Chapter 1 Introduction to Law 1
1.1 Functions of Law in Society 1
1.2 Sources of Law 4
1.3 Kinds of Law 21
Chapter 2 Law and History 39
2.1 Law Through the Ages 39
2.2 The English Heritage 47
2.3 The American Experience 52
Chapter 3 Legal Profession and Legal Education 55
3.1 The American Legal Profession 55
3.2 The American Legal Education 67
Chapter 4 Court Organization 73
4.1 The Federal Court System 74
4.2 State Court System 79
4.3 Judicial Selection 83
4.4 Removal of Judges 90
Chapter 5 Constitutional Law 94
5.1 Introduction to Constitutional Law 94
5.2 Judicial Review 96
5.3 Constitutional Interpretation 101
5.4 Major Constitutional Doctrines 106
Chapter 6 Criminal Procedure 116
6.1 Brief Introduction to Criminal Law 116
6.2 Characteristics of Criminal Law 118
6.3 Elements of a Crime 119
6.4 Parties to a Crime 124
6.5 Procedural Criminal Law 127
6.6 Punishment 133
6.7 Juvenile Justice 137
Chapter 7 Torts 140
7.1 Negligence 141
7.2 Intentional Torts 147
7.3 Strict Liability 155
7.4 Product Liability 156
7.5 Defamation 158
7.6 General Tort Defenses 159
7.7 Conclusion 160
Chapter 8 Contracts 161
8.1 Contractual Terms of Art 162
8.2 Formation of Contracts 163
8.3 Rules of Construction 168
8.4 Breach of Contract 169
8.5 Contract Interpretation 174
8.6 Performance 178
8.7 Conclusion 181
Chapter 9 Corporation 182
9.1 Corporation Basics 182
9.2 Business Relationship 184
9.3 Process of Incorporation 188
9.4 Purpose of Shareholder Voting 191
9.5 Federal Proxy Regulations—An Overview 191
9.6 Standards of Care 192
9.7 Shareholder Litigation 193
9.8 Piercing the Corporate Veil—Traditional Piercing Factors 198
9.9 Takeovers—An Introduction 203
9.10 Dividends and Distributions 207
Chapter 10 Typical Legal Documents Writing 210
10.1 Introduction of Legal Documents Writing 210
10.2 Foundation of Legal Writing 211
10.3 Litigation Process and Variety of Legal Documents 218
Chapter 11 Finding and Citing Basic Legal Resources 269
11.1 Introduction 269
11.2 Purposes of Legal Citation 269
11.3 Types of Citation Principles 271
11.4 How to Cite Legal Resources 271
11.5 Underlining and Italics 290
11.6 Placing Citations in Context 291
Chapter 12 Briefing a Case 294
12.1 Introduction 294
12.2 How to Brief a Case 295
12.3 More Brief Elements 302
12.4 Sample Briefs 305
References 323
Index 324