Law School 411: Books & Films on Law & Law School

Many entry-level lawyers are caught off guard by the transition from law school to professional life. Find strategies to achieve satisfying and successful careers including making positive first impressions, developing productive and professional work habits, building effective business networks and becoming comfortable with promoting work and professional talents, to maintaining admirable reputations, serving others, and advocating for the wider community.

Whatever your questions about Big Law, and whoever you are, this comprehensive book may be for you. The author's disclaimer is that the views expressed are solely the views of the author and do not reflect the views of any other person or organization, nor his current or past employers or organizations.

"You seem to have it all. A beautiful family, a nice house, new cars, and an enviable job. But now that you have it all, something feels… off. Your law career has become horribly soul-sucking. You’re managing your life, sort of, but you feel duped. Trapped. Your 'good job' is affecting your health and relationships, and you’re just trying to keep all the plates spinning... Here’s the good news: You can find a job that helps you provide for your family while giving you happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind. If you are still struggling to find a way to provide for your family without losing yourself, this book is for you. [This book] gives you the tools you need to get unstuck in your career and start living your dream."

Packed with insights from over 1,000 law students, this book offers practical wisdom to help law students find a sense of purpose. An indispensable companion for law students, prospective law students, and law professors and scholars.

Join author Michael H. Roffer as he explores 250 of the most fundamental, far-reaching, and often-controversial cases, laws, and trials that have profoundly changed our world—for good or bad. Offering authoritative context to ancient documents as well as today’s hot-button issues, The Law Book presents a comprehensive look at the rules by which we live our lives. It covers such diverse topics as the Code of Hammurabi, the Ten Commandments, the Trial of Socrates, the Bill of Rights, women’s suffrage, the insanity defense, and more. Roffer takes us around the globe to ancient Rome and medieval England before transporting us forward to contemporary accounts that tackle everything from civil rights, surrogacy, and assisted suicide to the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Google Books, and the fight for marriage equality. Organized chronologically, the entries each consist of a short essay and a stunning full-color image, while the “Notes and Further Reading” section provides resources for more in-depth study. Justice may be blind, but this collection brings the rich history of the law to light.

On March 18, 1963 the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright. The Court unanimously ruled that all defendants facing significant jail time have the constitutional right to a free attorney if they cannot afford their own. In "Chasing Gideon" Karen Houppert chronicles the stories of people in all parts of the country who have relied on Gideon's promise. "Chasing Gideon" provides crucial insight into our attempts to implement this fundamental constitutional right.