Law in America

By Bonnie Collier, S. Blair Kauffman

Subjects: History, Law, Law, united states, history, Study and teaching

Description: When the British colonies decided to establish themselves as a new country unto themselves, they were faced with many different decisions. One of the most important of these was to establish, promote, & uphold new laws that would protect their new-found freedoms & the many issues inherent in the growth of the new nation. How were these laws to be enforced? Who would create the new justice system? How would schools be established in which to train the lawyers to assist in the explanations & implementation of these laws? What type of court system would exist? Would it be based on the Common Law practices of Mother England, or on the Civil Law system that emerged from the burgeoning democracy in France? Law in America celebrates the establishment, growth, & continual change that the practice of American law has undergone over the past two & a half centuries. The ability to adapt to the continual changes necessitated by American freedoms has been one of the hallmarks of law & its practice in American society. Kauffman & Collier, law librarians & professors at Yale University Law School, take readers through the decisions & events that have collectively given birth to the American legal system. With chapters on The Courts, Landmark Cases, & Famous Trials, we see the formation of the legal structure & legal precedents. Chapters on Media Sensations & Law & Popular Culture chronicle the history of popular perception of lawyers and, by extension, the legal system they purport to facilitate. The Practice of Law, Legal Education, & the Future of the Lawyer in America center on the individuals who have helped to interpret existing laws & practices & carve out new legal frontiers. Accompanying this informative text are photographs, paintings, & cartoons that speak to the uniqueness & importance of the American justice system, & highlight its path of continual progress as new issues arise that at once require historical perspective & modern thinking.