Subjects:  1. Education    2. Law    3. Legal Education    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession   

Reviews (15)

He Should Have Dropped Out
This book is, well, strange. The author is obviously bright, and possesses at least some degree of self-awareness. Despite this, it seems to have taken him three years to figure out what should have been obvious in three weeks: namely, that he had no desire to study law or to become a lawyer. Interesting Point, But Poorly Written
This book has some strong points, but they are outweighed, in my opinion, by the negatives. Inspiring and thought-provoking!
Broken Contract is the chronicle of Richard Kahlenberg's struggle to justify his classical liberal ideals with the harsh reality of law school: most entering law students have a desire to use the privilege of an education in the law to help the poor and downtrodden of society, "but upon graduating, the vast majority [scramble] to fill the ranks of the nation's top corporate law firms" (from the front flap).Through the framework of his struggle with these powerful opposing forces, Kahlenberg presents us with a fascinating look at Harvard Law School, its culture and the nature of the law education of the late 1980s.He paints a portrait of everyday life as a law student, scrambling for Law Review positions, summer internships, judicial clerkships and ultimately, for a job after graduation.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Harvard Law School    4. Historical - U.S.    5. Individual Institutions Of Higher Education    6. Kahlenberg, Richard D    7. Law    8. Law (General)    9. Law students    10. Lawyers & Judges    11. Legal Education    12. Massachusetts    13. Biography: general    14. Jurisprudence & General Issues    15. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    16. USA   

Reviews (1)

More than just a history of Yale Law School
Law school histories run the gamut in quality.For example, those dealing with Columbia (by Goebel) and Harvard (Charles Warren) add a rich dimension to our understanding of legal education and the role of law schools in the bigger picture.Other histories can be mundane and so narrowly focused upon the school itself that they are of little general interest. This volume, edited by former Yale Law Dean Anthony Kronman, falls into the first category and employs a unique approach in doing so. This is because the book is not a chronological history of YLS, but rather consists of six essays by five different authors focusing upon differing facets of the School's history. However, each author also addresses a broader area of interest than just what was going on at YLS.For example, excellent essays by Robert Stevens and John Langbein place the founding of YLS within the larger context of legal education in 18th and 19th centuries. A second essay by Langbein discusses the unique approaches to legal education YLS developed. Perhaps the strongest essay is by Robert Gordon who focuses upon some of the Legal Realists at YLS during the 1930's (Arnold, Douglas, Frank and Hamilton) who gravitated to the larger stage of the New Deal and became national policymakers.Laura Kalman, who is writing a full-length history of YLS, contributes a perhaps too extensive essay on the so-called "Dark Ages" at YLS in the 1960's and 1970's when student unrest and faculty dissention became notable features of the YLS landscape. Each essays rests upon extensive footnotes, adding an invaluable dimension to the book's value. All told, this book should be of value to anyone interested in the development of legal education, the New Deal, the turbulent 1960's and 1970's, as well as those whose interests are limited to the Yale Law School itself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Connecticut    2. History    3. History: American    4. Law    5. Legal Education    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Study and teaching    8. United States - General    9. Yale Law School    10. Law / Legal Education   

Reviews (6)

Disappointing
I found this book much too polemical. Thomas also fails to fully address the situation his book is supposed to describe- the Kiwi Camara incident. For example, Thomas makes it sound as if Camara was completely ruined when he actually went on to become a Stanford Law professor. The wikipedia entry on Camara does a better job at explaining what happened.

Insightful and chilling
As a current Harvard Law student myself, I can attest to the chilling picture that Thomas presents in this well-written book.Few people outside of Harvard know just how far out of touch with America and the majority of its citizens Harvard Law School (and most law schools) have become.What these institutions label as "conservative" most people would call moderate-liberals.Harvard is emblematic of institutions of higher learning that proclaim diversity while instituting fascist polices designed to utterly eliminate the once venerable free discussion of ideas.This philosophy is due to their prevalent hated of America and freedom that these institutions have so luckily flourished under.How sad -- how scary.

