Law Books

saved about $20 buying this book new here instead of used or new at the college bookstore :) quick shipping, too.

This book on foreclosure is an excellent introduction for individuals facing foreclosure or for those who simply wish to learn a little more about foreclosure. This is not a book for experts, attorneys, mortgage brokers, etc. This provides very helpful information throughout. In the end, it provides information specific to laws and statutes from each state. It really seemed to encourage the reader to first work with lenders, empowering readers to try and be responsible and deal early with potential problems head on rather than waiting until its too late. However, it provides useful information on the foreclosure process as well. Overall, if you are facing foreclosure or you're a novice wanting to learn more, this is a fine introduction. It's a quick read! I didn't find that it included difficult material, as it well could have. A fine book. B+!!!

Nolo Press has been printing books on law and legal issues for laypeople for almost 40 years, and as someone with a legal background, I have always been impressed with their products. The Foreclosure Survival Guide is no exception. As I write this review, the US economy is undergoing an unprecedented period of turmoil as the result of irresponsible lending practices in the mortgage market. It is quite possible that some of the people reading this review are undergoing or will be undergoing the horrific process of home foreclosure. If so, my heart goes out to you. I suggest you get this book and read it carefully. It outlines the process of foreclosure (and includes a glossary for those unfamiliar with legal mumbo-jumbo), what your rights are, what the mortgage-holder's rights are, and what options you may have to prevent, forestall, or help you just survive what lies ahead. Knowledge in these circumstances may not be power, but it will tell you what to expect, which is more comforting than going through foreclosure blind. There is also a section that briefly describes each state's foreclosure rules. This book was obviously written with great compassion for people going through foreclosure, but it also offers clear-eyed advice regarding the homeowner's options. This book may give you some ideas, or inform you of rights you may not have known you had. I highly recommend it.

I'm an attorney and ordered this book for two reasons: (1) I'm getting more and more questions from those who are having financial difficulties and (2) opposition research. I do not represent debtors but all lawyers get hit up for advice in areas where they do not regularly practice (relatives, friends, etc.). I wanted something handy and concise that summarized the major points. This book does a good job in that respect. Also, while I don't regularly represent creditors, I frequently encounter situations where it is good for me to see how debtors think and anticipate what kinds of actions their advisors may tell them to take. This book was also good in that respect.

Overall, the book is simple and intuitive and contains good advice. I thought the advice to debtors about how to avoid scams was particularly insightful. I would only stress that people who are concerned about losing their home would be best to buy the book BEFORE they get a foreclosure notice. The earlier you get started on taking defensive measures, the better.

The The Foreclosure Survival Guide: Keep Your House or Walk Away With Money in Your Pocket is a great volume on a timely topic that succeeds in two opposing areas: it covers a lot of ground yet it does not wander. NOLO press is a resource I have used in the past for a variety of legal topics. I am very picky with books in general and I make no bones about that. In the case of NOLO books, they are generally good but this text is particularly good.

Stephen Elias lists his extensive credentials, including many contributions to NOLO press and a successful bankruptcy law practice. His straightforward writing style makes this volume very readable. And the clear organization of the book also makes it useful as a reference. A very nice section goes state by state and lists some basics about the different real estate laws applicable in each one.

The book's focus goes way beyond the foreclosure process alone. It offers concrete information in several real estate and legal areas such as bankruptcy and it's relevance to real estate ownership. Clearly the focus on foreclosure will find a captive audience in the current economic climate. Still, one needn't be at risk of foreclosure in order to get something of value out of this book.

The book covers common legal practices relevant for foreclosure. The relevance of whether or not a state follows a judicial process for foreclosures is explained. The outlined worksheet makes it easier to quantify the pros and cons of keeping your property versus keeping as much money as possible in the cases where it's in your best interest to give up on the property. The author covers all the bases, including negotiating with lenders, selling your property, contemplating bankruptcy, and disputing the foreclosure.

Bankruptcy is covered in depth, which is not surprising given the author's practice as a bankruptcy attorney. The differences between chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy are explored with the costs and benefits relative to foreclosure.

