Reviews (3)

Gift for Newly Admitted Attorneys
"The Successful Lawyer: Powerful Strategies for Transforming Your Practice" is a powerful tool to help young attorneys explore ways of growing their practice. Gerry Riskin uses short, practical examples taken from every-day practice to help attorneys focus on situations they certainly will be faced with at some point in their careers.
A practical resource: Be sure and take notes!
Legal consultant Gerald Riskin does a remarkable job of forcing practicing attorneys to look at their practice objectively, particularly from a client's point of view. He suggests early on that readers mark up the margins or keep a journal - good advice! I kept a list of pointers as I read to prioritize later. The author notes astutely that no lawyer is likely to do a full practice makeover, but anyone can read this book and come away with 3-4 things they can do immediately, at little or no expense, to improve their practice. By incorporating Riskin's suggestions, in manageable chunks of 3-4 at a time, any lawyer can expand their practice and (best of all) make their practice more satisfying. It is hard to imagine any attorney coming away from this very readable book without 20 or more ideas of things they want to change in their practice.

Well Endorsed and well deserved!
This book was heavily hyped by Tom Peters in one of his blogs, and as most of you probably know, Tom Peters don't promote no garbage!
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Subjects:  1. Career And Vocational Guidance    2. General Practice    3. Law    4. Law Office Education    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. Practice Of Law    7. Law / General    8. Legal skills & practice   

Subjects:  1. Civil Procedure    2. General    3. Great Britain    4. Judicial ethics    5. Judicial process    6. Law    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Practice Of Law    9. Professional Ethics    10. Reference    11. United States    12. Law / General   

Subjects:  1. Accounting    2. Careers - General    3. Economic aspects    4. General Practice    5. Law    6. Law offices    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Practice of law    9. United States    10. Business & Economics / Careers   

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. General    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. Legal Writing    7. Legal composition    8. Legal opinions    9. Problems, exercises, etc    10. United States    11. Creative writing guides    12. Jurisprudence & General Issues    13. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    14. Legal skills & practice    15. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (8)

Came up a tad short of its goal...
This book was a good read for a dreary return flight from DC.It falls short of the promise of its title.That said, every opening and closing statement in this book contained a valuable lesson for trial attorneys, and each statement makes a compelling read.I give this book 3 stars because it doesn't quite live up to its title.Perhaps "Some Really Cool Openings and Closings I liked" would've been a more appropriate title for the book.

Superb snapshot of 20th century legal cultural literacy
With the rapid growth of sensationalist legal coverage on TV news and primetime courtroom drama a la "The Practice", it can be difficult to understand fully the merits of a good trial lawyer's rhetorical virtuoso aside from the twists, turns, and socio-political backdrop which typically capture Americans' attention. With few exceptions, (e.g. Scopes trial, O.J. Simpson trial) the lawyer, that civic advocate and protector of justice, rarely receives deserved recognition. We sit collectively on the edge of our seats with eyes and ears pealed for damning witness testimonies and blood-stained clothes. Evidence is rarely that clear, Seidemann informs us, and most real life cases turn on the efficacy of the lawyer. This book renews our appreciation for a profession derided so often for its dishonesty that we have forgotten the sad and dangerous implications behind the humor. Within these pages of heartwrenching tragedies and controversies that rocked our nation, you will surely reexperience memories of the incidents as the opening/closing statements verify or challenge what you believe. Seidemann reminds us that we have conferred upon lawyers the great responsibility of juridicial guardianship, in order to shake us out of complacency and reaffirm our right to demand their rectitude and loyalty to their oath.
You can't put this book down
In the Interest of Justice is a great book.
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Subjects:  1. Civil Procedure    2. Courts    3. Criminal Procedure    4. Forensic orations    5. Law    6. Legal History    7. Legal Profession    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. Practice Of Law    10. United States    11. Law / Trial Practice   

Subjects:  1. Civil Procedure    2. Law    3. Legal Profession    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Trial Practice    6. Courts & procedure    7. Legal skills & practice    8. USA   

