Each month the Law Library adds new books to our collection. Here is a selection of titles added in the last month. You'll find them on the New Book display by the front desk of the Boley Law Library, or shelved in their proper spot.
Click on the titles to see if they are available. Come to the library and check them out or, literally, come check them out of the library. Faculty, send us your requests and we'll have them in your inbox the next day.
Arson and Fire Investigation: A Legal Research Guide
by
Arson is a violent crime that has caused millions of dollars in property damage and widespread injuries and fatalities. In 2022, 30,400 incidents of arson were reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI's National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). However, the crime of arson is difficult to investigate and prosecute as it involves many complex challenges. The FBI's Uniform Crime Report program reported an arson crime clearance rate in 2019 of 23.4%. As the field of fire investigation evolves and continues to become more solidly grounded in science, there is an increasing need for resource material for the professionals involved in legal action related to fire investigation and arson. The authors have put together critical references in one resource to aid professionals in the legal system, law enforcement, and fire investigation community. It is the hope of the authors that this reference will continue the improve the understanding of fire investigation and will assist in the challenging pursuit of truth in arson cases. This bibliography follows previous bibliographies with citations to both primary and secondary sources. We have included both scientific and legal sources for the readers of this bibliography.
The Case for Effective Legal Writing
by
Welcome to a book that brings the courthouse to the legal writing classroom. The Case for Effective Legal Writing is the first of its kind, a text that connects writing technique to real-world consequences. In its pages, you'll find dozens of court cases in which writing technique determined the outcome or was otherwise significant--cases proving that the finer points of writing mechanics and legal style aren't trivial or mere fancies of personal taste. In short, this book will be Exhibit A when professors tell students that legal writing is every bit as important as the doctrinal law it shapes. The book devotes chapters to writing techniques and issues that law students invariably wrestle with: tone, diction, succinctness, grammar, syntax, punctuation, and more. Each chapter features an illustrative case or cases, edited for readability and focus. The case excerpts are preceded by explanatory passages and are followed by notes, questions, and practical exercises. The book is sure to prompt rich and useful conversations in and out of the classroom. And the writing lessons that emerge will stick, given their newly evident real-world implications. After reading these cases, students will never again see usage, mechanics, and style as ancillary afterthoughts. Professors can use this book in any legal writing course, whether a first-year offering or an advanced course. Its cases and lessons will enhance instruction on everything from memos and court briefs to contracts and legislation. It will also be a useful and practical resource for AJD, LLM, and MLS students.
The Foundations of American Law: A Companion to the 1L Year
by
The main objective of this text is to introduce the reader to many of the background assumptions about American law and legal argument that inform how lawyers and judges read decisions and other legal documents, and how they think about legal problems. Lawyers presuppose and use these ideas and intellectual tools without discussing them, while law professors (and the materials they assign) often leave it to students to figure out the assumptions for themselves. The book discusses the relationship between logic and historical experience in the construction of the law, the ways pre-Revolutionary English common law shaped American law, and the 19th and early 20th century developments that led to contemporary American law. The reader will also come away with a clear sense of the ways in which lawyers use "lawtalk" (the characteristic ways lawyers imagine, analyze, and address problems) to make sense of events and issues that require legal attention or decision. While there are a number of books that introduce readers to American legal thought, none are as introductory, accessible, or broad-covering as The Foundations of American Law: A Companion to the 1L Year. This book is primarily intended for first year law students, but will also be interesting to people considering law school or those who are simply interested in how lawyers and judges think and make decisions.
The Legal Memo: 50 Exercises for Mastery
by
To write an effective memo, legal writers must first master a series of distinct and crucial skills: fact selection, narrowing of the specific legal issue, correct rule formulation, and accurate application of law to the client's facts, to name but a few. This book provides the practice new legal writers need. The book contains fifty exercises, most of which can be done lightning-round style, taking just fifteen minutes. For more in-depth practice, the book also contains exercises taking about thirty minutes; these take a deeper dive into the material and bring together several different skills. Each exercise is independent, so students and professors will have little ramp-up time and can get right into the skills practice. Half the exercises have annotated sample answers in the back of the book, so writers can check their work. All exercises have been tested on law students. Using this book, legal writers can practice what they have learned from professors and primary casebooks. Any legal writer using these exercises will develop a keen understanding of the memo's various components and necessary skills.
