books for the study of law? Forum

[RichardWalter]

Greetings,

Long story (very!) short: I love the law; applied to law school; went to law school; after a year-and-a-half, realized part-time evenings/long commute/full-time employment was not compatible with my lifestyle; withdrew from law school. Absolutely no regrets.

This said, I still love the law and love the study of law. I enjoyed law school, my professors, and my colleagues. And I miss the "law school" part of law school (that is, everything except the commute, the stress, the sleep deprivation, and the loan$).

On TLS, I see suggestions to "read books" rather than going to law school. I want to continue learning the law.

So . . . what are these books? I would be happy to consider some suggested titles, authors, etc.

Thank you,
Richard

[PeanutsNJam]

On TLS, I see suggestions to "read books" rather than going to law school.

I don't know where you read this, but it was likely a facetious comment about how law school doesn't actually teach you anything you need to know to be a lawyer (not my words).

If you're just trolling, this is a pretty terrible flame.

[General_Tso]

Chemerinsky's constitutional law book. Broom's selection of Legal Maxims.

[Glasseyes]

If you really just want to learn about various areas of the law, I think a series of books like Lexis's Understanding series would be as a good of a place to start as any. Or the Law in a Nutshell books.

The Chemerinsky book on Constitutional Law is the gold standard, without question. I also highly recommend Dressler's Understanding Criminal Procedure & Understanding Criminal Law, as well as Sprankling's Understanding Property Law.

[tomwatts]

If you're interested in, say, legal history, I'm a pretty big fan of anything Michael Klarman has ever written. If you like legal theory, you might try a con law book like Ely's Democracy and Distrust. Both are pretty easy to read and are great.

[silenttimer]

not sure if serious.

[Traynor Brah]

I believe that in tls lingo "read books" means you should kill yourself.

[RichardWalter]

Thanks for the book suggestions. I AM serious. Like I posted originally, I enjoyed my time in law school and want to continue learning. The reason I withdrew was the full-time job/commute dilemma, NOT a lack or interest.

I located this:

The Study of Law: A Critical Thinking Approach 3E by Currier and Eimerrman

(seems to be an undergrad. pre-law book?)

[Glasseyes]

Thanks for the book suggestions. I AM serious. Like I posted originally, I enjoyed my time in law school and want to continue learning. The reason I withdrew was the full-time job/commute dilemma, NOT a lack or interest.

I located this:

The Study of Law: A Critical Thinking Approach 3E by Currier and Eimerrman

(seems to be an undergrad. pre-law book?)

Yep, seems like an undergrad pre-law book. Probably not a bad way to get a sense of some broad legal topics. I have no idea if something like that is worth reading; presumably it's just a birds-eye view of various topics without much depth. If I were you I'd start with some supplements or treatises on the various 1L courses. Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law (or Procedure), Constitutional Law, Property: pick one or two and dive in. Again, I'm a fan of the Understanding series and the law in a nutshell books for this type of learning, but the Chemerinsky Principles & Policies book on Constitutional Law is one of the best legal books ever written. Considering that's a whopping 1440 pages and will teach you anything you could possibly learn in Con Law 1 & 2, you may as well start there.

[NoBladesNoBows]