Professions Books

Great read. He came to our bookstore. Over 100 people were present. An excellent presentation. Especially comforting to know there are people of his integrity standing up in America. Scott Landfield, Tsunami Books, Eugene, Oregon

Stars, that is! If there is anything sure about today's "new world order", it's that Americans need to think deeply about what being "American" actually means. Innocent people locked up, tortured, harassed and humiliated is as Un-American as is possible, and "we the people" should be incensed. Steve Wax has written a fast paced, engaging, "fair and balanced" first hand account of our civil liberties run amok, and the passionate folks who tirelessly pursue justice. Let there be no doubt- Liberty requires the courage to illuminate the truth so the world can see.

Steve's book is important, amazing and enthralling. You will not be disappointed.

Kafka Comes to America by Steve Wax tells the harrowing story of two of the author's clients who had the misfortune of being terrorist suspects under the Bush Administration's new legal regime. Brandon Mayfield, an American lawyer, was arrested and held as a "material witness" after the FBI misidentified a fingerprint linked to the Madrid bombings even in the face of disagreements by their Spanish counterparts. Adel Hamad, a Sudanese hospital administrator, was arrested at his home in Pakistan and held at Guantanamo even after Steve and his team compiled substantial evidence of his innocence.

Neither of these stories should seem unfamiliar or even all that surprising to those who have spent even the smallest amount of time just reading the news. Yet, Kafka Comes to America presents multiple, disturbing revelations. Beyond just the details of Brandon and Adel's individual stories, which are horrifying but important to know in their own right, the book discusses how each of these awful stories is not only possible but likely to be repeated in the U.S. Kafka Comes to America makes it impossible for the reader to dismiss all of the things that happened to Brandon and Adel as anomalies or because of a "few bad apples" or something that happened to a few guys who are different from the reader and therefore somehow to blame. Rather, the book explains how what Brandon and Adel have endured is due to a systematic perversion of America's legal system. It happened through executive coup, legislative complicity, and judicial cowardice.

In addition, the book discusses how all of this has grave implications for all of us. First, we should be outraged that it has been done in our name. I always have felt that way, but this book heightened that feeling. Steve's prose is straightforward, which matches what, at heart, is a very simple turn of events: our government grabbed for power and, for the most part, no one including the law stopped them. It is so easy to understand that it is scary. That is the second implication: we should all be scared that what happened to Brandon and Adel could happen to us. If it is too difficult to imagine being accused of terrorism (which it should not be after reading about Brandon), is it really so hard to imagine being accused of something more mundane but being subjected to the enhanced powers of the authorities now that many checks and balances have been removed?

Steve makes the important point in his book that we should take some comfort from the fact that our government does pay him to fight these fights against the government. He is right, and it provides hope that we can regain what we have lost. I will take at least two things from Steve's book. First, while we are rightly focused on closing Guantanamo and restoring habeas corpus, there are other laws and concepts that have started seeping into our national consciousness that we will need to address to ensure Guantanamo never happens again. Second, I know that I will read ever more critically news reports of suspected terrorists, including American citizens and arrested, even when there is a supposed 100% certain fingerprint match. Thank you to Steve for writing this book. Now go read it.

This past week I lost several hours of sleep as I devoured Steven Wax's well written book that reads like a crime thriller and tells the sadly true stories of two innocent men caught up in a tangle of legal roadblocks and deceit as the Bush administration has abused its power and taken away the rights of Americans and foreigners alike in its overzealous "war on terror". I had expected a dry treatise on rights and justice laced with legal mumbo jumbo and instead found myself unable to put the book down - it is an engaging read as the twists and turns of the two cases unfold and eroding rights endanger innocent people with tragic results.

Most importantly, wrapped up in the two cases are harrowing and chilling lessons for all people who value freedom, democracy, and the simple right to a fair day in court to defend oneself against unfounded and erroneous charges drummed up by a government Administration gone bad. The tragic stories of the two innocent men at the core of the book clearly illustrate the insidious effects and dangerous impact of abdicating our rights. The 2 tales show how lost rights mean we lose the moral and ethical high ground and undermine the strength of our democracy when we need it most.

Lastly, the book exposes the inspiring courage of not only the victims, but also of those who work tirelessly to defend our freedoms, rights, and responsibilities. Judges who uphold the law and Constitution, insiders who risk censure or worse by shedding light on hidden unfair or illegal practices, and lawyers like Steven Wax and his team who are tireless in their defense of the Constitution and our rights.

