 "Finally, a legal guide we can all understand" | 2009-10-23 |
| - Reviewed By casper65 |
| I do not believe it is an understatement to say that this is one of the best legal reference available for those of us who are not attorneys. I have been searching for a book like this for years. Everything is laid out so logically and understandably and most important, this book is completely in sync with today's heavy use of Internet resources and describes how to appropriately evaluate and use available legal Internet resources. It also teaches you where and how to gain information not found on the Internet at reasonable prices. After reading this book, I understand how to categorize my legal issue and research it using the techniques taught in the book. This is a remarkable book and more than worth it's price. Although this book is not meant to take the place of attorneys, it allows you to speak intelligently with an attorney (if needed) thus saving time and money. I also just feel good that I now understand all types of different legalities I have not understood my entire life. Every one should think seriously about having a copy of this book in their home. And believe it or not, the book is not dry and dreary to read, rather, it is concise, clear and keeps the reader engaged throughout. I highly recommend this book and give it five kudos. |
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 ""Your problem may be getting too much information, not too little."" | 2009-10-22 |
| - Reviewed By codemaster_talon |
This is a three-and-a-half star review rounded up to four for Amazon.
When I was getting my paralegal degree, my professor put on a video of a taped Harvard lecture for about half hour while he graded some tests, mostly to occupy our attention. As it happened, I learned more from that half hour that I actually remember than in the whole paralegal course. Why? The way the speaker taught just made sense to my mind, and to this day I can recall the fine details of hearsay. I bring up that incident because trying to review this book I ran into a problem: All the info your need for legal research is indeed in here, but the presentation? Not so hot. Byzantine, weighty and with a glossary that takes up a third of the book, "Legal Research" is best for the aspiring paralegal's night desk. Everyone else is going to end up with their eyes crossed.
The book does go over types of searches (ever wonder how to use a Boolean search engine? Didn't think so.) and the basic aspects of law, working up to building a case. I really feel this book would have worked better as an audio CD, split into Criminal and Civil Law editions. I like the explanations of double-checking your "good law"; I had trouble with that when I was getting my degree.
I'm knocking off points for lack of readability, and because some of the photo-copied indexes and cases in the book are grainy and difficult to read. Other than that I can find no fault with "Legal Research", other than that it's the course, not the half hour video.
GRADE: B/B-
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| "A good legal research primer" | 2009-10-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2503LT8PZIHAD |
I selected this book because I have had several legal questions that I have not found a good way to research. I do a lot of reading of educational research but have discovered that the legal world resides in an entirely different Universe called Law Libraries and is written in words that arenotenglish.
This book is organized in a user friendly manner and begins at the bottom level by explaining what laws are and how they are made, and the difference between state and federal laws and cases. Understanding what court regulates an issue is a huge part of beginning research. This was an interesting approach and it was explained concisely. I've seen entire books on the judicial branch of our government, from teaching Civics, and this narrowed it down very quickly.
Another interesting chapter is on identifying your legal issue. It asks you to form your question and clarify what area you are working in - civil or criminal, state or federal. This section helps you narrow down your issue before you try to research it. This was interesting because it is something asked of us in many areas, especially educational. One of the biggest problems students have when doing research is identifying what it is they want to find out. It seems like this is a universal approach in research.
The glossary at the end is a very handy section and is also written in simple and clear language.
One of the biggest achievements of this book is the way it is put in plain English. Being user friendly makes it easy to follow and implement the advice, making it much more likely that the book will actually be used, instead of just being bought as a token attempt before going to see an attorney. I would always prefer to do the research myself than hire a law firm to do it for me. |
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| "Accurate with Lots of Information" | 2009-10-03 |
| - Reviewed By adaniel62 |
Legal Research from Nolo Press is an outstanding book. I obtained my copy to ascertain how accurate and useful the book would be to a non-lawyer. I am a retired attorney from California and practiced government law for many years.
First I looked for inaccuracies. I found none. Then I looked for helpful information, and I found loads of it. For example, on page 47 there is a list of primary source websites that is outstanding. I have used some of these sites myself and many of them are excellent. The chapter on finding legal resources is worth the price of the book. Later in the book, chapter 4, the authors (s) outline how to use Cornell's legal website. Just great information.