A basic treatment of forthcoming legislation provides a good primer on other options. He also covers scams to avoid, including companies who offer assistance that is not always above board. Some of those *dos and don'ts* might be obvious to some but most of us will be glad to have them.

All legal areas have complexities that cannot be covered by any single text. Many references are given, and this is a great primer. But this does not cover every possible scenario. Ultimately, if you have to go to court you will need an experienced attorney for guidance and representation.

Pros
+ Straightforward writing simplifies complex subject
+ Very well organized chapters
+ A nice state by state reference section
+ Great primer for real estate professionals
+ Good references on how to get additional information

Cons
- Won't prepare you to argue your case in court
- Can't cover every case due to complex subject

Conclusion

This book has been put together in a clean and concise way. For individuals who work in related fields, such as real estate agents or credit counselors, this is a great primer on the subject. For people facing foreclosure or interested in learning more, this book provides a nice blueprint on the key considerations. Just keep in mind that this is only a beginning and you will have a great start.

Definitely one of the better reads I've had in a while. Considering this is a reference text, that's really saying quite a lot.

Enjoy!

This is a really good book. It gives practical and sensible advice about foreclosing. It is easy to read and understand. It was written for everyday people to learn and know and understand. This is probably the best book ever that was written on this subject. Buying a house and foreclosing are serious matters. Therefore, this book is a necessity for anybody who has ever bought a house or who might ever buy one in the future.

No matter what your background, there is promise in a book that contains "An Introduction to Probability Theory, Information Theory, and All the Rest." And Arieh Ben-Naim delivers.

Call something The Second Law of Thermodynamics and it's bound to have a forbidding quality. Partly this is due to the use of the word "Law", and partly it's because scientists have been challenged by the Second Law since it was first formulated 150 years ago. But despite this quality even the nonscientist needs a passing familiarity with the law's basic principles to understand some of nature's greatest puzzlements: Why do whole eggs break and broken eggs never again become whole? Why does a drop of red food coloring loosed in a bowl of water always disperse but the dye in a pool of pink water never coalesces to form an isolated spot of pure red? And why do teenagers' rooms only get messier? Ben-Naim can't help you with the deepest of these mysteries -- you just have to accept the room situation -- but he does shed considerable light on the hows and whys of the Second Law and on the scientific debates that have long surrounded it.

Understanding the Second Law means understanding entropy and the counterintuitive rule that, left alone, the entropy in a system always increases. Counterintuitive because what else in the universe always increases? In a clearly argued presentation, Ben-Naim makes the case that entropy is best thought of as information and that rather than some of the more typical expressions (e.g., an untended system always leads to greater disorder), what actually increases in a system left to itself is the amount of information needed to fully and correctly describe the whereabouts and behavior of the particles atoms and molecules therein.

It would be silly for a layperson to say much more about what is obviously a nuanced subject, and Ben-Naim plainly states that the nature of entropy has produced diametrically opposing opinions even among Nobel Prize winning physicists. But Ben-Naim does nonetheless provide even the lay reader with invaluable tools for better appreciating aspects of the Second Law. Among these tools are discussions and illustrations of the truly BIG numbers involved in the workings of the Second Law -- numbers so big that without scientific shorthand they could not be written in their entirety in all the time available since time began (numbers of the 1,000,000,000,000,000,... variety).

When the effects of probability are then unleashed in the realm of such big numbers, Ben-Naim shows how big systems "always" stabilize around their most probable states (red dye diffusing to pink in a pool of water) and how rare will be the exceptions: Turn ten thousand coins all to show "heads" then give the whole lot a random toss. While it is possible that all ten thousand will fall so that each coin again shows heads, don't bet on it. The chance is so low, says Ben-Naim, that you probably wouldn't get them to show that one unique result even if you could flip the coins at the rate of a million times a second and were able to do this for the entire 15 billion years the universe has existed. Instead, what you're almost always likely to get is close to half the coins showing heads and close to half showing tails. Which, says Ben-Naim, is why the randomly moving molecules of red dye will "always" spread evenly throughout the pool and "never" again come together in their original single drop. And why -- because it takes more information to describe the location of the particles in the dispersed rather than the concentrated dye -- the entropy of the red-diffused-to-pink system has increased.