A gripping read on one level, an important illumination of the erosion of Constitutional rights on another, and a motivating call to arms for all citizens who value democracy, freedom, and the rule of law (not to mention common sense). I highly recommend this book.

Concise and logically formatted this is a great book for rental property owners in Florida. Complete with case law notes and examples the book is really helpful in accomplishing most actions a landlord will have to undertake. The forms are handy as well and will keep you from having to buy a legal forms program or from having to run to the county clerks office.

I was pleasantly surprised by the wealth of information contained in this book. Its written in easy to understand language and covers just about everything you need to know about renting property in Florida. Thoroughly discusses applicable Florida statutes, includes case references and supplies various legal forms. I wouldn't feel comfortable handling my own rentals in Florida without this book.

After purchasing this book by Attorney Mark Warda, I have found his insight into the real estate laws of Florida invaluable. The easy to read format of the book along with the flowcharts and associated legal forms makes owning rental property less stressful. Common legal problems that a landlord encounters are addressed. A "must get" for the do-it-yourself landlord.

Wright's work is more technical than Glannons, but I used it for my civil procedure class, and I did extremely well in that class. I would buy both.

This book is commonly used by first year students in civil procedure. I have known many students in the past who have found the book helpful in explaining the intricacies of the federal rules. A must read.

If you are not understanding civil procedure and want something to clarify the rules or subject matter/personal jurisdiction, this is a good book to start. It provides clear summaries of the rules as well as the policy debates underlying issues raised in procedure. Keep in mind that this is not a law review article, so in essence this book is more aimed at summarizing all the critiques and debates that have gone on before rather than looking at the law from a different angle. But if you want a short read that will get you through the exam, this book is just as about as useful as anything else you might come across. There are professors who base their classes on this book, as well as students who diligently read this book every day to prepare for the socratic questions they can await in class the next day. If you want good grades, though, I think it takes more than reading all these horn books and what not. A lot of it just comes down to the processing and understanding of the material, which can be daunting at times and actually just comes at different times for different people. However much you read these hornbooks, if you don't understand the stuff or can't apply it, it won't actually help you that much.

This wonderful, timely book consists of interviews with the country's top legal researchers. I can't think of a better way to learn about legal research than from experts like Sabrina Pacifici, Cindy Chick, Diana Botluk, Genie Tyburski, Leigh Webber and the others profiled.

If legal research is part of your professional life, do yourself a favor: Buy This Book.

Jerry Lawson, Author of The Complete Internet Handbook for Lawyers (ABA 1999).

This book should appeal to: 1) software developers and usability testers, to learn from experiences with well-established proprietary and newer web-based interfaces to highly structured databases (billions, literally, of pages in Lexis and WestLaw); 2) content developers, web trainers and educators in all fields who wrestle with quality issues of web content; 3) observers of how professional communities use the web, as organized associations and for bottom-up information sharing; 4) amateur and semi-pro searchers who want to get tips from real pros trained in library and information science, as well as specific legal contents and methods.

Warning to workplace cynics: this is a no-Dilbert zone.

Example interview topics include: (software/usability) how are browser bookmarks used? are any web utilities widely adopted? (content/training) when is the web a trustworthy source of information? which comes first, in what circumstances: the web or fee-based services?

(community organizers) how do websites evolve to so well serve diverse professionals using cooperative and volunteer labor? (amateurs/semi-pros) how do people who search for a living in a rapid turn-around environment organize their work? (cynics) are there really people who still have long-lasting careers and love their work? how do they survive the nutty managers, mindless meetings, and constant change of fads?

Expanding the series and theme of "super searcher" books, this set of interviews goes more deeply into the technical aspects of legal research without losing the non-legal reader in either the terms of the field or the names of the content providers. My only complaint was the frequent reference to "stock techniques taught in legal research" which might have been better defined or compared, but I loved the phrase "build a search".

The online secrets of top legal researchers are covered in an important guide which uses interviews with experts to focus on legal research topics. From web site listings and commercial services to databases and professional journals, this is packed with practical references to legal research processes.

I really appreciated all the advice in this book. I will keep it on the shelf for when I need some help with motivation/direction/perspective.

As one of Tamsen's study partners from law school I can attest to the method of study techniques that she's outlined in this book. The Law School Survival Guide is concise, easy to read, and has great sketches by Professor Mixon; however, most importantly, it is a useful tool. You cannot go wrong following the guidelines in the Law School Survival Guide! It'll make your law school experience productive and fun.

