted narrator who spins a paranoid tale.

Tons of excellent dialog. Reminded me of both Wodehouse and Hemingway, two writers who use dialog to move the plot forward.

Great "hooks" at the end of every chapter, which made me dive right into the next. And the stakes get higher with every scene, as the main character's life spirals out of control.

NEVER SAY MURDER is very aptly titled because I was never sure until the very end if a murder had even been committed. The ending left my head spinning. Highly recommended.

As an alumni of the National Journalism Center and SUNY Fredonia, Geoffrey Walters is your basic crime journalist. He honed his writing as a crime and local politics reporter for the TIMES NEWSWEEKLY in Queens, New York. He has participated in the Gotham Writers Workshop in New York City.

A law firm is the perfect place to find all the elements of crime: corruption; greed; vice; extortion; and murder. The class distinction between lawyers, judges, and secretaries, accounting personnel, and word processors is telling. For Greg Thackery, a normal guy who worked in the word processing pool, his biggest problem was dealing with a personal sex addiction and holding his fragile marriage together. But when his office mate, Marc, is threatened by one of the new Ivy-league lawyers, Stephen Dalrymple, over a document that should be run-of-the-mill, Gregory is the only person in the office who is suspicious. After Marc is found dead and Greg voices his suspicions horrible things begin to happen: he gets fired for downloaded porn on his machine, the fired Dalrymple begins an affair with his wife, and suddenly his own life isn't worth a nickel:

"It's hard now to describe exactly how low I felt packing my bag and hoping somehow Jean would take me back. I'd lost my job. Someone had thoroughly discredited my reputation, probably preventing me from landing a similar job. The police wanted to talk to me again. I'd completely misjudged my co-workers. I had no idea about Marc's secret life, nor of Betty's and Bradshaw's. Betty had lied about me to Detective O'Sullivan. I nearly got into a fight with Dalrymple. Marc's kindly parents threw me out of their house. I could no longer trust my therapist. I'd fallen off the wagon big time. And probably I could no longer trust myself."

NEVER SAY MURDER is almost a pulp detective story, except there is no detective involved. But Walters infuses his tale with all the great qualities of Nero Wolf's Archie. Greg is the hero and narrator of the story. There is a murderer out there and colorful characters who have something to hide. The plot takes place in New York, the Gotham of murder. A great tale!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

I loved this murder mystery. The author has a real flair for quirky characters, esp. his hero, who narrates the story. This is a believable, funny first-person narrative which seems to come from a real, living, thinking, opinionated person.

The setting, NYC, is familiar, yet the author gives it a twist by setting it in a word processing center of a NY law firm and we get the lower echelon view of what it's like to work for the big boys.

The author takes us further afield, into upstate New York and he is able to evoke both locations specifically, colorfully and with authority.

The story is good fun and it's never clear until near the very end whether we should really say "murder" or not. Fun to read. Hope a sequel to this book is published soon.

What is new about the world in the 21st century? For Thomas L. Friedman its information networks that make the world flat for business and communication. Anne-Marie Slaughter makes the observation that governance too is being transformed by the telecommunication revolution. Because the barriers between us are being broken down it is possible for like minded people to share ideas and conclusions around the world.

The book looks at Regulatory Agencies, Jurisprudence and finally Legislative Processes and observes transnational influences and accommodations. Slaughter notes that borrowing of laws and principles from one society to another is not new, but it has become much more common. She shows that a number of precedents in bioethics, copyright law and commercial rights are now drawing on extranational deliberations and decisions in order add clarity and come to decisions more rapidly. If a copyright case in Paris is similar to one in Washington a judge may cite the case to draw similar conclusions.

Differences in definitions in such things as environmental legislation, labeling of goods and the establishing of standards are more easily handled between similar agencies rather than through top/down negotiation. The network of associations also extends to NGOs allowing relief, health care (ie: co-ordination during the SARS outbreak in 2003 or Bird Flu in 2006 - neither of which are covered in the book however the discussion in the book help illuminate both these situations) or standards organizations to co-operate with each other and to learn from each other's methods.

Overall Prof. Slaughter considers this a good thing that we are now learning to learn from each other on a planetary scale. What she doesn't consider is the potential downside in outsourcing part of our decision making processes to others as she prefers to focus on the influences of like minded groups. Another concern that she does touch on briefly (around pp194) is that such decision making reflects a change in our conception of "democracy" - decisions are made by consensus but only through the effort of interested or concerned participants.

I recommend this book for readers looking for examples of how transnational co-operation gets applied. The writing is warm and very accessible. For me it ties in nicely with the ideas of Duncan Watts (6 Degrees of Separation/Dynamic Networks) who's interest is in self organizing networks. Watts observes that networks usually contain focal nodes that act as bridges between subnets and thereby act as a conduit of information and ideas. With the growth of the Internet geography and time no longer limit the scope of these nets, so naturally they spread out horizontally between nations. Prof. Slaughter's writings are a timely observation of the phenomenon in the realm of international decision making. What is "new" about this world order is that it is not being imposed from above by single minded governments - it comes from all around us.

Regardless as to how one feels about the prospect of this kind of world it does get you to think. I like that, which is why I recommend this book and its author. :-)

This excellent, thought-provoking analysis covers a widespread but little studied shift in the way the world works. The advance of international communications, technology, economics and finance networks has had an unmistakable effect on business and industry. The ways states function has also changed - shifting the operation of the world order. Author Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, is on expert ground. She asserts that networks of financiers, regulators, judges and even legislators can solve problems that would be intractable if left only to traditional states and familiar international organizations. She provides many examples of such networks, notes the criticism against them and suggests norms to govern their conduct. Her book is not light reading. Readers need some familiarity with international organizations and institutions (sometimes cited by unexplained acronyms), but we highly recommend this book to sophisticated observers of international policy.