This coupling of clear explanation and vivid example goes a long way toward making the concepts Ben-Naim presents accessible. And while the lay reader is not apt to come away with a thorough understanding of why "the Boltzmann constant (k) should be expunged from the vocabulary of physics," he or she will undoubtedly gain a deeper insight into the way the world around us works and why we see it the way we do. And which is why everyone can benefit from this book.

Arieh Ben-Naim, a distinguished scientist from the field of solution physical chemistry, guides readers to grasp basic principles of the second law of thermodynamics. In the book the author provides clear examples of how widely prevailed use of 'increase in disorder' to explain the underlying microscopic mechanism of the second law can be subjective and misleading. The statements made in this regard are reinforced by his decades of incomparable contribution to the understanding of hydrophobicity. One may recognize longstanding controversial aspects in the interpretation of the second law from the author's conclusion of the necessity of changing the unit of the absolute temperature. The book is written in a lucid manner, which can be done only by individuals who understand the essence of the subject in depth. It is telling we may need to go back at least once to the simplest question after having worked on the every possible detail. Thorough repetition of examples as introduced in the book may be a necessary attitude to tackle on any most difficult subject. The book is recommended not only to readers in fundamental physics and chemistry but to ones in biologically related science.

"... Arieh Ben-Naim invites the reader to experience the joy of appreciating something which has eluded understanding for many years -entropy and the second law of thermodynamics". This statement on the back cover for sure will reflect the experience of many who read this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand or teach the mysterious concept "entropy". Just sit back, open this delightful book, and experience how your foggy ideas are cleared up within just a couple of enjoyable hours. You need no prior knowledge; if you have learned how to read and how to count numbers between one and ten you possess all qualifications needed to read and appreciate all of its contents. The author not only succeeds to brilliantly explain the meaning of entropy, its statistical interpretation and why common sense leads us to conclude entropy (most likely) is ever-increasing - he moreover provides compelling arguments to do away with the second law altogether: ".. because science will find it unnecessary to formulate a law of physics based on purely logical deduction". This concluding sentence by Ben-Naim will be further substantiated in a forthcoming book by the same author. In addition to the present book, which I highly recommend to everbody who wants to learn about entropy in general, I also want to recommend another recent book by Ben-Naim on molecular theory of solutions to students and scientists interested in the entropy of solvation processes. The scientific literature on this topic is huge and -above all - utterly confusing. Ben-Naim's clearly formulated ideas have helped me a lot in understanding the subject better.

After seeing nothing but five-star reviews for this book, I figured I'd pick it up despite having little feel for what its target audience was since none of it was actually viewable on Amazon.

In a nutshell, this is very much a book for laymen. If you want an intuitive grasp of what entropy's about in the context of everyday physics without getting bogged down in math, then this may be a great book for you. The book uses as little math as possible in its explanations, and effectively assumes you're unfamiliar with or have forgotten high-school-level math operations such as factorials and logarithms. It manages to pound its point home reasonably well using lots and lots of fairly simple thought experiments that only differ from each other by little incremental steps.

On the other hand, if you already know anything at all about the information-theoretic formulation of entropy, already have an appreciation for the Law of Large Numbers, and have heard the words "macrostates" and "microstates" before, then there's nothing in this book you aren't likely to understand already. If you've taken a course on statistical mechanics and finished it without being horrendously confused, but maybe were hoping for a useful refresher on how different formulations of entropy are related, you should pass on this book. If you were hoping for illumination about the aspects of entropy that are actually at all "interesting" to modern physicists, such as black hole entropy (or the bizarre theories it's spawned such as the holographic principle), this is definitely not the book you're looking for.

Also, the book has no index. This is less annoying than it would be in a book that had more meat to it, but still, any 200+ page nonfiction book with no index should be taken out and shot as a matter of principle.

