If you’ve ever taken a law course or even tried to read over the terms and conditions of a website or app, you must know that reading legal text can be challenging. Legal terminology alone and difficult interpretations of the law, though important, can make law textbooks long, dry, and unexciting.
Thankfully, not all textbooks are created equal. There are a fair few tomes out there that provide interesting interpretations of criminal, constitutional, international, and other forms of law.
We’ve gathered 10 engaging law textbooks, each with different perspectives that will keep you interested in the nuances of law and provide content for engaging classroom argumentative discussions.
Introduction to Criminal Justice, 16th edition
In its 16th edition, Siegel’s textbook offers an in-depth look at the inner workings of the correctional and court systems. Introduction to Criminal Justice also provides clear and concise information of key criminal justice concepts. With this textbook, readers can be sure to receive nearly all the necessary resources for a career in the criminal justice system.
The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win
Presenting and defending one’s argument is an essential component of the law. With decades of experience behind him, Professor of International Law Joel Trachtman presents essential tools to boost your critical thinking and confidence in argumentative discourse.
International Law
The key themes and issues in contemporary international law are distilled into Malcolm Evans’ International Law. Evans brings together diverse writings and analyses from top international law scholars. If that wasn’t enough, this textbook explores the discourse and challenges behind each concept. International Law is accompanied by helpful online resources.
Business Law: Text and Cases
Clarkson’s textbook seamlessly combines the didactic aspect of law with up-to-date coverage of present issues and cases in business law. Sift through a number of interesting cases where students can view tangible examples of the law applied to business and commerce in all its forms.
The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts
Every legal drama has persuaded us that legal cases are won the court through impassioned speeches and arguments, but Bryan Garner assures us that good legal writing and compelling briefs are essential in the courts and trial systems. Garner offers numerous tips, examples and guides to engage a judicial readership and excel in the legal justice system.
Understanding Criminal Law
This textbook was designed with criminal law students in mind and works with any casebook. It covers a variety of essential topics that are analysed and assessed time and again in casebooks and exams. Dressler also compares common law to the penal code and modern statutes when examining quickly changing legal areas. It is a boon any criminal law course.
Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts
Antonin Scalia and Bryan A. Garner
Reading law breaks down the most important principles of constitutional, statutory, and contractual law. Justice Scalia and Bryan Garner, both renowned in their fields, bring a wealth of experience to the topics discussed in this text with examples and brilliant arguments. For those interested in developing good arguments in statutes, contracts or even constitutions, Reading Law is the book to pick up.
Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies (Aspen Treatise)
Chermerinsky’s book exposes common policy issues found in areas of constitutional law. Students, professors, and legal professionals alike can benefit from the thorough examinations of constitutional interpretations and their problems.
Constitutional Law, 8th edition (Hornbook Series)
Within its pages, Constitutional Law contains a definitive guide on all facets of constitutional law for students and professionals. The textbook explores the fundamentals of constitutional law by examining it through varying perspectives and critical theories.
Criminal Law, Cases and Materials (American Casebook Series)
With a whopping 1055 pages, Lee and Harris cover all the usual subjects in their coursebook while also exploring the cultural context of criminal law. The authors infuse their coursebook with concepts drawn from Critical Race and feminist theory perspectives. This student-friendly coursebook includes summaries of legal concepts for revision ahead of each chapter.
The letter of the law can be incredibly challenging to comprehend and there’s a fair number of dry, boring textbooks that deliver the content with little flair. Here we have 10 law textbooks that tackle key legal concepts for students.
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