Reviews (2)

A good beginning book
If you totally don't know where to start on prepping for the LSAT, this is about a good a place as any.
Kaplan LSAT Program
This text is so comprehensive that you must have alot of time or take alot of time to review everything.We'll have to wait and see how much it boosts my practice LSAT score! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Continuing Higher Education    2. Educational Tests And Measurements (Higher Education)    3. LSAT (Law School Admission Test)    4. Study Aids    5. Study Guides    6. Test Prep    7. Legal profession    8. Study Aids / LSAT (Law School Admission Test)   

Reviews (1)

Big Firms Only
I've been devouring legal marketing books as I prepare to open a two-person practice. I skimmed through this book and found it to be distinctly unhelpful. You wouldn't know it from the book's self-description, but it is primarily aimed at marketing large law firms (100+ lawyers) with huge marketing budgets. If you are a small firm or solo practitioner, look elsewhere. Even in terms of its big-firm focus, the book is far too broad and generic to provide much useful advice and guidance.
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Subjects:  1. Advertising    2. Law    3. Law Office Education    4. Lawyers    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. Marketing    7. Non-Classifiable    8. Nonfiction - General    9. Practice of law    10. Reference    11. United States    12. Law / Reference    13. Legal profession    14. Sales & marketing   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Law    3. Legal Profession    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Legal assistants    6. Paralegal Services    7. Paralegals & Paralegalism    8. Reference    9. United States    10. Business & Economics / General    11. Legal skills & practice   

Subjects:  1. Accounting    2. Costs (Law)    3. Fees    4. Law    5. Lawyers    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Reference    8. United States    9. Customer services    10. Law / Reference    11. Legal profession   

Reviews (9)

Indispensable
This book taught me the critical importance of focus on interests, how they might be brought forward and woven into an agreement. And above all, the importance of paying attention to the negotiation process. Whether you are in the lawyer's or the client's shoes, don't attempt to close another deal before you understand how to create value in negotiation. Prof. Mnookin is your swimming coach.

A Must Read for Anyone Who Negotiates
Wise, comprehensive, practical, and extremely well-written. Whether you are negotiating deals or disputes, whether you see yourself as a gladiator or a problem solver, this book is indespensible.

A Ridiculous Book -- Don't Buy It
The book is not reasoned well and poorly written by a fairly arrogant author who seems only interested in building up his own reputation.The book is not practical, and its theories stir up more questions than they answer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arbitration, Negotiation, Mediation    2. General Practice    3. Law    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Law / General Practice    6. Legal procedure: arbitration   

Reviews (4)

Not Great
This book is adequate as a textbook, but it's not a great resource for what's really going on out in the world. I felt it was very academic--which can be a good thing, but I think high school students will want something a little more practical. "Street" Law should be something more connected to the streets....I just didn't think this book did the job.

Street Law: A Course In Practical Law
This books gives a great overview of law related education.Students areintroduced to legal issues in the context of real life. It containspractical information for dealing with various legal problems.Studentslearn how to write to a member of Congress.This book has a section thatallows students to consider and decide the outcome of legal situations. They learn variations in local law and prodedures that focus attention onwhere the student lives. Over all I would suggest this book as a greattraining tool for the law related class study.

A coherent guide for the average citizen
As a high school student who studied with this textbook, I learned terms and concepts that I could immediately apply to current events.The news on TV and in newspapers about cases were suddenly understandable to me and Ifelt connected with justice and reason.I recommend "Street Law: ACourse in Practical Law" to anyone who wants a detailed andinformative, yet comprehensive guide to the law, from torts and criminallaw, to business and family law. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    2. General    3. Law    4. Law & Crime    5. Social Science - General    6. Juvenile Nonfiction / Social Science / General    7. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    8. Legal profession    9. USA   

Reviews (3)

