Law Books

After looking at almost every LSAT book I'm pleased I went with the Kaplan Comprehensive. It's a great guide to how to study and does a good job reviewing each area of the test.

Suprisingly good for a generalalized coverage. I wish that there was one for specific states.

The third edition of this book was very helpful, and also included more recent case law cites than the second edition. I would assume this it true with the fourth as well (and there have been quite a few post 1995 court cases affecting royalty payments among other things). John Lowe is a well-respected professor of oil and gas law and has written many papers as well as several books on the subject.I find his writing style easy to understand, even for a layman like myself.I also found it to be much more than a "nutshell" approach in that the explanations of complicated ideas are fairly complete in most cases. He even touches on the structure and content of oil and gas sales contracts near the end of the book, which I found helpful as well.

I bought this book because I have to be involved in oil and gas transaction. It is very useful to cover basic cases and theories on this business area. However, because this book presumes that they understand the basic concepts of contract laws and realty laws, the readers are required to know 101 of, say, what is the reminder or what is the fee simple absolute etc. If you are not educated in the country which takes case law system, before reading it, it would be better to skim through the outline of contracts/realty law.

"Criminology", co-authored by Leonard Glick and J. Mitchell Miller, is a comprehensive and well-written entry-level guide to the complex and controversial topic of criminology as practiced in the United States. "Criminology" is specifically organized to facilitate the work of the instructor and the student.

Each of fourteen chapters covers basic definitions, theory, and observed behavior for some category of criminal activity and/or the police, judicial, and correctional response. The basic text presents narrative, graphics, and focused text boxes, augmented by excerpts from a variety of authors with more indepth analysis of various problems. Each chapter comes with self-testing questions to reinforce learning. The layout of each chapter easily translates to a classroom presentation.

Presentation for the most part is even-handed, in recognition that criminology does not have perfect analyses or answers for what is very complex human behavior. Multiple theories of criminology are presented without predetermined selection of a single answer. Contrasting arguments for and against incarceration, capital punishment, and punitive sentences for drug-related offenses provide a good basis for further exploration in a classroom or seminar environment. The focus is on the United States, although some anecdotal context is provided for other nations. The text has been updated to include consideration of crimes of recent or renewed emphasis such as international terrorism and human trafficking.

"Criminology" is very highly recommended as a great teaching resource for college entry-level criminology classes.

Got it in the conditionso offered. Took a little longer, but was ok, the product was good.

This was used as a course textbook in an introductory ADR class, and I think it serves that purpose well. A great book for those new to ADR and mediation that clearly outlines the purpose and procedures of mediation. This text does not really discuss the psychological motivations behind party behavior except for briefly touching on cultural patterns. The focus is on the process.

The topics are dealt with step-by-step, and while the illustrations aren't necessary, especially for university-level courses or professionals, this is still a great textbook that adequately covers the role of the mediator and all the steps in mediation as well as tips for how to move the process along and recognize problems.

As a mediator and one who trains others how to mediate, I highly recommend this clearly written,comprehensive mediation handbook. I have yet to see a more practical book on mediation skills.

I am a mediator, arbitrator, and trainer. The Mediator's Handbook is a welcome addition to my library. It is filled with practical advice,theoretical information, wonderful charts, and the nuts and bolts of mediation. I am sure every mediator, new or experienced, will benefit from this book. I recommend that every mediator skim the "Mediator's Handbook" as well as "Basic Skills for the New Mediator" by Allan H. Goodman (which I purchased at the same time) before every mediation.

As a trainer of community mediators, I am often asked to suggest books on the subject. One book I definitely recommend is Jennifer Beer's Mediator's Handbook -- and it is also a book I often go back to myself. It's like having a smart, experienced and helpful colleague available whenever I want, whether for specific problem solving or for more general inspirational conversation!

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has received lots of attention over the last decade or so, and I'd like it to receive more. Here's a good place to start.

As an [ahem] older law student, I recently signed up to participate in a mediation program through a local courthouse. As I looked around for helpful references, my eye fell naturally on this modern classic by Jennifer Beer. Continuously in print since 1982 and now in its third edition, it's probably _the_ book that did most to teach the American public how to "do" mediation.

