Law 101 : Everything You Need to Know About the American Legal System (book)

I'm not sure how to rate this book. Is it the author's fault that the material is dense and boring? Or is that the nature of law? Whatever the case, this book served its purpose: to help me decide whether I ought to explore the legal arena. And the emphatic answer - at least for now - is no. Buy this book to see whether law is right for you.

With my first year of law school looming over my head I wanted to get a little bit of exposure to what I will be studying. I found the book very helpful in providing a broad outline of the subjects I will be studying this year. The book is written in a clear, concise style that is very easy to read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone in my situation.

This is an excellent book written by an expert in the field in a way that'll keep you interested to the last page. It gives good insight to how our legal system works. Jay Feinman is just one of the best writers I've read in a long time. You'll love reading this book. It'll be money well spent.

Kudos to the author for having the energy to write so much, but it detracted from his work. Who are your readers? The vocabulary in this book is not meant for anyone below a Bachelor's degree. If the author wanted to inform the general public about law he should have done it in half the pages. I thought the book was boring, but does a good job at informing a future law student about what he's getting himself into. For everyone else, good luck having the stamina to get through this book. The author does do a good job trying to stay objective.

This book is excellent in outlining the foundations of our American legal system for laymen. The author really gives the reader a feel of the origins of American legal principles and I defer to other reviewers that have already pointed out its many good qualities. However, do remember that there is no such thing as a generic civil or criminal case of any kind in the U.S. since each state is so very different in their law. Going bankrupt? In Texas you get to keep your whole house even if it's a mansion, in Virginia you get to keep $5000 of your home's equity...not enough to buy a cardboard box. Getting divorced? In New York no more than 25% of your income can go to child support no matter how many children you have. In Virginia you can actually wind up with negative income! How long will you pay child support? In Massachusetts it can go on until the child is 23 as long as they are enrolled in college, in Virginia it ends at high school graduation. In New York it does not end until age 21 even if the child spends his/her days watching soap operas. Think you are legally an adult at age 18? In Nebraska you are not emancipated until age 19. And the list goes on. Thus, read this book to get an appreciation of our American legal system, but carefully consider the laws and legal traditions of your own state if you ever find yourself involved in a legal skirmish.