Product Description
The best-selling first edition of Law 101 provided readers with a vividly written and indispensable portrait of our nation's legal system. Now, in this revised edition, Jay M. Feinman offers an updated survey of American law, spiced with new anecdotes and cases, and incorporating fresh material on topics ranging from the President's war powers, to intellectual property, standard form contracts, and eminent domain. Here is an exceptionally clear introduction to law, covering the main subjects found in the first year of law school, giving us a basic understanding of how it all works. Readers are introduced to every aspect of the legal system, from constitutional law and the litigation process to tort law, contract law, property law, and criminal law. Feinman illuminates each discussion with many intriguing, outrageous, and infamous cases, from the scalding coffee case that cost McDonald's half a million dollars, to the sensational murder trial in Victorian London that led to the legal definition of insanity, to the epochal decision in Marbury v. Madison that gave the Supreme Court the power to declare state and federal laws unconstitutional. He broadens the reader's legal vocabulary, clarifying the meaning of everything from "due process" and "equal protection" in constitutional law, to the distinction between "murder" and "manslaughter" in criminal law. Perhaps most important, we learn that though the law is voluminous and complex, it is accessible to all. Everyone who wants a better grasp of current legal issues--from students contemplating law school, to journalists covering the legislature or the courts, to fans of Court TV--will find here a wonderful source of information: a complete, clear, and colorful map of the American legal system. "An entertaining and informative introduction to the law.... For journalists, those interested in the law, and fans of television law dramas, this book should be required reading."--Library Journal

Amazon.com Review
Thanks to TV cop shows, most Americans can probably recite the Miranda warnings, but do they know when the warnings do--and do not--apply? Tort reformers cite the $2.7 million in punitive damages a jury awarded a little old lady in Albuquerque when the cup of coffee she had set between her legs spilled and scalded her. These crusaders against "excessive" damage awards do not usually note that the trial judge reduced the award to $480,000, or that the coffee was 20 degrees hotter than competitors' coffee. The law is all around. People continually invoke their rights, and every year millions of Americans are involved in formal legal proceedings. Yet most people are ignorant of even the basic concepts and organizing principles of U.S. law. Into the breach comes Jay Feinman's engrossing book Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About the American Legal System. Akin to a crash course in the first year of law school, Law 101 is a clearly written, eminently readable guide to the tenets of our legal system. It is structured around basic questions such as "If a contract is unfair, can a court refuse to enforce it?" and replete with clarifying examples--real and hypothetical. In explaining battery, Feinman writes: "If someone consents to a certain bodily invasion, he does not necessarily consent to any bodily invasion, however. When Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield are in a boxing match, Holyfield has consented to Tyson punching him in the nose ... but he has not consented to Tyson biting off a piece of his ear." Much clearer. Law 101 won't instruct you on how to write your will or get divorced, but it will educate you at a more systematic level. It is also a great read. --J.R.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 35 reviews)

Absolutely worth it by Septic Skeptic

5 Stars
September 13, 2009
This book is perhaps the best of the intro to law books out there. I haven't read very many of those but I've skimmed through a number of them. So take my claim for what it's worth. I would also recommend this to soon to be 1L's.

good intro to law book by J. Garcia (jgarcia)

4 Stars
June 22, 2009
i recommend for people with basic law understanding that want to learn a bit more. book is not too in depth, but detailed enough where one can learn about US law. also good to read before starting law school to freshen up on our legal system.

Excellent Reading for everyone by P. Nieves (New York)

5 Stars
May 26, 2009
This should be required reading for all students at a High School level and beyond.

Fun Read by D. Sun (Vallejo, CA United States)

3 Stars
May 24, 2009
This book gives you some good insight into Law and Law School. It is filled with some funny stories, practical cases, and shows how the system works through the eyes of a law professor.

Good reading! by John Briner (Vancouver, BC Canada)

5 Stars
May 02, 2009
I was quite impressed with this book. It was laid out well and the writing style is very readable. I would certainly recommend this book. - John D Briner, John D. Briner Law Corp. Vancouver British Columbia Canada.

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