The Successful Paralegal Job Search Guide
This is the book to buy if you have any interest in pursuing a career as a Paralegal.The information is up-to-date and covers everything; from an overview of the Paralegal field, to choosing the right training/education program, to entering the workforce, to those first days practicing as a paralegal.Insight into the workings of a Law Firm, resume writing, job search resources, interviewing tips, plus appendices covering "Legal Lingo", Paralegal Schools, Paralegal Organizations, and so much more.What really sold me on the book is the "Free Resume Critique" that the Estrin Organization offers at the end.When you are ready, simply send your resume with a self-addressed, stamped envelope and they will review and return your resume; giving ratings in twenty areas on a scale of 1 to 5.After months of research this is the only resource I found that was so concise.I will begin post-graduate work towards a Paralegal degree this fall.

Helped me Find My Job
I didn't have a clue where to start to look for a paralegal job. I have been in this field for five years at one job and was out of touch with what's going on in the marketplace.I picked up this book and found everything I needed - from resume writing to what to expect in the interview to hidden meanings behind the questions asked.I also found the salary negotiation section extremely helpful.When I went on my final interview, I found that I was able to use some of the techniques successfully.The book gave me resources I hadn't even thought about.I think that I was able to get my job more quickly by reading this book.I highly recommend it to experienced, non-experienced paralegals and even those just thinking about entering the field.Now that I think about it, it can apply to just about anyone!

The Best Paralegal Job Search Book on the Market!
The Successful Paralegal Job Search Guide is absolutely the most informative book I have seen yet on the market.It is chock full of sample resumes, cover letters, and most importantly, strategy techniques.It appeals to paralegals of all levels - entry to senior - and all specialties.The step-by-step tips on what can occur during the interview is particularly important.The background information, resources, on-line resources are excellent.I loved the 275 questions you can be asked on the interview and was thrilled to find 275 questions that I could ask!I have never seen that before.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in the field, who is thinking about entering the field and for schools seeking to assist students in finding a paralegal job.Chere Estrin is an icon in this business and has written yet another winner! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Careers - Job Hunting    4. Careers - Other Specific Fields    5. Careers / Job Opportunities    6. General    7. Law    8. Legal assistants    9. Paralegals & Paralegalism    10. United States    11. Vocational guidance    12. Business & Economics / General    13. Legal skills & practice   

Reviews (2)

best law book ever
Some reviewer for a statistics journal called Phil Good's "Applying Statistics in the Courtroom" the best book ever written on statistics and the law.Given the fine books by Finkelstein, by Gastwirth and the deGroot, Feinberg and Kadane book, I think that was a gross overstatement.Phil does however get away from legalese and tries to present key issues. Statistics for statisticians
This book will prove USELESS unless you already have a strong grasp of statistics concepts.It is NOT a math book though it claims to be one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Law    2. Demography    3. Law    4. Legal Profession    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. Practice Of Law    7. Probability & Statistics - General    8. Reference    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Statistical methods    11. Statistics    12. Probability & statistics    13. Social Science / Statistics    14. Statistics for Lawyers   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Citation of legal authorities    4. Forensic Science    5. General    6. Legal Profession    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Legal Writing    9. Reference    10. United States    11. Business & Economics / General    12. Law reports    13. Legal skills & practice    14. USA   

Reviews (5)

As Danger Invites Rescue, Posner Stimulates Intellect
If I recall his New Yorker profile accurately, Posner gets up at 4 a.m. every morning to maintain his extraordinary and excellent output as a public intellectual and judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. At 145 pages, this volume is perhaps Posner's shortest and--both because it is aimed at a general audience and resulted from a lecture series--one of his most readable.My sense, however, is that it would only appeal to those already steeped in the profession.Not even a law student would find instructive comparisons with Stone, Hand, Friendly, Prosser, or Schaeffer.For those in the profession, however, I recommend this book most highly.It is less valuable for its purported study in reputation than for its profound, if succinct, understanding of Cardozo the man and the insight it provides into the style and logic of some of his best known decisions, Palsgraf and MacPherson chief among them.Posner's original attempt at a quantitative understanding of reputation relies on Cardozo's relative frequency of citation in some Westlaw data bases over the years.It is pseudo-scientific, redolent of Posner's application of economics to an understanding of the law and, while interesting, not very meaningful.The book as a whole, however, is most gratifying.

