‘It details the lowering of trade and political barriers and the technical advances of the digital revolution that have made it possible to communicate and do business instantaneously with billions of people across the world. It is a seminal work, thought-provoking and evocative because of the legal ramifications of the emerging economy. Moreover, it compels us to face and meet the challenges of a world as different from the current one as the Industrial Revolution was to what came before it.’
� Rockard “Rocky” Delgadillo
Los Angeles city attorney
‘An insightful analysis of the role of technology in creating a new economic world order and new opportunities for the emerging powerhouses of China and India. The book is essential to an understanding of why the pace of globalization will inevitably quicken.’
� Seth Zackary
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
The Failure of the Founding FathersJefferson, Marshall and the Rise of Presidential Democracy
By Bruce Ackerman
Harvard University Press
‘This extraordinary book teaches well just how delicate and difficult any founding must be, by reminding us about how vulnerable and unlikely our own was.’
� Lawrence Lessig
Stanford Law School
The German Lesson
By Siegfried Lenz (translated by Ernest Kaiser and Eithne Wilkins)
New Directions Publishing Corp.
‘Based on the true story of the German painter Emil Nolde, whom the Nazis prohibited from painting his “degenerate” art. The story is told through the eyes of a boy whose father’s duty was to enforce the government’s orders. The book provides a beautifully written insight into the mentality of the Third Reich.’
� Justice Stuart Pollak
First District Court of Appeal
The People ThemselvesPopular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review
By Larry Kramer
Oxford University Press
‘It’s a lively account of the relation of law and politics at the time of the founding of America and in the early days of the republic. The history is in the service of a provocative argument against judicial supremacy in constitutional interpretation. Kramer concludes with a vigorous indictment of the Rehnquist court of usurping the prerogatives the founders intended to confer on the other branches and on the “people” as they engage in popular politics. Even lawyers who are not convinced by its thesis about judicial review are likely to be intrigued by its discussion of the role of courts in American constitutionalism.’
� Carmen Chang
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
In Cold Blood
By Truman Capote
‘The book was written in 1965 about the murder of a Kansas farm family by two at-odds parolees. This intelligently written account explores the roots of unexpected violence in the heart of American at a time when such horrors were less commonplace. I found Capote’s reflections on the death penalty especially relevant today.’
Positively Fifth StreetBy James McManus
Picador
‘The book is a romp through Las Vegas while the journalist-professor covers the 2000 Binion murder trial, participates in the World Series of Poker and ruminates on his life, wife and lap dancing. I found his adventures and keen observations addictive; just as I would itch for a court recess from the grueling trial coverage, the author lifted my spirits by switching to high-stakes Texas Hold’em poker and environs of Las Vegas.’
� Karyn Sinunu
Santa Clara County district attorney’s office
Murder in TombstoneThe Forgotten Tale of Wyatt Earp
By Steven Lubet
Yale University Press
‘Written from a trial lawyer’s perspective, yet rich in historical detail, it tells a story of Wyatt’s life, times and trial that is far more interesting than the legend we all know.’
The Murder of Helen Jewett
By Patricia Cline Cohen
Vintage
‘A New York prostitute is brutally murdered in 1836. The author describes in great detail the investigation, arrest and trial of the man suspected of the crime, and along the way paints a vivid picture of life in antebellum New York and New England.’
� Alex Kozinski
Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Rumpole of the Bailey
By John Mortimer
Penguin
‘The original “Rumpole of the Bailey” � or any of the following editions � is a great gift (if there is any lawyer out there who does not already have it). Charming, witty and, don’t we all wish we could talk that way to a judge once in a while? Courtroom drama, very human foibles and a humorous look at dealing with life as a lawyer and balancing (or failing to balance) a life against our “very jealous mistress,” the Law.’
� David Siegel
Irell & Manella
Actual InnocenceWhen Justice Goes Wrong and How to Make it Right
By Barry Scheck, Jim Dwyer and Peter Neufeld
Penguin
‘I think it is truly the most influential law book in the 20th century, having changed our most fundamental assumptions about the criminal justice system and led to extensive legislative changes nationally.’
The Remains of the Day
By Kazuo Ishiguro
Knopf
‘It tells lawyers to “seize the day” and not pour all of their energies into just work. Life should be lived generally; as we say to lawyers who work too many hours, “get a life!”‘
�Rory Little
Hastings College of the Law
Mao: The Unknown StoryBy Jung Chang
Knopf
‘Any lawyer worth his salt, and regardless of the nature of his or her practice, will want to learn as much as possible about China.’
� Wendy Tice-Wallner
Littler Mendelson
His Excellency: George WashingtonBy Joseph J. Ellis
Knopf
‘It is extremely well written and quite compelling as a history. For a lawyer, I think even more so because it details a very different governmental system than we now have, both what came before the first presidency and then the expectations of the role of the president, Legislature, etc. In light of comments about today’s election processes, etc., it is useful to see that all is not new, but also how George Washington rose above it or dealt with it.’
� Mary Kay Kane
Hastings College of the Law
To Kill a MockingbirdBy Harper Lee
‘Even if they had read it in high school, I’d encourage lawyers to read it again. When we’re younger “doing the right thing” seems axiomatic, but as we age and acquire the baggage associated with life, doing what’s right, even if it’s unpopular, is more striking, more important. This book is a touchstone to help lawyers remember one of the best things about practicing law � fighting for something larger than ourselves. And, it’s beautifully written.’
� John Russo
Oakland city attorney
The Last DuelA True Story of Crime, Scandal and Trial by Combat in Medieval France
By Eric Jager
Broadway Books
‘It’s a riveting historical account of the last trial by combat authorized by the French central government. It sounds like a Hollywood movie � two former friends battling to the death; a husband fighting the man accused of raping his wife; the wife being in peril of immediate death by burning if her husband loses � but it’s all true. Quite a story.’
� Eugene Volokh
UCLA School of Law
A Civil ActionBy Jonathan Harr
Knopf
‘It is the true story of a flamboyant plaintiffs lawyer who takes on a big-time establishment defense lawyer in a huge toxic tort case against W.R. Grace. It captures, better than anything else I have ever read, the excitement, the depression, the grind and the thrills of being a trial lawyer. As a trial lawyer, I loved it.’
� Kevin Dunne
Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold
