5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and Balanced Law Book

A.A. · January 11, 2025

The book was very good. While some reviews said it can get boring at times, no one expects a law book to be thrilling. What I appreciated most were the numerous case citations, statutes, and examples. It doesn’t feel overly biased, as it presents different perspectives, a refreshing quality that’s becoming less common nowadays.

5.0 out of 5 stars Law for beginners

G.b. · October 6, 2024

Fascinating and informative. Easy to read and understand with pertinent case examples. Makes it easy to see why, what seems straightforward, is more nuanced than you would think. I would recommend for any person curious about how the law works

5.0 out of 5 stars 0L Prespective

G. · April 6, 2014

This is from the perspective of a 0L. The book is nice because it covers the six main 1L classes: Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Torts, Contracts, Property, and Criminal Law. It also goes into criminal procedure (the last chapter), but I didn't read about that because Criminal Procedure is an elective. The book gave a basic foundation on the subjects, but I don't think I will use it as a supplement in law school. The reason for that is the book doesn't go into a whole lot of detail given that it's written for the educated lay person. However, I did learn a ton and I think I now have a good foundation of knowledge to build upon. My main goal when reading this book was to build a general idea of what I'd learn about as a 1L and this book did a great job in meeting that end. I plan on reading Examples & Explanations books in the coming weeks and months to expand on what I learned from this book.If another 0L asked me if it's worth reading this book, I would probably tell her only if she had the time. I'm glad I read this but I don't think it's going to make too big of a difference in my law school grades. It's a nice introduction to legal thinking with all of the "what ifs" and the discussion about social policy issues vs fact issues, but there are other books which solely focus on legal thinking.

4.0 out of 5 stars a good overview of the major subject areas

D.B. · February 18, 2014

The book was a good overview of the various major subject areas of law. I hadn't thought much before about separate areas of law like contract, property, criminal, constitutional, etc., and how they could overlap, I appreciated that overview.I deducted a star for a couple of reasons. I wished the book had a terminology section that collected together the legal words it had highlighted throughout the text. I would have liked to review them in one place. As it was, I'm glad they were italicized, and I highlighted them myself for later reference.The other reason is that I was hoping to learn more about reading law text and legislation. Not much was written about the textual aspect of the law. The book covered the concepts of human nature that the law tries to regulate, but without much reference to the issues of trying to capture that in statutory code texts.

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to the American Legal System

N.B. · October 22, 2011

In Law 101, the author attempts to explain major concepts found in American law and the legal system without going into the finer detail. He succeeds.Major concepts covered in this book include constitutional law, basic rights, tort law, contract law, property law, and criminal law. Also covered are the litigation process in civil suits and criminal trials.Each of these subjects covers a lot of things, but the author has managed to succinctly summarize each one into the major things that need to be known in order to understand each topic. He also brings in famous and important court cases that really show how the law is applied to different situations. From important cases such as Marbury v. Madison or Roe v. Wade to more infamous cases such as when a woman scalded herself after spilling hot coffee and was able to successfully sue McDonald's.Even with the amount covered in this book, it still is only the tip of the iceberg. It really opened my eyes to just how complicated the law can be especially when it comes to dispensing justice fairly.I would recommend this book to those with an interest in learning about law and the American legal system. Although it will not turn you into a lawyer overnight, it will give a greater understanding of the major concepts of law and court cases often heard about in the news.

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative

D. · November 21, 2024

As a lawyer from a different country, this book is a must have as a refresher and a pointer.

5.0 out of 5 stars complete & precise

D.D. · December 17, 2011

Outstandingly well written! It covers the first year law school courses. Well organized and very informative. Not written in "leagalease". Essential reading for the non-lawyer needing a general knowledge of the law. I'm not a lawyer and have read several books on the general subjet of law. This book is far above the others in writing style, comprehensive, and the amount of info covered. I bought it as a "necessary" read, but was surprised at how well it is organized. A pleasant and informative read! I strongly recommend it

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad

E.M.M. · August 27, 2011

This book is well organized and does a good job of explaining most of the concepts. The section on constitutional law is complicated by sentences that are long and twisting, double negation, and a lack of explanation for certain concepts. I found that I often needed to re-read paragraphs in order to understand what the author was saying and that if I wasn't giving the book my 100% attention, I could not follow the author's train of thought. Other than that section, however, I found this book to be an easy read and a good overview of the legal system and how it functions.

法律の勉強にあたって

ソ. · May 19, 2014

試験対策の比較の為に購入しました。凄く頭に入って来ます。合格発表楽しみです。

予想通りで良い。

高. · January 7, 2014

アメリカ法を学ぶ有名な入門書として期待していたレベルであった。