Banks The American Legal Profession

The Myths and Realities of Practicing Law
1. Auflage 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5063-3310-6
Verlag: SAGE Publications
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 144 Seiten, EPUB

While emphasizing that lawyers fulfill a vital but often misunderstood public function in society,
The American Legal Profession: The Myths and Realities of Practicing Law dispels some of the common misconceptions about the legal profession to show that the reality of being a lawyer is much different from what many students believe it to be. Many students know little about what law school is like or how it differs from undergraduate study, and this book corrects common myths about graduating law school and life after passing the bar. This brief primer is a nuts-and-bolts analysis of what it is really like to go into the legal profession, from start to finish, giving students considering a career in law a realistic overview of their potential legal careers.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Banks, Christopher P.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Tables and Figures

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

1 The Myths and Realities of Being a Lawyer

The Trial Lawyer Myth

The “Law School Is a Good Investment” Myth

The Diversity and Egalitarian Myth

The Plan of the Book

Selected Readings

Web Links

Endnotes

2 Applying to Law School

A Brief Introduction to the American Legal Profession

Preparing for Law School: “Prelaw” Undergraduate Studies

Applying to Law School

Conclusion

Selected Readings

Web Links

Endnotes

3 Law School

The Casebook Method: “Learning to Think Like a Lawyer”

The Law School Curriculum

Licensing Requirements and Bar Admissions

Conclusion

Selected Readings

Web Links

Endnotes

4 The Practice of Law

The Business of Legal Practice

Big Law and Its Impact on the Legal Profession

Private Practice and Other Legal Employment Settings

Alternative Careers: Nonlegal Jobs

Conclusion

Selected Readings

Web Links

Endnotes

5 Future Trends and Reform Issues in the Legal Profession

The Legal Profession’s Insularity

The Difficulties of Traditional Law School Instruction

The Competitive Delivery of Legal Services in the Future

Conclusion

Selected Readings

Web Links

Endnotes

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Banks, Christopher P.

    Christopher P. Banks is a professor at Kent State University where he has served as the department’s graduate coordinator for its M.A. and Ph.D. program, and as an affiliate for the Center for Public Administration and Public Policy. Presently, he is the department’s prelaw advisor. He regularly teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the judicial process, constitutional law, civil rights and liberties, law and society, terrorism, and American politics.  He holds a J.D. from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
    Before becoming a faculty member at Kent State, Professor Banks practiced law in civil and criminal litigation and was active in local and state politics; in the late 1980’s he was appointed by Connecticut Governor William O’Neill to serve as an administrative hearing officer for the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
    Professor Banks is the author of the Judicial Politics in the D.C. Circuit Court (John Hopkins University Press, 1999); the co-author of The U.S. Supreme Court and New Federalism: From the Rehnquist to Roberts Court (Lanham: Roman & Littlefield, 2012) and Courts and Judicial Policymaking (Prentice Hall, 2008); and co-editor of the Final Arbiter: The Consequences of Bush v. Gore for Law and Politics (State University of New York Press, 2006) along with Superintending Democracy: The Courts and the Political Process (University of Akron Press, 2001). He has published numerous book chapters, book reviews, and journal articles on judicial behavior, law and politics, federalism, terrorism, and human rights in Justice System Journal, Publius: The Journal of Federalism, Judicature, International Journal of Human Rights, Public Integrity: The Journal for the American Society of Public Administration, Social Science Quarterly, Southeastern Political Review, and The Journal of Law & Politics, among others.