It's full of nuts-and-bolts advice on everything from what to say to where to put the chairs. And it's got something some other mediation books lack: a sense of the "spirituality" of mediation.

For the techniques in this volume grew out of the Friends Conflict Resolution Programs (FCRP). And the Religious Society of Friends ("Quakers") is pretty good at conflict resolution.

(It's those "meetings." Some readers may know that in the early days of the United States, a half-century of so before the Emancipation Proclamation, the Friends unilaterally, voluntarily, and unanimously freed every last one of their slaves -- and paid them to boot, if I'm not mistaken. And anybody who has ever attended a Quaker meeting will understand why, even if they've never heard of John Woolman.)

I've got quite a few Quakers in my family tree, so I'm pleased by this approach. But it's very understated and mostly behind the scenes, so the casual reader will notice only that the book has a certain mood or tone.

What's really going on is that the mediation advice herein is implicitly predicated on the presumption that people are competent to settle their own disputes because each of them has "that of God" within. And the extraordinary sensitivity of the advice is based firmly on Quaker sensibilities: namely, respect for the individual conscience as the very voice of God, and a profound belief in the power of _listening_ both to others and to oneself.

The result is a book of advice on mediation that looks an awful lot like a book on how to grasp the "sense of a meeting." Even beyond the nuts and bolts, the "flavor" of the book will itself help the reader get a feel for what mediation is all about. That's a nice feature in a book on ADR, and it's no wonder Beer's book has been in print for so long.

Allan Goodman's _Basic Skills for the New Mediator_ is a good companion volume, by the way. His book is more aimed at people who do mediation in "courtlike" settings, whereas Beer's is for pretty much any context (including workplace and family, both of which she discusses). The two together are a powerful combination of resources, arguably surpassing many more expensive books on the subject.

And for a good history of the subject of ADR, see Linda Singer's _Settling Disputes_, which I've also reviewed.

the book was in good condition and came on time, but had much more highlighting in the front half than was indicated in the description.

I highly recommend this book (I have the '07 edition). It has flow charts, an outline, short answer questions, and multiple choice. It's a great review before finals. Definitely worth it's price too.

A great overview of Evidence Law in the U.S. courts system. I like the outline in the first pages. The price doesn't hurt either!

At six-hundred pages, your average overworked law student is not too keen on reading another 40 pages a night, especially with a full slate of classes. That being said, this book contains a "Casebook correlation chart," which helps you decide which part of the book to read in the approximate order of your own textbook. It covers: Green Nesson, "Evidence" (3rd Ed. 2000); Wellborn, "Cases & Mat..." (1st ed. 2000); Mueller & Kirkpatrick, "Evidence Under the Rules" (4th Ed. 2000), and Waltz & Park, "Evidence" (9th Ed. 1999).

I would suggest checking this out of your law library instead of buying it and reading the relevant parts of the "Capsule Summary" (79 pages) if you're pressed for time and you want a nuanced overview of Evidence.

The rest of the book is nicely outlined, but way too much information for the average to under-achieving student. However if you want it for clarification on certain rules, or just having it in your bookshelf would make you feel better about Evidence, you can get it so cheap that it can't hurt.

I wish I had been using this book all semester. It was very helpful in preparing for my Evidence final; it shows how to apply the rules of evidence, and more importantly, how the rules work together. It acts like a roadmap, showing you which rule to start with and how to work through any of the tricky situations the professor may toss at you. The exam tips were very helpful in highlighting key issue-spotting areas and things the professors will commonly use on exams (quite accurate). I highly recommend it!

The Redlich hornbook is a lot shorter and easier to read, but unfortunately is last updated in 1999. Until it is current, these are the best.

This book is the best study guide for Constitutional Law that I have read. It is written in narrative form, as opposed to outline form. The explanations of cases are clear and concise and reflect the nuances of the lenthy cases in this area where single-paragraph statements in outlines cannot. More importantly, the authors are well regarded constitutional law professors whose evaluations of the cases can be trusted to be accurate as well as even-handed.

