Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The world of law can be confusing and mysterious, starting with the history of our legal system clear through to practical every-day questions like "what is a tort?" (and it's not a dessert!) David L. Hudson Jr. does an excellent job in demystifying the topic in his book The Handy Law Answer Book. Even if you don't have a specific question or topic of immediate concern, the material is just plain interesting and leads to more than a few "gee, I didn't know that" moments.
Contents:
Constitutional Law; The Bill of Rights and 14th Amendment; The Court System; Lawyers and Lawsuits; Criminal Procedures; Credit and Bankruptcy Law; Employment Law; Family Law; Personal Injury Law; Appendix A - Explanation of Case and Statute Citations; Appendix B - The Constitution of the United States of America; Appendix C - Online Resources; Glossary; Index
Each of the chapters follow a common style. The core material in the chapter is in the form of answers to a question. For instance, the Constitutional Law section starts out with "What is the primary source of law in the United States?" followed by "What exactly does the U.S. Constitution do?" The answers vary from a single paragraph to two or three pages, but in all cases the information is readily understandable by the average reader. Coupled with the questions, Hudson adds LegalSpeak sidebars that highlight specific court cases that helped to shape the law in that area. An example would be the Miranda v. Arizona (1966) case that was the cornerstone for the Supreme Court ruling preventing self-incrimination without warning of the right to an attorney during questioning (the Miranda warning). These two writing techniques, when put together, do a great job in both providing specific answers as well as context as to why things are as they are.
Personally, I enjoyed the first chapter more than any other (but that's not to say the other chapters aren't good!) Hudson covers the history of our legal system going back to the formation of the constitution, and discusses how the debate between federal and state rights was a contentious issue, and not one that was easily solved. I came away with a greater appreciation for how much work it took to come up with a viable system that was acceptable to everyone, as well as how it continues to evolve to this very day. While not perfect, it's still amazing that it's stood up so well after all this time.
Regardless of whether you have specific questions or just looking for general background, The Handy Law Answer Book is well worth the read.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Publicist
Payment: Free
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