Adam Smith's "Invisible Hand" leads many people to think, that markets have the power to repair "themselves". But even in markets as open systems, there are irreversible processes, as the openness of real systems always is limited. Adam Smith, still in a Newtonian world, didn't know anything about the "second 'law' of thermodynamics" and "entropy". But at least today we should know better. Unfortunately entropy still seems to be some mystic thing to many, which to deal with should be avoided. (Knowing about entropy also increases responsibility. Some like to avoid that as well.)

You can't "avoid" entropy. Entropy is something very real: E.g. in broadband transmission the cost (e.g. chip size, power dissipation, heat generation) of managing entropy is almost proportional to the amount of entropy, which is to be managed. And climate change also can be explained by the entropy accounting (entropy generation, import, export) of the biosphere and the clogging of the interfaces of the biosphere, which are required to get rid of the entropy generated within the biosphere.

Therefore we need comprehensible explanations for entropy. My personal interest is not so much in entropy itself, but in how teachers and authors manage to explain entropy. Arieh Ben-Naim manages to get rid of all the fuzz which comes with so many publications related to entropy. He really manages to demystify entropy. I think, there are two paths which one could select to explain entropy. One is within information processing, the other one uses statistical physics. Ben-Naim chose the second one and thus not only managed to demystify entropy, but also demystified statistical physics: From my point of view, you just need a high school degree in order to be able to comprehend his book. Or you even may be lucky to have a teacher, who uses this book in the final high school year.

Economists and social scientists could get some help from the book too in understanding, what entropy really means. Indicators like the inequality measures of Theil and Kolm are entropy measures. And Nicholas Georgescu Roegen will be easier to understand. (The book would have been helpful to him too.)

Besides its content, I also like the making of the little book from Arieh Ben-Naim. It got very nice illustrations. And they are not just nice, they also are helpful. Here scientific thinking comes together with simple love to make things beautiful. It seems, that good science also leads to good aesthetics.

Related to this book, I also recommend the publications of M.V.Volkenstein (like Physics and Biology), although they are mostly out of print.

This book, while based on incidents now over two decades old, is an interesting look into the oft-secret world of high-power, blue-chip law firms. Each chapter comprises a case study of a selected firm and its relationship to a corporation through a precis of a particular case. Various kinds of law, from takeovers, to trusts and estates, to litigation, and more, give the book a rounded view. Along with The Paper Chase and L-100, a must read for any prospective law student.

This was James Stewart's first book which portended the talent that would give us "Den of Thieves" and "Blood Sport," among others. Mr. Stewart is a great story teller - he can make a seemingly mundane subject into a real page-turner. The Partners offers fascinating insight into the rarified world of white-shoe New York law firms. Especially interesting is the story of Cravath, Swain and Moore - where attorneys work 10 years without a day of vacation and one attorney gets passed over for partnership because he rode a motorcycle to work. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't yet read the new James Stewart book about 9/11 but all of the others are very interesting, fair balanced accounts of the chosen subject matter. Highly recommended.

Not everyone has the necessary intellect and discipline to be a lawyer. But even among lawyers, there are the elites, and the elites within the elite. Of the half-million practicing law in the early 1980s, James B. Stewart tells us, only 3,000 work in the blue-chip corporate law firms "which occupy the pinnacle of the profession."

These men (women for the most part came later) were set apart by their education (Ivy was good, Harvard Law better), achievement (law review editor also a plus), and sheer dedication.

In the best of the eight essays which make up the book, we meet attorneys at the firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, who are representing IBM in an anti-trust case and happen to be Stewart's own old firm. Working through weekends and vacations is small beer to these guys, as Stewart writes: "When Sahid scored another triumph by billing 24 hours in a single day, Rolfe - in a move that became the subject of legend in the firm - flew to California, worked on the plane and, by virtue of the change in time zones, managed to bill 27 hours in one day."

