The American Lawyer

Download or read book The Vanishing American Lawyer written by Thomas D. Morgan and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over 4,000 lawyers lost their positions at major American law firms in 2008 and 2009. In The Vanishing American Lawyer, Professor Thomas Morgan discusses the legal profession and the need for both law students and lawyers to adapt to the needs and expectations of clients in the future. The world needs people who understand institutions that create laws and how to access those institutions' works, but lawyers are no longer part of a profession that is uniquely qualified to advise on a broad range of distinctly legal questions. Clients will need advisors who are more specialized than many lawyers are today and who have more expertise in non-legal issues. Many of today's lawyers do not have a special ability to provide such services. While American lawyers have been hesitant to change the ways they can improve upon meeting client needs, lawyers in other countries, notably Great Britain and Australia, have been better at adapting. Law schools must also recognize the world their students will face and prepare them to operate successfully within it. Professor Morgan warns that lawyers must adapt to new client needs and expectations. The term "professional" should be applied to individuals who deserve praise for skilled and selfless efforts, but this term may lead to occupational suicide if it becomes a justification for not seeing and adapting to the world ahead.

Download or read book The Moral Compass of the American Lawyer written by Richard A. Zitrin and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2011-10-12 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These are perilous times for Americans who need access to the legal system. Too many lawyers blatantly abuse power and trust, engage in reckless ethical misconduct, grossly unjust billing practices, and dishonesty disguised as client protection. All this has undermined the credibility of lawyers and the authority of the legal system. In the court of public opinion, many lawyers these days are guiltier than the criminals or giant corporations they defend. Is the public right? In this eye-opening, incisive book, Richard Zitrin and Carol Langford, two practicing lawyers and distinguished law professors, shine a penetrating light on the question everyone is asking: Why do lawyers behave the way they do? All across the country, lawyers view certain behavior as "ethical" while average citizens judge that same conduct "immoral." Now, with expert analysis of actual cases ranging from murder to class action suits, Zitrin and Langford investigate lawyers' behavior and its impact on our legal system. The result is a stunningly clear-eyed exploration of law as it is practiced in America today--and a cogent, groundbreaking program for legal reform.

Download or read book The Lawyer-Judge Bias in the American Legal System written by Benjamin H. Barton and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-12-31 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Virtually all American judges are former lawyers. This book argues that these lawyer-judges instinctively favor the legal profession in their decisions and that this bias has far-reaching and deleterious effects on American law. There are many reasons for this bias, some obvious and some subtle. Fundamentally, it occurs because - regardless of political affiliation, race, or gender - every American judge shares a single characteristic: a career as a lawyer. This shared background results in the lawyer-judge bias. The book begins with a theoretical explanation of why judges naturally favor the interests of the legal profession and follows with case law examples from diverse areas, including legal ethics, criminal procedure, constitutional law, torts, evidence, and the business of law. The book closes with a case study of the Enron fiasco, an argument that the lawyer-judge bias has contributed to the overweening complexity of American law, and suggests some possible solutions.

Download or read book The American Lawyer written by John Martel and published by vantage*Point. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An odd couple legal team takes on drug lords, corrupt judges, murderers, the government--and their own fully justified fears and self-doubts. From the high-powered offices of the Bay Area to the dangerous steets of Central America, Martel delivers a stunning legal thriller.

Download or read book Mexican Law for the American Lawyer written by Jorge A. Vargas and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 692 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three special features make this book unique in many respects. First, the book has been written by an eminent group of Mexican practitioners and academics recognized in Mexico for their legal expertise. These are attorneys working for prestigious law firms in Mexico who wrote their chapters keeping in mind the professional interest of American lawyers. Second, each of its seventeen chapters discusses a Mexican legal area commonly found in decisions rendered by state or federal courts in our country. These areas include personal injury, contracts, Fideicomisos, real estate, companies, Maquiladoras, promissory notes, family law, conflict of laws, letters rogatory, enforcement of judgments, etc. And third, most chapters include a legal glossary, a specialized bibliography and samples of practical Mexican legal documents. This up-to-date book, edited and co-authored by University of San Diego School of Law professor Jorge A. Vargas, a prolific author on Mexican law, will be invaluable for legal practitioners, judges and government officials who handle legal matters involving Mexican law, as well as for business and law students. "Whether a researcher is a seasoned Mexican legal scholar or new to the subject, tools that are laid out well, written by experts, and concisely written are always welcomed but not always available. This particular publication is one of the best structured books I have seen recently. If you deal with Mexican law you should consider having this one on your shelf." -- Legal Information ALERT

Download or read book Media and American Courts written by S. L. Alexander and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2004-06-08 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique reference work exploring the interaction of ever more pervasive media and the U.S. judicial system in the 20th century. At a time when two-thirds of local news is crime- or court-related, when Court TV broadcasts daily, and when one lurid case can push all other news aside, Media and American Courts: A Reference Handbook offers a much-needed examination of how the press and the judicial system interact. Despite the benefits (a better-informed public, judicial accountability), has expanded coverage of the courts in fact weakened our democracy? Media and American Courts approaches this question by exploring the cases, the personalities, and the controversies that have redefined the court/press relationship in the past century as the media expanded from print and radio to courtroom cameras, cable, and the World Wide Web. It also includes suggestions from legal and media experts for making court news more accurate, informative, and useful.

Download or read book Law 101 written by Jay Feinman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In each of the first three editions of the bestselling Law 101, Jay Feinman gave readers an upbeat and vivid examination of the American legal system. Since the third edition was published in 2010, much has happened: several key Supreme Court cases have been decided, we've seen sensational criminal trials, and the legal system has had to account for the latest developments in Internet law. This fully updated fourth edition of Law 101 accounts for all this and more, as Feinman once again provides a clear introduction to American law. The book covers all the main subjects taught in the first year of law school, and discusses every facet of the American legal tradition, including constitutional law, the litigation process, and criminal, property, and contracts law. To accomplish this, Feinman brings in the most noteworthy, infamous, and often outrageous examples and cases. We learn about the case involving scalding coffee that cost McDonald's half a million dollars, the murder trial in Victorian London that gave us the legal definition of insanity, and the epochal decision of Marbury vs. Madison that gave the Supreme Court the power to declare state and federal law unconstitutional. A key to learning about the law is learning legal vocabulary, and Feinman helps by clarifying terms like "due process" and "equal protection," as well as by drawing distinctions between terms like "murder" and "manslaughter." Above all, though, is that Feinman reveals to readers of all kinds that despite its complexities and quirks, the law is can be understood by everyone. Perfect for students contemplating law school, journalists covering legislature, or even casual fans of "court-television" shows, Law 101 is a clear and accessible introduction to the American legal system. New to this edition: Featured analysis of: -the Obamacare case -Citizens United -the DOMA decision -the Trayvon Martin case As well as recent legal developments pertaining to: -online contracting -mortgages -police investigations -criminal sentencing