Normally, I recommend Examples & Explanation series over any of the other commerical outlines out there. I was very disappointed with both Constitutional Law books however. The examples are unhelpful, especially when a lot of the answers depend on material you won't learn for several chapters! Some of the text is useful but much of it is the authors biased view of what cases mean or should mean. This isn't helpful if you are not taking the class from them!

Overall, I was extremely disappointed in these two books. Not worth the money.

WOW - I want to see this series continue with the brothers, uncles, cousins - just keep it going. I could not put this book down - the family was disgruntled with my read! Sarah is a hot author with hot characters and the sex is sooooo desireable with this totally alpha male. If you haven't ventured into this author and you just don't know if you can read a book with this type of hot, hot, hot sex - throw caution to the wind. You will be glad you did!

I am not going to do a rendition, I see this has already been done. This book was great. Mac was a total alpha male. This book had passion, hot sex and an interesting story line. Kudos Sarah, I will be reading more of your books. I highly recommend this book.

All I can say about this book is Oh My God! This has been the single most intense book I've ever read, they absolutely do not get any hotter than this one. I don't think I've ever blushed or squirmed in my seat as much as I did throughout this book and I LOVED IT!

All of Sarah McCarty's books are out of this world and hotter than you know where.

You absolutely do not want to miss out on this one!

In a nutshell: Woman moves to old west, well, kind of. This book seems like an old western but it is a contemporary. Woman answers ad for job as cook for a rancher. Rancher doesn't want to hire a woman because of the horny old men working for him. Woman makes a deal to prove herself. Ranch hands love womans cooking. Rancher like woman. Woman likes rancher. They have sex. Rancher holds back anal sex from woman because of mommy issues. Woman leaves rancher until rancher realizes he needs woman in "every" way. They reunite to have all kinds of sex....The end.

Okay, I know it's erotica, but this book had one (or two) sex scenes too many. I felt exhausted and sore. The ending made no sense at all, but you don't read these books for the plot.. However, that being said, with judicious reading and skimming, I feel this could be a very fine book (ie it just need better editing) And despite my criticisms it's still a keeper for me. It's a hot, hot book.

This book probably presents every scenario you can think of if you want to protect your estate. Reading this book will provide you with intelligent questions while you discuss your estate planning with your attorney.

The book is not only informative, but also entertaining and easy to read. No legaleez to wade through. I highly recommend it.

I felt the book was easy to read. Not one to be read in one sitting, however. I have done extensive estate planning, will preparation, and will updates. However, this book presented some options that I am considering. It also showed me a couple of loopholes that I thought I had closed, that I probably don't. Well worth the money and time to read. I expect to go back to this book several times. I will be taking it with me to an attorney appointment.

Estate planning is so important if you don't want your son in law running off with half your estate in the event of your kid's divorce. This book was a great asset to me ... and a real eyeopener as to what can happen at the reading of your will if you haven't equalized everything. the author even gives you his phone number that readers can call and ask questions free. The book is so good I bought 4 extra copies for friends.

Only estate book I've seen written in an easy-to-read, mini-case-study format. Very practical and thought-provoking advice. Tends to focus on little worst-case scenarios in an attempt to get people to plan properly for all the things that can go wrong in an estate.

For what it's worth, I thought the book was generally best-suited for estates with $100,000 to about $2,000,000 in assets. Don't get me wrong, there's something in here for all estate sizes - especially for people just starting the process of developing a plan. However, don't buy this book looking for technical discussions of advanced tax-minimizing strategies. If you or your clients have estates over this $2MM mark, this book can be a great thought-provoker, but some of the advice isn't really suitable for larger estates.

I have several estate planning books...the "how to" type and they are great. This is the book you need to read before you start filling in the blanks. I wish my parents had read this book. It would have saved my family relationships. This book gives you the basic information you need before drawing up your trust. Protect your beneficiaries and prevent family conflict by reading this book!

This is my pocket secular bible. It fits in my suit pocket, pants pocket, laptop case, Black Berry's case, brief case, and just about anywhere. It is a great reference tool whenever someone misquotes any parts of my secular bible.

I had heard that Senator Byrd of W. Virginia kept a copy of the US Constitution in his pocket. I was not sure where to get one also. I found it here at Amazon, and for a good price as well. I use to show what is actually written, if someone is in doubt. And it gives a nice, brief explanation of the meanings behind the words. I am getting a copy for all of my grown children. A very good edition.