When I read this book I was sceptical that any one could learn to study using someone else's methods but after reading it I have to admit that I was wrong. I implemented some of Mrs. Valoir's methods and found that I increased my grades substantially.

The book is well thought out, flows easily and does not require a rocket scientist to absorb the concepts discussed.

I recommend this book to everyone thinking about studying Law...No--I recommend this book to anyone entering university since the concepts learned can be applied to any course of study!!!!

In October of 1995, only 40% of the "National Law Journal" 250[1] law firms had registered domain names, and only 10%[2] of the NLJ 250 firms had Web sites. A little more than two years later, the prediction that "it will soon be the rule, rather than the exception, that a law-related organization is on the Internet" has come true.[3] Today all but one of the NLJ 250 firms has registered a domain name, and 60% have Web sites.

Why is this important? Because it means that the Internet is finally ready for prime time! And it means that there is no reasonable way to include "all" of the law-related organizations on the Net in this book. So what's a perfectionist to do? The only rational choice is to make editorial decisions about who gets included in this book and who does not. So while earlier efforts focused on cataloging "all" of the law-related resources into one book, this book focused on cataloging the best of all the law-related resources.

For example, in the companies chapter, we include major vendors, focusing on those that publish something of substance - preferably for free - on the Internet.[4] We also included smaller companies who are, for one reason or another, making a difference on the Internet. Companies whose content focus is limited to a particular state are briefly mentioned in the reviews of each particular state. In the law firm chapter, we've included NLJ 250 law firms as well as small law firms that have made great strides in Internet publishing. We're open to suggestions about how to improve future editions of this book.

Our goal was to create a reference book that would help novices and net.veterans get the most out of their Internet experiences. For example, a new Internet user looking for tax law resources would get a very good feel for the best of the Internet tax-related resources by looking in the index of this book under "tax" for organizations whose practice areas include tax. Similarly, net.veterans looking to maximize their online experience - both as consumers and publishers of information - would enjoy our spirited reviews of all of the NLJ 250 law firm Web sites to see what is working and what is not.

Much has changed over the last two years. BBSs, Gopher, WAIS, and even Usenet are dead or dying. E-mail is becoming a more popular way to get the word out, and e-mail users are struggling with how to filter out the unwanted e-mail from the mix. And the jury is still out on technologies such as PointCast, which delivers multimedia to users' desktops, but not by e-mail.[5] On the horizon are new developments like Internet-based telephone and fax service, unified messaging, and video.

We have also seen consolidation in the Internet marketspace and the legal Internet marketspace. WorldCom has purchased UUNet and MCI, and Microsoft has purchased everything but the Justice Department. In the legal market, Counsel Connect was sold, bought, and consolidated with its former competitor the New York Law Publishing Company (of Law Journal EXTRA! fame). Reed and Thomson continue to grow their two huge empires.

In the final analysis, we're hoping that the information overload that is the Internet will still require somebody to weed through the millions of Web sites (and other Internet resources) to find the most important, most reliable, and most influential ones. And who better to help than the American Bar Association, whose mission in life is member services. We're pleased to be able to play a small part in shaping the legal Internet community, and we hope to be able to continue to do so for years to come.

Thanks for reading!

[1] The "National Law Journal" 250 (NLJ 250) is an annual survey conducted by the New York Law Publishing Company. This is the 20th anniversary of the NLJ 250 survey, which is the legal community's equivalent of the "Fortune" 1000.

[2] According to "The Legal List, Law-Related Resources on the Internet and Elsewhere," seventh edition, October 1995, Lawyers Cooperative Publishing, by Erik J. Heels.

[3] Id. or ibid., we're not sure; or perhaps ego. The key to being a successful visionary is to make lots and lots of predictions in print and then reference only those that came true.

[4] Trust us, if you build it, they "will" come. Content is still king. And presentation is queen, experience - kind of like a knight. OK, so we're reaching here. Chess enthusiasts will appreciate the analogy. More on content, presentation, and experience in the section entitled "Three Elements of a Successful Web Site."

[5] And you never ever know what juries will do. Check out Matthew Bender's review to see what they're doing with PointCast.