Forget about getting home early to pick up your kids. Divorce was a common casualty, and a certain casual cruelty prevailed, unusually harsh even for the American workplace. One of the more easygoing partners at Cravath counsels an associate: "You tell people their work isn't good, even if it's perfect. Find something and make them redo it, or they'll give you anything."

This is hog heaven for any John Grisham enthusiast. The rest of "The Partners" isn't nearly so entertaining. But it's a very illuminating look into the world of high-pressure corporate law in all its varied facets, like public offerings, hostile takeovers, government bailouts, even estate planning. I felt I learned a lot reading each one of the essays, even if it was sometimes work keeping awake, especially as Stewart likes to show off his technical aptitude now and again.

At times, this has the feeling of a college textbook. There's an opening chapter which features efforts by the legal community to help liberate the U.S. embassy personnel held against their will in Iran from 1979-1981, where Stewart seems to forget that the lawyers' work had nothing to do with the hostages' liberation. He also writes up the Chrysler bailout saga from a legal standpoint, then at the end sheepishly admits it was really a political issue at the end. The writing is often dry, and this book is a product of another era almost a whole generation gone by.

But Stewart knows what he writes about, and you will feel the vigor of the law as practiced at its highest level. You may not know these cases from reading about them in the news, media reporting on business law is pretty spotty unless it's Enron. But as Stewart makes clear, in writing about what could have happened if IBM had been broken up by the government, that "the government antitrust case is as close as litigation ever comes to social and economic planning."

In other words, these cases may well decide more about the quality and value of the lives we live here in America than does any single presidential election. So it's nice to have a learned explainer like Stewart to put it all down for you. He has gone on to more-heralded things as a writer since this, his first book, but he was off to a fine start.

I was aware, as were others living on the Cape, what had happened by newspaper reports. This was a quick page turner, the family is strong and each one has helped to support the other. Everything fell into place with clarity from Mr. Busbys' book.
This is a true story that should be made into a movie, people will see how quickly a good persons life can turn upside down. Police Officers tried there best to help this family along with their friends and neighbors. You finish the book feeling bad that they had to leave the area that they had loved so much. I could say we all lost!

This book was incredible. I could not put it down! When I finally finished it on one Sunday, my husband asked me "Are you finished? You haven't talked to me all weekend!"
It captured my interest as my family lived near, Reine's corner, the trash truck depot, the junk yard and the Busy's. I knew the selectmen and some of the officers mentioned.
This should become a movie! It reminded me of the type of story as "The Client".
The Busby's were so brave, I didn't realize what they were living through as my school bus drove passed their house each afternoon. I remember all of a sudden a tall stockade fence appearing around the house. I am still amazed at how Polly continued school through all of this!
Great reading!!

loved this book. I found it fascinating and a wonderful read. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day. When I did take breaks, I came out and told my family what I had read. I usually do that, and they're usually not interested. They found my reports on this story as engaging as I did. What struck me most about this book was the love. I think Polly's strength, and John's strength, too, were probably the source of this love, and the children responded to it. They couldn't have survived without that love.

I grew up in Falmouth during the time of 'Ray Meyers'. I remember the people in this book. I remember the pain of losing a friend that was murdered during this. I never knew many of the details about this time. Officer Busby and his daughter gave me those details in this book and helped me put order to the confusion from that time. I could not help but cry reading this book. I have to say I liked the way he and his daughter took turns writing the chapters. This book is a great perspective from a child's point of view when faced with awful, life-altering tragedy. Her perspective reminded me of how parents always tried to hide things from children back then. Officer Busby's story reminded me how truly horrible things happen to truly good people. He also reminded me why parents try to shield their children from those horrors.
This book is a testament to a family's strength of character and love for one another. They are the type of people we ought to look upto and use as role models, not folks who are celebrity for celebrity sake. This family never, never wanted any of this. They faced this with such strength and resilience that I can only stand in awe and complete respect for them.
For those who might find it interesting 48 Hours Mystery will be doing this story sometime in February of 2009. I would suggest you read this book and then watch the story.

