This popular paralegal-specific text introduces the skills of reading and analyzing court opinions. It focuses on briefing cases and applying case law in legal memoranda and advocacy letters. This is a major revision with new cases and expanded writing chapters. ALSO AVAILABLE INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructors Manual, ISBN: 0-314-46555-3

Lawyers, law students and their teachers all too frequently overlook the most comprehensive, adaptable and practical analysis of legal discourse ever devised: the classical art of rhetoric. Classical analysis of legal reasoning, methods and strategy is the foundation and source for most modern theories on the topic. Beginning with Aristotle's Rhetoric and culminating with Cicero's De Oratore and Quintilian's Institutio Oratoria, Greek and Roman rhetoricians created a clear, experience-based theoretical framework for analyzing legal discourse. This book is the first to systematically examine the connections between classical rhetoric and modern legal discourse. It traces the history of legal rhetoric from the classical period to the present day and shows how modern theorists have unknowingly benefited from the classical works. It also applies classical rhetorical principles to modern appellate briefs and judicial opinions to demonstrate how a greater familiarity with the classical sources can deepen our understanding of legal reasoning.

The American legal system is far from perfect. High standards of fairness and equal justice for all are lacking, and conflicts of interest are an integral part of the systems practitioners. In Law Street, author Wim J.M. Touw discusses the ills of the American legal system and investigates the roots of its dysfunction. In his analysis Touw argues that American lawyers have lost their moral and ethical moorings; he provides a unique perspective of how American lawyers have manipulated the British common law system for their own financial benefit or to advance their careers. He compares the legal system of the United States with systems in the worlds foremost democracies to illustrate how American jurisprudence has strayed from its mission. Finally, he examines the criminal law system that puts innocent people in jail and explains in detail how the tort system, the contingency fee, and the loser pays laws have turned the once noble profession of lawyering into a profitable, unregulated business corrupting the legal process. Touw argues that what is good for Wall Street is good for Law Street and explains why American bar associations do not provide proper oversight. With thorough explanations and examples, Law Street tells a story about serious flaws in the American legal system and provides a wake-up call for Americas dysfunctional and often corrupt legal system.

Publisher description: This widely used book in many printings begins with answers to forty commonly asked questions of first-year law students. It specifies a six-step approach to briefing a case with specific guidelines for accomplishing each step. The process of briefing cases is then demonstrated with excellent and poor briefs of increasing complexity. Emphasis is placed initially on the techniques of briefing as an introduction to the learning of legal reasoning, the first priority of the first year of law school. In addition, the book also demonstrates the relevance of more advanced modes of legal reasoning, including positivist, pragmatic, policy oriented, natural-law and other perspectives applied in decoding and understanding cases. In its introduction of jurisprudential perspectives, Learning Legal Reasoning transcends the typical technical/positivist orientation of most first-year materials.

This comprehensive guide includes all the facts necessary to make informed decisions about where to apply and what to expect in law school. Official profiles of every accredited U.S. And Canadian law school, as well as many nonaccredited schools, are presented in clear, easy-to-read formats. Special sections offer in-depth advice on how to finance your law school education, how to evaluate your admission chances at different schools, and what types of law school programs are available. A pre-law advisor answers the most frequently-asked questions. In a separate essay, a law school student gives a personal account of the admission process and experiences in the first year of law school.

Legal Writing from the Ground Up: Process, Principles, and Possibilities breaks down legal writing into a step-by-step process but avoids a one-size-fits-all approach. This book helps legal writing professors balance the need to encourage original and strategic thinking while providing guidance for students as they develop their legal writing skills. Tracy Turner writes with today s generation of students in mind, and helps to arm student with specific and powerful tools without shackling their creativity. Key Features Multiple adaptations of the Issue, Rule, Application, and Conclusion (IRAC) paradigm that reflect a different approaches to problem solving Different strategic considerations in selecting the right analytical model for a particular case Consistent emphasis on the foundations of legal analysis Proven-effective techniques for continuing skill development Visual aids that are transferable learning tools, such as charts and diagrams Critical reading techniques, clearly explained Visually navigable pages and the author s direct and engaging writing style An intuitively logical organization of content, that easily adapts to myriad approaches to teaching and study