Great Book! Bold and skillfullywell-written
This is an important book. It will be read, re-read, and thoroughly debated for many years to come.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Cambridge    2. Freedom of speech    3. Harvard Law School    4. Law    5. Law schools    6. Legal Education    7. Legal History    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. Massachusetts    10. Political aspect    11. Political correctness    12. United States - State & Local - New England    13. History / General    14. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Reviews (2)

Excellent review of law school
As a lawyer who graduated from a good law school in the 1980's, I found this book to be excellent.The findings resonnated with myown law school experience, which was alienating at best and miserable at worst.I was finally able to make sense of what happened to me in law school and why I found the work so frustrating.I was taught to be competitive and my nature was more compromising.As my experience and that of so many others who have worked in the court system, a lawyer's best skill is negotiation.The vast majority of cases filed in court today are settled.Those skills could be developed in law school more than the aggressive winner takes all approach.I'm glad I read this book.It is not for casual readers, but I would highly recommend it for any women lawyer or women who is even thinking of going to law school.

Reads like a research paper.Dry, dull and not helpful.
This book is a dated snapshot of one school and its culture towards female law students.It was hard to find any applicability system-wide. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education / Teaching    2. General    3. Law    4. Legal Education    5. Philosophy & Social Aspects    6. Sociology    7. Women's Studies - General    8. Law / General   

Reviews (2)

Don't try applying to Law School Without This Book
Anyone who decides where to apply to law school without using this book as their bible is missing the point entirely and losing out on the greatest likelihood of success. As the former director of admissions for two ABA law schools, and as the proprietor of www.Law-School-Admission-Expert.com and lawschoolexpert.com, I rely on this book in advising all of my law school admission consulting clients.
Law School Must Have
If you are applying to law school, you must have this book. The grids showing the GPA in comparison to the LSAT score, and your chances of getting in are enormously helpful in the application process. There are no opinion pieces here, just the straight facts directly from the law schools. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Graduate School Guides - Law    2. Law    3. Legal Education    4. Reference    5. Study Skills   

Reviews (2)

Priceless tool for 1L's and other law students
During my first year of law school I asked my "legal research and writing" professor for an excellent and clearly written introduction to legal reasoning. He recommended Professor Burton's book. Excellent Introduction to legal theory and reasoning...
in an easy-to-read short book.Burton has given the beginning student of law and layperson a very approachable introduction in plain language.A must for first-year law students or 1L's-to-be to put their learning into a context of legal theory.A good primer before moving onto reading Cardozo's The Nature of the Judicial Process and the Hart's The Concept of Law, both of which I'd recommend to 1L's interested in jurisprudence. Burton's primer is an introduction to how cases and rules relate in analogical and deductive legal reasoning; how legal reasons, conventions, policy, purposes, and not just rules alone, are used to help lawyers make predictions and judges make decisions.Finally, it concludes with a brief chapter on the legitimacy of our legal system.Core foundational ideas from which any law student begins to build his/her knowledge and understanding and then application of legal reasoning. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Law    2. Legal Education    3. Legal Reference / Law Profession    4. Paralegals & Paralegalism   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Cinema/Film: Book    2. Film & Video - History & Criticism    3. General    4. Justice, Administration of, in    5. Justice, Administration of, in motion pictures    6. Lawyers in motion pictures    7. Legal Education    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. Performing Arts    10. 20th century    11. Film theory & criticism    12. Legal profession    13. Performing Arts / Film / History & Criticism   

Subjects:  1. Cases    2. Communications    3. Law    4. Law and legislation    5. Legal Education    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Mass media    8. United States    9. Communications law    10. Law / Media & the Law    11. USA   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Law    3. Legal Education    4. Legal System    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Reference    7. United States    8. English legal system    9. Law / General    10. Law | General Academic    11. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    12. USA   

Reviews (1)

Offers more than just Advice
Stropus and Taylor's _Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School: Strategies for Success_ offers far more than just advice on test preparation, notetaking, and case briefing. Though the most popular -- and responsible -- advice to the incoming "1L" is not to worry about law school the summer preceding, it is a rare law student that does not. For those that insist on preparing in some way (as I did before I entered), it is far more appropriate to learn HOW to do well in law school than to try and "pre-learn" torts, civil procedure, or contracts. While there are quite a few books on the market that attempt this, Bridging the Gap provides step-by-step instructions *and* subsequent exercises -- a combination not found elsewhere.Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. General    3. Graduate School Guides - Law    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Higher    6. Law    7. Law students    8. Legal Education    9. Reference    10. Study and teaching    11. United States   