I preordered this book back in June and had forgotten about it until it arrived in my mailbox. I started reading it last night and am almost halfway through it. I grew up on Cape Cod, and never heard of this until a few years ago when the suspected shooter's wife was murdered. This story hits really close to home, because my father was a police officer, and my worst fear was that he would get hurt/killed at his job. This family is amazing. The hell that they went through, and the complete miscarriage of justice is appalling. There is no question that this case was completely bungled/covered up.

John Busby is an advocate for extending the statute of limitations on crimes against police officers. A few years ago, the brother of the suspected shooter admitted he was the driver while his brother shot Officer Busby, but because the statute of limitations had run out, he could not be charged.

Ironically, the suspected shooter has been in a mental institution because he suffers from dementia since 2001. Some call it poetic justice. Amazing and haunting, don't miss this book.

This is some of Dr. Dyers best work. I find every bit of this audio book to be positive, insightful, and inspirational. I have listened to this book several times and learn something new each time. Extremely good direction for those who want to think differently, appreciate more, give back and live a better life.

I have listened to the CD twice already and found new nuggets of thoughts to ponder both times. Except for a few 'curse' words I wasn't expecting to hear I thought it was very well delivered. I will be listening again soon!

I was given these cd's by my dad. I didn't give them much thought until I had a long drive and thought the voice would keep my company. 5 minutes into the 1st cd and I was hooked. It was so nice to hear someone encourage me without judgment. Which is something that I struggle with. I began to practise what was said on these cd's and within 2 weeks, all of my struggles seem controlable now. I am a happier person.
It's not some magic trick. The book or the cd won't do it for you. But it was nice to hear someone encourage you to be happy without being ashamed.
I am very thankful I was given this cd and encourage anyone who feels stuck, or trapped, or looking for some relief to at least give these a shot.

You have to hear or even better see him live to really have a goose fleshy feeling....absolutely wonderful stuff!

I think I have all of his works and this and Inspiration live are my 2 favorites.

Whenever I'm not connected, I listen to Wayne and I'm back on track.

A must read.

Greg Doniger-Financial Guru, Supreme Lending.

I listened to this CD at least six time and will listen several more...He is one of wisest men I know on the subject of you.....Outstanding...A must buy for those searching for meaning of self.

I just received this book, and although the cover has updated edition stamped on it, the publisher's page does not list the 2008 updated edition date at all. Also, the table of contents is exactly the same as the 2005 edition. So, what were the supposed updates exactly? Why doesn't the updated publishing date show on the publisher's page?

This book was an easy to read book that provided some helpful information. Brought up some topics that I had never thought of and I appreciated that. I liked that it was an updated version and mentioned new rules, etc. Would recommend!

Great book. Gives a comprehensive background on the do's and dont's of setting up a will. Also gives a step by step blueprint of tasks handled by executors. Hopefully the next edition will cover a little more for elder/medical cost estate planning. All in all this is a five star book.

The Law of Attraction Made Simple - Magnetize your heartfelt desires
This book was ok, but not worth $19.95! I got a lot more from the book The Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks.

Jonathan's book has affected me in a profound way. I read it in one day and have taken his simple tools and applied them to my life. They truly do work!

The Law of Attraction is full of many easy exercises that I can apply into the every day living of my life. There is sure to be something that resonates with everyone. I can't wait to see what changes appear in my life after practicing - in fact they have already begun to appear.

Fun to read, and easy to implement. I was familiar with the Law of Attraction, but Mr. Manske provides practical methods to bring the Law to life. Well worth the read.

This book should be the workbook for the (secret law of attraction). I taught my little boy the "8 words that will change your life" right before his baseball game and he got 2 hits after having none for 3 games in a row! Thanks to this secret law of attraction book things in my business are starting to click now and most importantly, I feel great and happy to be alive! If you are tired of reading fluffy (law of attraction book)s and want some step-by-step things you can do in order to bring about real change in your life, get this book. It's a quick read and written in a way that is easy to understand so you can start implementing it today. I've also had consultations with Jonathan and he is a great law of attraction coach.
~Caryn