The Foundations of American Law: A Companion to the 1L Year
by
The main objective of this text is to introduce the reader to many of the background assumptions about American law and legal argument that inform how lawyers and judges read decisions and other legal documents, and how they think about legal problems. Lawyers presuppose and use these ideas and intellectual tools without discussing them, while law professors (and the materials they assign) often leave it to students to figure out the assumptions for themselves. The book discusses the relationship between logic and historical experience in the construction of the law, the ways pre-Revolutionary English common law shaped American law, and the 19th and early 20th century developments that led to contemporary American law. The reader will also come away with a clear sense of the ways in which lawyers use "lawtalk" (the characteristic ways lawyers imagine, analyze, and address problems) to make sense of events and issues that require legal attention or decision. While there are a number of books that introduce readers to American legal thought, none are as introductory, accessible, or broad-covering as The Foundations of American Law: A Companion to the 1L Year. This book is primarily intended for first year law students, but will also be interesting to people considering law school or those who are simply interested in how lawyers and judges think and make decisions.
Sports Betting: A Legal Research Guide
by
Because sports betting is developing differently state-by-state and within tribal gaming systems, this guide includes material covering a wide variety of sports betting models. Users will see both primary and secondary sources referencing sports wagering, sports pools, fantasy sports, sports lotteries, pari-mutuel sports betting, tribal gaming, casino gaming, sportsbooks, internet betting, mobile sports betting, sports gambling, and gaming generally. These terms are not intended to be used interchangeably. Instead, the researcher should carefully explore the language used in each jurisdiction, paying particular attention to statutory and regulatory definitions. Additionally, we have elected to focus on the law of sports betting from 2018 to present because of the magnitude of change following the Murphy decision. There is a substantial body of scholarship focusing on the state of sports betting before and during the PASPA era. Researchers interested in law and scholarship prior to 2018 can use many of the resources and strategies noted throughout this guide to delve into this earlier material. Finally, this guide includes materials from states in which sports betting is legal at the time of publication. The 12 states that do not permit sports betting have been omitted. It also excludes law related exclusively to traditional casino gaming, horseracing, and other types of gambling not directly connected to the performance of specific athletes or the outcome of athletic events.
Arson and Fire Investigation: A Legal Research Guide
by
Arson is a violent crime that has caused millions of dollars in property damage and widespread injuries and fatalities. In 2022, 30,400 incidents of arson were reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI's National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). However, the crime of arson is difficult to investigate and prosecute as it involves many complex challenges. The FBI's Uniform Crime Report program reported an arson crime clearance rate in 2019 of 23.4%. As the field of fire investigation evolves and continues to become more solidly grounded in science, there is an increasing need for resource material for the professionals involved in legal action related to fire investigation and arson. The authors have put together critical references in one resource to aid professionals in the legal system, law enforcement, and fire investigation community. It is the hope of the authors that this reference will continue the improve the understanding of fire investigation and will assist in the challenging pursuit of truth in arson cases. This bibliography follows previous bibliographies with citations to both primary and secondary sources. We have included both scientific and legal sources for the readers of this bibliography.
Sports Betting: A Legal Research Guide
by
Because sports betting is developing differently state-by-state and within tribal gaming systems, this guide includes material covering a wide variety of sports betting models. Users will see both primary and secondary sources referencing sports wagering, sports pools, fantasy sports, sports lotteries, pari-mutuel sports betting, tribal gaming, casino gaming, sportsbooks, internet betting, mobile sports betting, sports gambling, and gaming generally. These terms are not intended to be used interchangeably. Instead, the researcher should carefully explore the language used in each jurisdiction, paying particular attention to statutory and regulatory definitions. Additionally, we have elected to focus on the law of sports betting from 2018 to present because of the magnitude of change following the Murphy decision. There is a substantial body of scholarship focusing on the state of sports betting before and during the PASPA era. Researchers interested in law and scholarship prior to 2018 can use many of the resources and strategies noted throughout this guide to delve into this earlier material. Finally, this guide includes materials from states in which sports betting is legal at the time of publication. The 12 states that do not permit sports betting have been omitted. It also excludes law related exclusively to traditional casino gaming, horseracing, and other types of gambling not directly connected to the performance of specific athletes or the outcome of athletic events.