The author is a wonderful writer and they new what they were talking about. it was a very interesting experience

Erik Heels, author of the first serious Internet legal research bibliography, and Rick Klau, another Net pioneer, are lawyers who are uniquely well qualified to understand the Internet and explain it to others.

This book has many useful points, not the least of which is that it serves as a field manual for lawyers interested in establishing or upgrading their own Internet sites.

The authors' reviews of law firm web sites, at their own web site, have been deservedly influential.

In general, I am not enthusiastic about paper books that are merely catalogs of web sites. This book is different because the authors add value through analysis and judgment.

Jerry Lawson

H. L. A. Hart, who was a contemporary of Lord Patrick Devlin, criticized him for his very rigid position on the government's role in enacting and enforcing morality laws against its citizens. Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart lived from 1907 to 1992. Hart was one of the most influential philosophers of law in the twentieth century, and he taught at Oxford University. His 1963, book "Law, Liberty and Morality" is a refutation of Devlin's theories of the government's role in criminalizing private moral misconduct. They both debated on opposite sides of the British government's 1957, Wolfenden Report which looked into the subject of decriminalizing homosexuality and prostitution. Devlin was the only member of the committee of fourteen who voted against decriminalizing the two acts in question. Hart, though not a member of the committee nevertheless, was very influential in the governments relaxing its laws against homosexuality in 1967. Though Hart is supportive of the idea that society did have some common moral values worth supporting, he is troubled by Devlin's far-reaching statement that, "immorality jeopardizes or weakens society." In fact, Hart accused Devlin of holding the position that any change in a society's morality would bring about its demise. Devlin balked at Hart's accusation, and retorted that he only believed the idea that any change in a society's morality could bring about its demise. Hart is definitely in agreement with John Stuart Mill's concept of liberty when he writes, "...society can not only survive individual divergences in other fields from its prevalent morality, but profit from them."

The other aspect of the disagreement between Devlin and Hart was in the arena of how much of an impact religious values should dictate in a society's moral values and laws. In his book, Devlin asked the question, how citizens were supposed to derive moral values if they did not rely on religious authority. He answered, that lawyers had generally ignored the question and had generally accepted the notion that Christian morality remained just as acceptable to society as a whole today as it had been when the church was the sole arbiter of morality in the past. Devlin also takes philosophers to task for thinking that a human being's conscience can fill the void that religious morality would leave if it were no longer in force. "It cannot, unless some way be found of making up a collective conscience." Devlin seriously doubted that humankind would ever be able to find a collective conscience. However, he did not want to stifle people's freedom in asking questions about what the state's role should be regarding moral values. In fact Devlin writes that, "The unending search for truth goes on and so does the struggle towards the perfect society." Instead of outlawing all immoral acts, Hart advocated for a more nuanced approach in answer to Devlin's question on when society should outlaw immorality. Hart separated immoral acts into two types--public and private. Hart supported outlawing public immoral acts, such as prostitution, to preserve public decency. However, he was not in favor of outlawing private acts considered by society as immoral, such as homosexuality, since these acts took place out of view of the public and thus, protecting decency would not be a concern for society in that instance. Hart's argument provided a more balanced approach between society's demand for correct moral behavior and the desire for individual liberty.

I read this book for a graduate class in Philosophy. Recommended reading for anyone interested in philosophy, political science, and history.

H.L.A. Hart is perhaps the 20th century's greatest legal philosopher, and this small book is a powerful expression of his views on the relationship between law and morality. Simply put, Hart takes the side of John Stuart Mill on the issue of legal regulation of vice. The arguments are straightforward, and Hart gives opposing viewpoints a fair hearing before offering his rebutalls.

I first read the 1963 edition in a course called "Philosophy of Law" at Stanford in '66, and it's one of the few texts from then that I know I have in the attic, and have read at least five times since. It's just a little book, but invaluable.

He organizes the arguments around the issue of the legalization of prostitution, but the specific arguments are made to carry the water of all the similar issues. It is dense, but beautifully written and beautifully argued, you just have to read it a bit slowly to let each paragraph soak in.