Deconstructing Justice Palsgraf
Judge Posner examines the reasons for Cardozo's reputation and, more important, analyzes the rhetorical methods the judge used in creating some of the most renowned and cited decisions in American law.How and why he crafted the statement of the facts a certain way for one decision, a different way for another; how Cardozo used a lawyer's persuasive skills in reaching results he believed were warranted.Posner also examines the inconsistencies in Cardozo's thinking and opinion-writing.The book presents a portrait of a brilliant, prudent jurist and illuminates his professional shortcomings as well.May have little appeal for the non-lawyer, but for anyone interested in legal writing, the judicial process, and opinion-making, this is a terrific book.

Compound Authority; a many-layered onion
This may be the classic book by Posner. Shorter than most his books--and less encyclopaedic--but also less maiandering. Cardozo: A Study in Reputation stays on track, while revealing a complex sensibility of jurisprudence by Posner and an astounding intuition by Cardozo. In this book we see two great legal minds at work: Cardozo's providing the interpretations that further social welfare and Posner's explaining why these interpretations are so desirable.Read more

Subjects:  1. Civil Procedure    2. Constitutional Law    3. Legal System    4. Politics / Current Events    5. Reference    6. Biography: general    7. Civil law (general works)    8. Law / Civil Procedure    9. Legal profession    10. USA   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (14)

Celebrity cases, mostly of the left - certainly not the "greatest."
The authors claim that these "greatest closing arguments in modern law" were chosen for the "quality of [their] summation, as well as for [their] historical significance." The immediate question is who is judging the quality of the summation and, more importantly, their historical significance?
If your idealism is waning, this book will help you find it!
After years of arguing caseslaw, motions, picking juries, interviewing witnesses, going through all the day to day protocol that trial work demands, one may forget at times how important is the job of a lawyer.But this book reminds the practioner that he/she is a part of a wonderful system of justice.Not many cases will go down as "The Greatest" but to your clients, it is often the defining moment of their lives.And this book helps you reconnect to the reasons why you sought a lifetime devoted to the noblest of professions.
A worthwhile readfor a trial attorney
If only for Spence's closing in the Silkwood case, this book is worth every penny.A real thing of subtle and effective beauty, that closing contains so many incredible and useful techniques, it's just plain stunning.The subtle allignment of Spence to the jurors in groups in which Spence and the jurors can work together are wonderful and powerful -- Spence places himself and the jurors by turns in a self built retirement community, and in the class of local state citizens all the while emphasizing that the cause of the need for retirement and the genesis of Spence's newfound home state membership is the defense's prolongation of trial -- wonderful.The rhyming "if the lion gets away, Kerr McGee must pay" is hard-to-forget and masterfully so.The analysis that proceeds each transcript is useful and informative.Buy it if you can. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Jury    3. Law    4. Legal History    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. Summation (Law)    7. Trial Practice    8. United States    9. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    10. Courts & procedure    11. Law / General    12. Legal profession   

Subjects:  1. General    2. General Practice    3. Law    4. Law Office Education    5. Law Office Technology    6. Law offices    7. Legal Profession    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. Office procedures    10. United States    11. Business & Economics / General   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Corporate Finance    4. Economic aspects    5. Fees    6. General    7. Law    8. Lawyers    9. Legal Reference / Law Profession    10. Marketing    11. Practice of law    12. Sociology    13. United States    14. Law / General    15. Legal skills & practice   

Subjects:  1. General Practice    2. Law    3. Legal Reference / Law Profession    4. Litigation    5. Motions (Law)    6. Practice Of Law    7. Trial practice    8. United States    9. Law / General