There has been much talk of restoring the republic, and following the Constitution. Reading this book is the blue print of our working government. The explanations of what each section means is well written and easy to understand. The reader will be more informed of what it means to be American. S/he will also understand how far we have gone away from the Constitution in today's modern government. Decide for yourself. Read this book.

Too few Americans understand what their constitutional rights are and have no fear of these precious liberties being eroded. This little book goes a long way in teaching the basics of this founding document. It should be given to every student in the USA.

i did not appreciate the introduction by Caroline Kennedy. had I known she did he intro I would not have bought the book.

Chalmers Johnson in "Blowback" presciently and eerily predicts 9/11 or a similar event. Published in 2000 the analysis should be required reading for all interested in foreign policy and how the "American Empire" is perceived by those subject to it. An outstanding contribution to the literature.

Nutshell review - A fascinating look at the build up and consequence of American military power and presence across the globe. Interesting, well written, and very worth reading whether one agrees with the conclusions or not.

`Blowback' is the term the CIA uses to refer to the unintended consequences of American actions abroad. The author makes the reader aware of the dangers faced by the US Empire, which he feels has been overextended, with about 19 military bases worldwide. The US insists on projecting its military power to every corner of the earth and to force global economic integration on its own terms. I remember once a Chinese leader commenting, "Why should we live by the standards set by the US?" In other words, who says the US way of life is the best there is and we should all follow it? This method of dictating what's right and what is not to the rest of the world angers a lot of people according to the author, and will one day cause a blowback against US interests.

The author asks, "Why are there still US bases in Japan?" He then asks if the American people would like it if other nations had military bases on US soil.

The US is not liked in Japan for many reasons. The US dropped two atomic bombs on them, one on Hiroshima and another on Nagasaki, killing many innocent women, children, and the elderly. The blowback from this atrocious act is still to come. Today such an act would be condemned worldwide. Could you imagine if India decided to nuke Pakistan, or North Korea nuked a neighboring country, what would the world's response be? Yet the US got away with it during World War II, even though Japan was on the verge of surrender before the atomic bombs were dropped. Killing civilians is unacceptable. If Russia had won the cold war, the US would today have been paying compensation to the Japanese, much like how Germany is still paying the state of Israel compensation for the atrocities it inflicted on the Jewish people under Hitler.

The author mentions rape cases on Okinawa committed by US soldiers based there. In one case, a 12 year old Japanese schoolgirl was gang raped by US soldiers. Japanese Families are upset because these soldiers are trialed in the US under US military laws which tend to be lenient with the soldiers. Furthermore, in many cases, by the time a lawsuit is brought against a US soldier, he or she no longer is on Okinawa. The US soldiers' duty time on Okinawa is only 6 months! Once a soldier leaves Japan, it is impossible for the Japanese families to bring him or her to justice. US soldiers based on Okinawa therefore get away with crimes.

Bases were also built on land owned by Japanese farmers without giving them compensation. Military maneuvers and artillery fire are constantly being performed on protected reefs around Okinawa. Furthermore, bullets made of depleted uranium at one point littered Okinawa's coast, but the Navy eventually cleaned up the shores after international pressure and outrage. How would American citizens feel if China or Russia had military bases on American soil, raped young American girls, took land from farmers without compensation, and polluted the US coast with UN prohibited depleted uranium bullets? How would the American people feel if crimes committed against them could not be trialed under US laws? For example, why didn't the soldiers involved in Abu Ghuraib prison in Iraq stand trial in an Iraqi court under Iraqi law? Similarly, the US fighter pilots involved in the cable car accident in Italy stood trial in the US and were found innocent! Why didn't they stand trial in Italy? This angered the Italians.

The author discusses Afghanistan and how the CIA started helping the Mujahedeen before the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, not after as is often believed. The CIA therefore used the Mujahedeen to fight the US war against the Soviets. Once the Soviets were defeated, the CIA dropped support for the Mujahedeen. The blowback was that the Mujahedeen turned against the US.

