14 ms·

Ask HN: Useful law books?

Does anyone know of a good text book on law? I am looking for something that gets read by the law students, and something that doesn't just talk about philosophy of law, but rather has real cases/discussions/examples?

beck5 15y ago
Without sounding condescending there is a lot of law, is it US or EU law? related to software, IP, liability etc or murders and fun stuff?
- kirillzubovsky 15y ago
  Good point. I'd say US law. I am just looking for something that goes deeper than philosophy, but not necessarily so deep that it's focused on a one particular subject. If I were to choose though, I'd say "fun stuff". Thoughts?
slessard 15y ago
Three books that are essential for me: 1. Hillman on Commercial Loan Documentation http://www.pli.edu/Content.aspx?dsNav=Ns:sort_title|101|1|,N:4294941633-165&ID=625 http://www.pli.edu/Content.aspx?dsNav=Ns:sort_title|101|1|,N... 2. Securities Activities of Banks http://www.aspenpublishers.com/product.asp?catalog_name=Aspen&product_id=0735518602 http://www.aspenpublishers.com/product.asp?catalog_name=Aspe... 3. Federal Taxation of Financial Instruments and Transactions http://ria.thomsonreuters.com/education/catalog/instruments.asp http://ria.thomsonreuters.com/education/catalog/instruments....
- kirillzubovsky 15y ago
  Looks interesting! At $300 a pop, I hope the public library's got them :)
- kirillzubovsky 15y ago
  Looks interesting! At $300 a pop, I hope the public library's got them :)
anigbrowl 15y ago
Oh yes, I have a growing shelf of them :-) The law is a very big subject, though. Do you want to get to grips with constitutional law? Or get a bird's eye view on how the law works - which will tell you a bit about all the major areas and how the courts work, but in a very 'reader's digest' fashion with only a paragraph or two about famous cases? Or do you want to know the basics of business law as it might affect your startup? Or do you like the legal philosophy part, only in much greater detail? 1. Constitutional Law http://www.amazon.com/Constitutional-Law-Principles-Policies-Introduction/dp/073555787X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310683311&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Constitutional-Law-Principles-Policies... 2. Fundamentals of American Law http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-American-Law-Alan-Morrison/dp/0198764057/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1310682818&sr=8-4 http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-American-Law-Alan-Morriso... 3. Barron's Review - Business Law http://www.amazon.com/Business-Law-Barrons-Review/dp/0764142402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310682873&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Business-Law-Barrons-Review/dp/0764142... 4. How Judges think http://www.amazon.com/Judges-Think-Honorable-Richard-Posner/dp/0674048067/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310682947&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Judges-Think-Honorable-Richard-Posner/... or Overcoming Law http://www.amazon.com/Judges-Think-Honorable-Richard-Posner/dp/0674048067/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310682947&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Judges-Think-Honorable-Richard-Posner/... are excellent books by Judge Richard Posner. Bad Acts, Guilty Minds http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Acts-Guilty-Minds-Conundrums/dp/0226425924/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310683020&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Acts-Guilty-Minds-Conundrums/dp/02... and Ill-gotten Gains http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Gotten-Gains-Evasion-Blackmail-Kindred/dp/0226425932/ref=pd_sim_b_2 http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Gotten-Gains-Evasion-Blackmail-Kin... by Leo Katz examines some philosophically tricky areas of criminal law...although Katz does a better job with the questions than the answers, IMHO. You will save a fortune by buying used. Especially now, because a lot of law students sell off their books as soon as they've passed the bar exams, which are held around now. It's not important to have the most up-to-date versions; the more current the issues, the more politicized and noisy the discussion. Look in the used books section on Craigslist too. If you ask nicely, your local law school will probably give you a tour of their library or suggest some starter books, likewise your local community college if it offers any courses in law. Since you're in Seattle, you should also check out the King County Law Library, which is open to the public: http://kcll.org/aboutus/generalinformation/faqs.html http://kcll.org/aboutus/generalinformation/faqs.html finally, the Legal Information Institute at Cornell is a much more useful resource than its bland front page might suggest: http://www.law.cornell.edu/ http://www.law.cornell.edu/
kirillzubovsky 15y ago
Btw, applies to all, I think this video series is amazing - http://www.justiceharvard.org http://www.justiceharvard.org

beck5 15y ago

Without sounding condescending there is a lot of law, is it US or EU law? related to software, IP, liability etc or murders and fun stuff?