Subjects:  1. Law    2. Legal Education    3. Legal Reference / Law Profession    4. Study and teaching    5. United States   

Reviews (9)

Worst book ever!
Most of my complaints with this book have already been articulated by other reviewers, but just in case you need more convincing, I am another very unhappy customer.I bought this at a bookstore and deeply regret not having checked amazon for reviews, because it was a waste of time and money, as well as a detriment to my studying.The errors found were not things that could possibly be just me misunderstanding--they were blatant like the answer & explanation not matching any of the answer options given in the question.I couldn't trust their answers for anything, so I never knew if I was getting problems wrong or they were, so it was completely useless for trying to improve my performance.DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!

do not buy this trash!
This is so bad that it will do more harm than good. If this is the best that Harvard students can do, then we should all be able to qualify for Harvard.

SHAME ON YOU MC-GRAW-HILL!!!
I am echoing all of the other comments on this book... there are so many errors that it leaves you second-guessing EVERYTHING which equals time wasted.I also agree with a previous remark that it might leave you second-guessing your OWN skills.The last thing you need when you're studying for the LSAT is to feel defeated before you've even begun.Don't buy this book!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Entrance examinations    2. LSAT (Law School Admission Test)    3. Law School Admission Test    4. Law schools    5. Legal Education    6. Study Aids    7. Study Guides    8. Test Prep    9. United States    10. Examinations & assessment    11. Legal profession    12. Study Aids / LSAT (Law School Admission Test)    13. USA   

Reviews (3)

Informative overview of the legal system and the law
This book was recommended in a class I took which had both law students and non-law graduate students like public health students.I found it a very readable introduction to both the legal system and the basics of law. Topics include the concept of jurisdiction, different levels of appeal,rulings vs. dicta, different types of law (legislative, administrative,common law, etc.)While the book is targeted at people about to start lawschool, it may be surprisingly interesting for the general reader as well.Even sections on how to summarize cases and write essays on law, mightcarry over to other kinds of professional writing as well.

A thoughtful road map that hits and misses.
Law School Without Fear has its heart in the right place and fine sections regarding briefs, exam strategies, and psychological traps a typical first year law student will face.However, they bog down a great portion of the book with policy issues that give a forum for the authors personal beliefs.A clunky writing style doesn't win the book any stars, but the practical pointers make the book worth reading.

A world of knowledge packed into a small book.
I have read several books about preparing for law school and I found this one to be the best. It had a broad range of topics, each having an impact on a first year law student. I did not buy the book myself, the ONU Law School Dean Of Admissions sent it to me. It covered topics including- breifing cases, civil procedure, conons of statutory construction and more. Overall I found it really helpful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Law    2. Legal Education    3. Legal Reference / Law Profession    4. Legal research    5. Study & Teaching    6. Study and teaching    7. United States   

Reviews (4)

Entertaining But Not Very Deep
Steven Lubet seeks to defend the art of "storytelling" at trial against the charge that it inevitably leads lawyers to spin creative fictions designed to obscure the truth and hoodwink gullible juries into favoring their clients.At least, that's what Lubet says he's doing (p. 2), and indeed, the first chapter does illustrate how lawyers can legitimately and honestly help their clients frame stories and select facts so that their testimony falls within the appropriate legal framework.The really interesting point in this first story (which Lubet does not dwell on) is that both sides can essentially agree on all of the "hard" facts, but have completely different stories about what those facts mean.This, to me, could be the springboard to a really fascinating discussion about what it means to tell the truth, but Lubet quickly passes on to his next story. Thoughtful, thought-provoking, with wide applicability
This is a wonderful and delightful book. It contains very enjoyable, digestible, especially well-written, insightful and highly instructive discussions of six real, or almost real or at least fabled or fancied, well-known "cases" from the vantage point and context of the formulation of "stories". These are developed in the context of trial preparation and presentation. The ever-present subtext is "truth," open-textured, informed by and very susceptible to strategy, bias and device.
Truth and Lawyers
Steven Lubet's new book presents seven entertaining and thought-provoking essays on how lawyers tell their clients' stories in trials. The book is bound to appeal to lawyers, but it deserves to be a hit among the general public too. It is admirably written -- concise, clear, fair-minded, free of legal jargon, and often funny.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Law    3. Legal Education    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession   