Interestingly, the author says that the US should withdraw all of its troops from the Middle East. If this is done, the author says, there would no longer be the hatred that Arab people feel today against the US. Imagine China had military bases in Canada, Mexico, and Cuba. How would the US people feel? Threatened? Unsafe? This is exactly how Arabs feel today.

The book also discusses the IMF and how it has destroyed the Indonesian economy. I thought that chapter on the IMF and globalization extremely interesting and thought provoking.

This is really a great book, and if you like reading Noam Chomsky, you will like this book. This book was originally published before 9/11, but has a new introduction on blowback in the post-9/11 world.

One thing to keep in mind: All empires throughout history have collapsed. The question to ask is `Why?' If the US can answer this question, it might just defeat the cycle of history.

This book is quite well researched and somewhat academic. I would not call it dry nor would I call it spellbinding. It presents a plethora of facts prior to making predictions that have been proving to be true.

Chalmers is an expert on China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. You will find considerable recent history of these countries, history with a bias in economics.

A very minor complaint is that Chalmers refers to the US Treasury when he should be referring to the Federal Reserve which essentially privatized the US Treasury...in 1913 as I recall. But he likely has a good reason for his chosen vernacular.

As the title indicates, this book focuses on a prediction that our militaristic hubris and imperialism would be likely to both earn enemies and eventually undermine our economy.....to think that it was written before the Bushbarians galloped into town and made Chalmers look like the prophet of the century.

Chalmers divides his time ripping into the military history of Japan, the USSR, and of course Cold War America..especially post Cold War America. With the exception of Tibet, China receives comparatively light treatment.

This is a great book for those who feel comfortable with slightly academic leaning books.

"Blowback" is CIA nomenclature, initially conjured up in March 1954 to refer to the unforeseen reaction to CIA covert operations in the 1953 attempt to dislodge Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran to quiet his troublesome critique of the Shahs (Johnson, Blowback 8-10, 13, 17). Blowback has become the metaphor in use for all unintended consequences relating to US Government covert operations through primarily the Central Intelligence Agency and has to date been kept undisclosed from the American public (Johnson, Blowback 17). Arguably, the events of September 11 (in the new version of Blowback, Johnson explores the issue of blowback in conjunction with September 11 as it was not part of the original book (Johnson, Blowback x-xxii)). As a backgrounder, Osama bin Ladin and Al Qaeda in conjunction with the Wahabi sect in Saudi Arabia has strong criticisms of U.S. intervention in the country, its bases on Arab soil, US involvement in Israel, and its continuing relationship with the Saudi Royal family (Johnson, Blowback 10-11). The result, it is argued, is not a result of what Samuel Huntington, Francis Fukuyama, and Bernard Lewis would argue is an assault on modernity (Johnson, Blowback 207). Rather, the events of September 11 are the result of the CIA's and US nefarious interference into the affairs of Saudi Arabia (Johnson, Blowback 11, 36, 92-93).
Coming back, for an instant, to Iran (which we might see more of in the near future), the setting up the Shah in power brought more than twenty-five years of despotism and authoritarianism to the Iranian people and resulted in the fundamentalist regime of the Ayatollah Khomeini (Johnson, Blowback 13, 84). Hearkening back to the events previous to September 11, we should remember the then ultimate blowback scenario with the storming of the American embassy in Teheran and the holding of the hostages for more than a year (Johnson, Blowback 13, 27, 68, 84, 92, 97, and 125). Leaving aside the military handling of the failed rescue attempt as well as the State Department's almost amateur handling of the diplomatic side, this ill-advised "covert operation" by the US government helped set the stage for the perception of many in the middle east that the United States was going to be there for the long haul and firmly entrenched in many analysts mind that the intervention by the US in the middle east was going to be nothing less than adversarial (Johnson, Blowback 68). The same went for Cold War Russia, Indochinese Southeast Asia, Africa, as well as Central and South America (Johnson, Blowback 20-22). The stage was set for the military buildup to make the world safe for democracy, to fight that war via proxy, and to begin what would be the largest bases buildup in modern history (Johnson, Blowback 223-224). The previous covert and overt operations as well as other events formed genesis of the American Empire and Chalmers Johnson's lamentation of the same (Johnson, Blowback 11-12).

Miguel Llora