Chapter 3 tells the reader how to identify legal issues. The ability to identify issues is the key to being a good attorney, and it isn't as easy as it sounds. A legal issue means a legal problem, and finding and defining these legal problems can make or break you in legal research. The chapter gives the reader more than one way to accomplish the task. The easiest way, according to chapter 3, is to list all the major words used and then list words meaning the same thing. Look up all those words in the legal indexes to find the answer to the issue. My preferred way was to use the legal encyclopedias, but everyone has their own method. In spite of the slowness of the list method, it is probably the best way for the non-lawyer to obtain the information relevant to the legal issue one is concerned with. Legal Research by Nolo also tells one how to find legislative histories, which are vital for understanding statutes.
Although I did say the book has no inaccuracies I did find some points that I disagreed with. For example, on page 100 there is a list of the Bill of Rights and a short summary of what each Amendment contains. I did not agree with their description of the 10th Amendment, but that is a personal matter. Other areas I had a problem with fall into the same category, and were mostly personal preferences rather than an error.
The chapters on going to court are probably necessary, but they do not help much in understanding the process a person faces. It would have been better to leave those out and publish another book explaining court problems in more detail.
Overall, a great book that is very dependable in pointing the non-lawyer legal researcher in the right direction.
AD2
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| "A readable and very accessible guide" | 2009-10-02 |
| - Reviewed By ausgeziegnet |
I was actually very surprised by how readable this book is. It isn't dense at all, and the language the authors used is very easy to follow and understand. I am really impressed at how accessible this book is. With this book in hand I think just about anyone, with some basic computer skills and familiarity with libraries, can navigate their way through most simple legal matters they may encounter.
I think this is a great service to the public. Confronting the U.S. legal system can be an extremely intimidating experience. You add to that the prohibitive costs of obtaining legal advice over matters that involve small sums of money, and one can see how the legal system can simply be out of reach for members of our society. I think this is why works such as this are very important. Instead of paying a lawyer one hundred dollars an hour to guide you through the system, a person can spend twenty or thirty dollars on this book and enable themselves to navigate the system.
The chapters are well laid out, and the step by step approach the author's use will make this book a very easy to use guide. The author's go to lengths explaining little details in simple ways, and then they pepper the work with samples and examples which provide the reader with the context. This work explains the differences between state and federal laws, criminal and civil matters, primary and secondary sources and much more, and it explains it in a very easy to understand vernacular.
I will say this though; if you have any experience doing research or working with computers, whether through education or work experience, ect, then some of the book can seem a little redundant, but I think it is important to remember the intended audience for this book. This book is intended for those readers who have not used computers or libraries for extensive research.
I found this book to be an easy and fast read. I actually enjoyed going through this book which was a surprise. I think potential readers will find this book a very accessible and useful tool for guiding them through small legal matters. Any book that helps enable people to be advocates for themselves and simplifies the system is worth my recommendation and a 5 star rating.
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| "More complicated that most Nolo books, but VERY useful if you are willing to put in a little time and effort into your research." | 2009-10-01 |
| - Reviewed By scienceteachermom |
I am a big fan of Nolo press. I have used their books to set up my own company, learn about taxes, buy a house and write a will.
This book is a step up in complexity from most of the Nolo books I have used before. That is, of course, because it covers more complicated material. Although I have absolutely no law training (unless you count my previous reading) and have only set foot in a courthouse for jury duty, I was able to use this book to find information about state and federal laws related to the Americans with Disabilities act and children with diabetes in school. Being able to quote previous lawsuits and outcomes is helpful in getting the public school to comply with the ADA law.
The book gives step by step instructions for researching previous rulings. Some of the research can be done online for free. However, the more complicated and detailed work requires access to online law resources that are expensive (36 dollars a day or 60 bucks a week for one example). You also may need access to a law library to complete the process of researching previous rulings (called Shepardizing) However, I can certainly see that if you are doing your own legwork for a trial that that cost would be minimal compared to paying a lawyer to do the work.
The reading level of this book is certainly higher than most Nolo books. However, if you are reasonably bright and persistent you will have a good understanding of the background research done by paralegals and lawyers. The glossary of legal terms in the back is also very useful for the layperson. |
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