kirillzubovsky 15y ago
Good point. I'd say US law. I am just looking for something that goes deeper than philosophy, but not necessarily so deep that it's focused on a one particular subject. If I were to choose though, I'd say "fun stuff". Thoughts?

slessard 15y ago

Three books that are essential for me: 1. Hillman on Commercial Loan Documentation http://www.pli.edu/Content.aspx?dsNav=Ns:sort_title|101|1|,N:4294941633-165&ID=625 http://www.pli.edu/Content.aspx?dsNav=Ns:sort_title|101|1|,N... 2. Securities Activities of Banks http://www.aspenpublishers.com/product.asp?catalog_name=Aspen&product_id=0735518602 http://www.aspenpublishers.com/product.asp?catalog_name=Aspe... 3. Federal Taxation of Financial Instruments and Transactions http://ria.thomsonreuters.com/education/catalog/instruments.asp http://ria.thomsonreuters.com/education/catalog/instruments....

kirillzubovsky 15y ago
Looks interesting! At $300 a pop, I hope the public library's got them :)
kirillzubovsky 15y ago
Looks interesting! At $300 a pop, I hope the public library's got them :)

anigbrowl 15y ago

Oh yes, I have a growing shelf of them :-) The law is a very big subject, though. Do you want to get to grips with constitutional law? Or get a bird's eye view on how the law works - which will tell you a bit about all the major areas and how the courts work, but in a very 'reader's digest' fashion with only a paragraph or two about famous cases? Or do you want to know the basics of business law as it might affect your startup? Or do you like the legal philosophy part, only in much greater detail? 1. Constitutional Law http://www.amazon.com/Constitutional-Law-Principles-Policies-Introduction/dp/073555787X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310683311&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Constitutional-Law-Principles-Policies... 2. Fundamentals of American Law http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-American-Law-Alan-Morrison/dp/0198764057/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1310682818&sr=8-4 http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-American-Law-Alan-Morriso... 3. Barron's Review - Business Law http://www.amazon.com/Business-Law-Barrons-Review/dp/0764142402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310682873&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Business-Law-Barrons-Review/dp/0764142... 4. How Judges think http://www.amazon.com/Judges-Think-Honorable-Richard-Posner/dp/0674048067/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310682947&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Judges-Think-Honorable-Richard-Posner/... or Overcoming Law http://www.amazon.com/Judges-Think-Honorable-Richard-Posner/dp/0674048067/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310682947&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Judges-Think-Honorable-Richard-Posner/... are excellent books by Judge Richard Posner. Bad Acts, Guilty Minds http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Acts-Guilty-Minds-Conundrums/dp/0226425924/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310683020&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Acts-Guilty-Minds-Conundrums/dp/02... and Ill-gotten Gains http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Gotten-Gains-Evasion-Blackmail-Kindred/dp/0226425932/ref=pd_sim_b_2 http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Gotten-Gains-Evasion-Blackmail-Kin... by Leo Katz examines some philosophically tricky areas of criminal law...although Katz does a better job with the questions than the answers, IMHO. You will save a fortune by buying used. Especially now, because a lot of law students sell off their books as soon as they've passed the bar exams, which are held around now. It's not important to have the most up-to-date versions; the more current the issues, the more politicized and noisy the discussion. Look in the used books section on Craigslist too. If you ask nicely, your local law school will probably give you a tour of their library or suggest some starter books, likewise your local community college if it offers any courses in law. Since you're in Seattle, you should also check out the King County Law Library, which is open to the public: http://kcll.org/aboutus/generalinformation/faqs.html http://kcll.org/aboutus/generalinformation/faqs.html finally, the Legal Information Institute at Cornell is a much more useful resource than its bland front page might suggest: http://www.law.cornell.edu/ http://www.law.cornell.edu/

kirillzubovsky 15y ago

Btw, applies to all, I think this video series is amazing - http://www.justiceharvard.org http://www.justiceharvard.org