Reviews (5)

Awful
Kerlow decides that it is incumbent upon her to shore up flagging left-liberal voices at HLS with a quick polemic. Since balance is too much to ask from her, those who want a fuller account should read a recent article in the Harvard Journal of Public Policy which deals with this episode.
A Poorly Written and Biased Book
Poisoned Ivy starts with an unoriginal title and only gets worse.This was an interesting time in the history of Harvard Law, but Kerlow doesn't do justice to the competition of ideas and values that was going on but instead simply blames one side of the debate for all of the school's troubles.She pumps out all the old, predictable left-wing propaganda familiar to law students: lawyers in large firms are evil, conservatives are racist/sexist/homophobic, etc.This book is worth reading only if you agree with Kerlow's point of view and want to get really worked up over a relatively unimportant series of events.

Whose side are you on?
Far too subjective - full of judgmental adjectives...its overwrought moral tone will have you rooting for the administration to tell the protestors to get back to class... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cambridge    2. General    3. Law schools    4. Legal Education    5. Massachusetts    6. Political correctness    7. Politics - Current Events    8. Professional Education    9. Right and left (Political science)    10. Sociology   

Reviews (3)

Mediocre..
It was very helpful to have explanations for every question that you do wrong on an actual LSAT. The only problem is that they don't tell you which LSATs they are, and I have a funny feeling it might just be a bunch of LSATs mixed up, which won't give you accurate ratings. kaplan
Great study guide...easy to grasp.This one gave me the edge to master the LSAT.I purchased many other books and study aides, but found the information here to be the best.

Excellent Choice
This book does much to unravel the mystery surrounding the LSAT (Law school admission test).Other books I purchased for my upcoming LSAT examination offered little or no detailed information on answers.This book used amazing yet understandable logic and demonstrated a keen knowledge of the average pre-law student's mentality.If you must buy one book for your LSAT, this is it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Graduate Preparation - General    3. LSAT (Law School Admission Test)    4. Legal Education    5. Study & Teaching    6. Study Aids    7. Study Guides    8. Test Prep    9. Study Aids / LSAT (Law School Admission Test)   

Subjects:  1. Law    2. Legal Education    3. Legal Reference / Law Profession    4. Cultural studies    5. Jurisprudence & philosophy of law    6. Law / Study & Teaching    7. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law   

Reviews (11)

Good Information
I have read a number of "pre-law" primers and this one really stands out.It's strength is it's unique approach: the author paints the "reality" picture and attempts to dissuade potential law students from taking the leap unless they are extraordinarily committed.This reality-check approach makes this book stand out from nearly all books of the genre. An excellent resource
This book is a fantastic resource to those of us who are interested in a career in law.It explains the many facets of law that you can delve into and removes many misconceptions and illusions that most people have about law school.Much of it appears to be geared towards scaring you out of law school, but the advice is sound and does a good job at making sure that this is a decision you truly want to make.I would recommend this to anyone who is even remotely interested in law school.

Please read this book
This is a thoughtful book that every potential law school applicant should read. As a law student, I was stunned by how few (and I mean FEW) people had put any thought at all into their decision to attend. I left my law practice to retain my sanity. For what it's worth, I urge anyone thinking of going to law school to read this book very carefully. There are very good reasons for becoming a lawyer, though making a lot of money is not one of them. Law school isn't that hard (try medical school . . .), but being a lawyer is very demanding indeed. It takes the right kind of person, and the right kind of motivation, to make it worthwhile. This book is an excellent start to deciding if you're one of those people. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Admission    2. Educational    3. General    4. Graduate School Guides - Law    5. Law    6. Law (General)    7. Law schools    8. Legal Education    9. Professional Occupations    10. Reference    11. United States    12. Vocational guidance    13. Reference / General   

Subjects:  1. Business & Financial    2. Corporate    3. General    4. Law    5. Legal Education    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Private, property, family law