Law is a constantly evolving field. It’s not uncommon for a new practice area to emerge that allows lawyers to serve their clients in more innovative ways. This type of “New Law” can include using technology, focusing on process and establishing different types of fee structures. It can also mean embracing new client relationships and establishing a different kind of office structure. In other words, it’s all about finding a way to do law differently in order to provide the best service possible to their clients.
For many of us, a new year brings new resolutions and renewed hope that this will be the year we get things done. This is true for many areas of life, but it’s particularly the case in the legal profession. As a result, it’s important to keep an eye on the future of legal practice and how that might affect you and your clients.
One major change is how laws are drafted and enacted in the United States. Most ideas for new legislation come in the form of bills, which are formally introduced in Congress. They are numbered, such as H.R. 10 or S. 42, depending on where they were initially introduced and the order in which they were introduced. If a bill is approved by both the House of Representatives and Senate, it becomes a Public Law. Similarly, if a bill is approved by the Governor of a state, it is enacted as a State law.
The Supreme Court has been changing the course of American law in recent years. This fourth edition reflects these changes while continuing to present the fundamental rules, court cases, and concepts of key subjects in American law. Its narrative approach focuses on how to solve real legal problems, provides streamlined versions of illustrative cases, summarizes leading doctrines, analyzes trends, highlights areas for contemporary debate, and raises questions for further discussion.
This unique book is designed to be used by non-law students who want to understand how the American legal system works at a deeper level than the typical textbooks for an Introduction to U.S. Law class. The book is especially useful for those not currently planning to go to law school, such as legal assistants, students of American law taking a course outside the United States, LL.M. students from other countries, and American undergraduates in pre-law programs. It can also be a valuable tool for students in other fields who need to understand how American law relates to their work.