The authors have outdone themselves with this edition. It is comprehensive and accessible, whether you are a novice or an expert. The CD provides excellent step by step instruction for the lawyer who wants to learn techniques to create the most effective presentations. But the book is more than just technical tips. The discussion of legal concerns, as well as basic rhetorical theory, makes this book an essential resource for lawyers and legal assistants who want to reach jurors (and judges) who are much more media savvy today. Most decision makers are not primarily aural learners, and in the days of CSI, the ability to highlight the most compelling evidence is not just a luxury.
What makes the book most valuable is the depth of understanding of persuasive techniques, illustrated with many true-to-life examples. Lawyers who are highly skilled in aural persuasion can hone their messages better, by learning how to harness technology to bring the facts to life through visual illustration. The good lawyer can learn how to present a seamless web of information that will reinforce the trial theme and the trial strategy for the juror or judge who can see and hear the evidence in the courtroom.
This is not just about trial techniques. The authors also address other ways in which presentations can be made more effectively (in motion hearings, settlement negotiations, administrative hearings and seminars).
The focus of the book is on presentation technique regardless of the format of the presentation. It includes the most popular presentation software (Powerpoint) as well as other software designed specifically for lawyers (Sanction II, TrialDirector).
This should be required reading for every litigator who wants to be more persuasive.

If you've been deterred by the notion of creating a computer presentation for use in court, here's your book. The writing is in plain English and even engaging. The information starts with baby steps but will take you as far as you care to venture. The insights into how juries view, absorb and evaluate evidence is worth the price of the book, even if you never end up creating a computer presentation. The authors also cover using computer presentations with clients, colleagues and while teaching seminars. Absolutely terrific.

This book is a great tool for any lawyer, but particularly a neophyte to visual persuasion, to learn about how to persuade with PowerPoint and other computer presentation tools. It is a treasure trove of examples to use and to stimulate thinking about how to persuade visually.

I'm not a lawyer and I find this book extremely useful and easy to use.

It offers step by step instructions on locating specific information at each site included in the book - and there's alot of sites. It's got everything from public records and business research resources to medical and scientific sites.

The index makes it easy to find info in the book and the CD makes it easy to link directly to the sites.

I highly recommend this book to anyone whether they're a lawyer or not!

This book is an amazing resource to find factual information needed to successfully represent clients in the practice of law. Recently, another lawyer asked me for advice on how to locate medical information about a surgical procedure that caused pain and scarring to his client. Although I do not do med mal cases, I knew this book would have the information he needed. I pulled out the book and there was Chapter 12--entirely devoted to medical resources on the Internet, including a heading "Starting Point Web Sites for Medical Research." Both of us were impressed, and my colleague wrote down the title and authors to order the book as soon as he returned to the office! The book includes other chapters on Accessing Public Records, Backgrounding Expert Witnesses, Competitive Intelligence Research, Statistical Research, and more. A resource that should be in every lawyer's office!

As a lawyer, I spend a great deal of time searching for information. This book is a fantastic resource and I highly recommend it to others. Levitt takes a very complicated area and makes it simple. This book is worth the investment.

This is by far the best book on the subject primarily because of the careful attention paid to presenting a broad variety of perspectives on and strategies for achieving justice. Taken as whole this book is a great historical road map of the various ways lawyers have participated in bettering the material conditions of the lives of the underrepresented and marginalized. This is the perfect book for anyone who is interested in the law and social change.

This volume is a welcome addition to the teaching materials on legal ethics. It pulls together a diverse collection of important writing on the subject of lawyers and social justice. It includes both older "classics" and newer emerging voices and perspectives. And it includes writing from a range of academic perspectives--legal history, moral philosophy, critical theory, and clinical scholarship--that are rarely pulled together in one place. Although each selection is severely edited, they are packaged and juxtaposed in ways that distill the different perspectives represented by each author. As a result, the collection presents the deeper questions that legal ethicists are asking to the reader in a way that makes the questions both accessible and challenging. The introductory material and discussion questions that frame each section are thoughtful and provocative. As someone who teaches law students in both legal ethics classes and in hands-on clinical courses, I am very pleased to see this book and can't wait to use it, because I think it will provide a perfect vehicle for helping my students think about their professional roles and responsibilities as lawyers.

I am not a lawyer and I don't much like lawyers, but I picked this book up in my local book store and I was amazed. It actually discusses the ways in which some lawyers have understood their work as a way of furthering social justice. I loved the parts about how lawyers helped the NAACP achieve civil rights for African-Americans, and also the parts about how lawyers have developed theories that connect lawyering with civil rights, feminism, critical race theory and poverty rights. If more lawyers thought this way, we'd have a much more just society. The introduction says the book is intended in part for use in law school in lawyers' ethics classes, and I hope it is used for this. But it is fascinating reading for nonlawyers interested in law and social justice too.