This book is a must-read for any student of International Affairs. By providing historical and present-day examples of international and transnational relations among states, Dean Slaughter brilliantly lays the framework and provides justification for a new disaggregated, effective, and just world order. Both synoptic in organization and substantive throughout, this book will prove valuable to all readers regardless of political affiliation or school of thought.

This is a GREAT read! Anyone who appreciates political intrigue, especially NYC-70s-style, will love this -- dog owners or not. It paints a fascinating picture of the time, the ins and outs of public policy, peppered with a Dickensian cast of characters. Who knew poop could be so captivating??

Just wanted to let everyone know that I've been on radio shows around the world talking to people who are thrilled with my book. The BBC World News, five different shows on CBC in Canada (English and French), ABC in Sydney, WVOX in New York, etc., etc. I've also received rave reviews from The New Yorker which featured me in "Talk of the Town," the New York Times, Toronto Globe and Mail, among many others. The reading/signing I did at Barnes & Noble in Greenwich Village was a huge success and was packed with readers and their dogs. Don't listen to Publishers Weekly when they say that even New Yorkers won't like this book--did they mean The NYker or the Times?--because they don't seem to know much about New Yorkers or about dogs.

Excellent book, would recommend to all, especially of course dog owners. Would make a great coffee table book (where mine is right now) or in the bathroom, guest or master, fitting right in with all things scatalogical.

I bought this with "Q's" On the Art of Reading. I'm halfway through this one and can't wait to start the other one. I'm constantly going back to review my old Latin/Greek HS and university readings and have enjoyed the process immensely.

This slender volume is the book that began Helene Hanff's journey -- a path that led eventually to her writing the 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD series. Because I loved her books, I wondered what the master who taught her might have had to say. All I knew of him was what I had learned through Ms. Hanff.

This series of lectures, delivered in England more than nine decades ago, sparkles with a dry wit that is utterly endearing. No wonder his students loved him. Still, for someone who is the product of a late-20th century education, I must admit I was appalled by my ignorance of the classical references he made, expecting that his students would follow them with ease. Not a light-weight book, despite its compact size.

His challenge to his students, put forth in the first lecture, was to become a person [he said a man, but the statement applies to all of us] "of unmistakable intellectual breeding, whose trained judgment we can trust to choose the better and reject the worse." Not a bad goal for anyone, is it?

A word of warning. He quotes in Greek here and there -- and does not translate it, since all his students were expected to understand that language. Ditto Latin.

If you can manage only two chapters, try the first "Inaugural" and the last "On Style."

This book is a classic on the subject of writing.It was a favorite of Helene Hanff, author of 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. In a third book, Q's Legacy, she relates how studying this book became the core of her writing education.She found Q to be both articulate and humorous.I find I agree.

"Order in the Court", written by local attorney David S. Mullally, is really a good read-not only for those who want to better understand our legal system, but for mystery and crime book buffs, as well-both readers and writers. Actually written as a writer's guide to the legal system, the book provides clear explanations-in layman's terms-of crimes, defenses and punishments, search and seizure, arrest and confessions and civil law. And what's even better, Mullally outlines a criminal trial and a civil trial, taking us through the various steps and stages of each right through to appeal. What a fine book! A glossary of legal terms and resources for research are included, too. Reviewed by Margot Petit Nichols for THE CARMEL PINE CONE, Newspaper, Carmel, California.

"...(A) comprehensive guide to the American legal system that is designed specifically to give writers a solid grounding in how the courts function...Mullally discusses everything-from various types of offenses, their prosecution and their penalties to how juries are selected and then how they deliberate...The author walks his audience through a typical day at the courthouse, how the proceedings unfold in both civil and criminal cases, plus how law enforcement officials conduct search-and-seizure operations...Sprinkled throughout the book are highlighted 'story ideas', which should get the creative juices flowing in any writer...Not only will "Order in the Court" prove to be a valuable resource for writers, but anyone interested in an overview of the judicial system will find this an excellent reference."

At last, a comprehensive, current, and well-written guide for writers to the American legal system! "Order in the Court" covers just about any question a writer could have about law, from legal history to criminal procedure to the ins and outs of every kind of civil law. In fact, although the purpose of "Order in the Court" is to assist writers in finding titles, developing plots, and adding to the authenticity of their legal scenes, this book is so entertaining and informative that the general reader with an interest in law shouldn't be without it. As a lawyer and writer, I have been looking for a summary of law that I could consult in my daily writing, that would save me from a trip to the law library or a frustrating Internet search. "Order in the Court" is all I need to write a courtroom drama, legal mystery, or any book dealing with the law. Mr. Mullally, an experienced attorney, is able to take complex legal cases and concepts and explain them simply and accurately. He also illustrates many aspects of law with actual and often bizarre and fascinating cases which will fire up the writer's imagination. The Appendices include a very helpful and up-to-date section on research resources. One of the best sections in "Order in the Court" is a detailed outline of a civil trial, from the moment the client walks in the office door to the appeal of the case. Writers will feel that they are actually involved in the day-to-day operation of a law practice, as Mr. Mullally uses his own experience to make practicing law come alive. This is the definitive reference book to consult for writers who want to sound like they've spent the last twenty years hanging around the courthouse. It will pay for itself a thousand times over in royalties over the years. Don't miss it!