Bibliophilia: the reading list for book lovers
Bibliophilia is a weekly post of recommended reading for law students and lawyers. The list will comprise both fiction and non-fiction books with as much variety as possible. We’re also happy to take reader submissions from you so get reading!
Title: Legal Reasoning: Collected Essays
Author: Duncan Kennedy
Genre: Non-fiction, law, essay,
…includes four essays written over a twenty-year span. They present a comprehensive and original account of legal reasoning as done by judges, lawyers, and legal academics. This author has been the first to put together in a systematic way the insights of American legal realism with Continental phenomenology and semiotics. His version of legal reasoning presents it as “work in a medium” deploying a set of “argument-bites” analogous to the words of a language. The result is simultaneous freedom and constraint. Kennedy then turns his approach to the critique of current European legal theory… [source]
Title: The Legal Line: Ultimate Guidebook For The Aspiring Hotshot Lawyer
Author: Kenneth Chung, New Su Ann, Andreanna Ten Maven
Genre: Non-fiction, law, career, guide
…It is a career education publication on the legal industry in Malaysia intended to provide our readers with an in-depth understanding of the industry,” said Chung in a recent interview with The Star….”As students, we felt that there was a huge information chasm between the expectations of students and employers and we think this contributes to the quality of lawyers today,” Chung argued. To make the book relevant and informative, the authors interviewed several dozen lawyers and related professionals, including Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri, Court of Appeal judges, criminal litigators, and heads of wealth and asset management companies, among many others. Information from these interviews are intertwined with information of the different areas that law students can specialise in, whether they are at the undergraduate or postgraduate levels, both within and outside what is traditionally considered the “legal profession”…. [source]
Title: The Legal Analyst: A Toolkit For Thinking About The Law
Author: Ward Farnsworth
Genre: Non-fiction, law, guide,
…In The Legal Analyst, Ward Farnsworth brings together in one place all of the most powerful of those tools for thinking about law…From classic ideas in game theory such as the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” and the “Stag Hunt” to psychological principles such as hindsight bias and framing effects, from ideas in jurisprudence such as the slippery slope to more than two dozen other such principles, Farnsworth’s guide leads readers through the fascinating world of legal thought. Each chapter introduces a single tool and shows how it can be used to solve different types of problems. The explanations are written in clear, lively language and illustrated with a wide range of examples… [source]
Title: The Anxious Lawyer
Author: Jeena Cho, Karen Gifford
Genre: Non-fiction, self help, guide
…Many lawyers feel hesitant to try meditation, which can seem alien and inaccessible from the vantage point of a professional culture that places great value on logic and reason. Jeena Cho and Karen Gifford set out to help address this gap in The Anxious Lawyer. Both Cho and Gifford began meditating as practicing attorneys, and have firsthand knowledge of the difficulties and rewards of legal practice…the program draws on examples from Cho and Gifford’s professional and personal lives to create an accessible and enjoyable entry into practices that can reduce anxiety, improve focus and clarity, and enrich the quality of life…. [source]
Title: Making Your Case, The Art of Persuading Judges
Author: Antonin Scalia, Bryan A. Garner
Genre: Non-fiction, law, guide, judges
In their professional lives, courtroom lawyers must do these two things well: speak persuasively and write persuasively. In this noteworthy book, two noted legal writers systematically present every important idea about judicial persuasion in a fresh, entertaining way. The book covers the essentials of sound legal reasoning, including how to develop the syllogism that underlies any argument. From there the authors explain the art of brief writing, especially what to include and what to omit, so that you can induce the judge to focus closely on your arguments. Finally, they show what it takes to succeed in oral argument. [source]
Title: The Constitution of Malaysia: A Contextual Analysis
Author: Andrew Harding
Genre: Non-fiction, law, analysis, constitution
Malaysia’s constitution was set at the independence of the Federation of Malaya in 1957 along the lines of the Westminster model, embracing federalism and constitutional monarchy…However, increasing ethnic tension erupted in violence in 1969, after which the social contract was remade in ways that contradicted the basic assumptions underlying the 1957 Constitution. The outcome was an authoritarian state that implemented affirmative action in an attempt to orchestrate rapid economic development and more equitable distribution….This book examines the Malaysian approach to constitutional governance in light of authoritarianism and continuing inter-communal strife, and explains the ways in which a supposedly doomed colonial text has come to be known as ‘our constitution’. [source]
Title: One L: The Turbulent True Story of A First Year At Harvard Law School
Author: Scott Turow
Genre: Non-fiction, law student, memoir
…the account of his own searing indoctrination into the field of law… The first year of law school is an intellectual and emotional ordeal so grueling that it ensures only the fittest survive. Now Scott Turow takes you inside the oldest and most prestigious law school in the country when he becomes a “One L,” as entering students are known at Harvard Law School… [source]
