Preview of Law School: Suggested Readings

Anticipating what law school will be like can be a matter of considerable thought by incoming first year law students, especially during those long summer months prior to the first day of school. The following booklist provides information on the study skills necessary for success, along with some interesting and inspiring readings on the practice of law.  These books may be available through Amazon.com, your local bookstore or public library. Many of them are also available in our law library collection.   Please note that they are not required readings for your first year of law school, but suggestions only.

Light Summer Reading

The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court
Woodward, Bob and Armstrong, Scott

The Brethren is an illuminating look at the inner workings of the Supreme Court. Despite the term covered, 1969-1975, the book is a revealing account of court personalities, the wide range of factors which influence a court's opinion, and how a court is "built” (a majority opinion).

The Buffalo Creek Disaster: The Story of the Survivors' Unprecedented Lawsuit
Stern, Gerald M.

The story of the pro bono publico partner of Arnold & Porter who was the lead counsel for over 600 survivors of a coal mine disaster in West Virginia, it shows both the procedural and human side of the practice of law.

A Civil Action
Harr, Jonathan

This is the story of a lawsuit brought by families of eight leukemia victims against two corporate giants for dumping cancer-causing materials into their water table.

Gideon's Trumpet
Lewis, Anthony

This is a history of the landmark case of James Earl Gideon's fight for the right to legal counsel.

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
Grisham, John

Based on a true story of how Ron Williamson, a major league baseball prospect, was arrested and charged with a crime he did not commit.

An Introduction to Law, Law Study, and the Lawyer's Role
Moliterno, James (Revised 2004)

Often lighthearted, this pragmatic book combines an innovative introduction to the American legal system with material on how to read cases and understand them, and as importantly, the lawyer's role in interacting with the client.

A Nation Under Lawyers: How the Crisis in the Legal Profession is Transforming American Society
Glendon, Mary Ann

This is a thought-provoking critique of the role and impact of the legal profession in today's society.

One L
Turow, Scott

Read Scott Turow's fascinating and revealing account of his experience as a first year law student at Harvard Law School.

Though the Heavens May Fall: The Landmark Trial That Led to the End of Human Slavery
Wise, Stephen H.

This book recounts the 1772 London trial of James Somerset, a black American slave who accompanied his slave master to England, and legally petitioned the British court to remain in England as a free man. This case confirmed that slavery was not legal in Great Britain, and as the case drew to a close, the famously conservative judge, Lord Mansfield, spoke these stirring words: "Let Justice be done, though the Heavens may fall."

Survival Skills