5 Books Every Lawyer Should Read
So you think now that law school is over you don’t have to read anymore? The Bar Exam is over, you caught up with the summer in August but now September is back and your career as a lawyer is about to start.
It’s time to catch up with some reading too. Save yourselves years of countless mistakes and learn from experienced attorneys. No matter how busy you may be, we can always make time for important matters. And if reading isn’t your thing, you can always download audio-books on your phone for your commute.
Find out about our Top 5 Books Every Lawyer Should Read
1. “Leadership on the Federal Bench: The Craft and Activism of Jack Weinstein” by Jeffrey B. Morris
- Provides a comprehensive study of the role of federal judges interwoven in the context of the biography of prominent scholar and judge, Jack Weinstein.
- · A unique study of the judicial function of the federal district courts
- · Written by an experienced scholar who has written histories of some of America’s most influential courts, and authored briefs for cases argued in the Supreme Court.
This book is not only about US District Judge Jack B. Weinstein, it is also an valuable portrait of the work of the United States District Courts. First amendment, school desegration, political corruption, Social Security disability, all of those issues were on his docket.
“ I would not be the Judge I am today, if I had not been inspired by Judge Jack B. Weinstein.”
–Shira A. Scheindlin, United States District Judge
2. “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- This book teaches the value of appreciating the little things in life, to accomplish what you enjoy in life as well as to simply “be a child” to survive through everyday scenarios.
- “The Little Prince” is a timeless tale because it touches upon childhood, imagination and the inevitability of growing up.
- “It connects you with your own being so you’re looking inward rather than outward. When you really get down to trial work there isn’t a mechanism where you learn tricks for convincing people of something you really don’t believe”.
The Little Prince has captured the hearts of readers around the world since he first appeared in 1943. Written by pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry while in America, the tale was inspired by his experiences in the French Air Force. On the surface it’s a simple story, but this little prince is as wise as they come and his messages of compassion and goodwill continue to endure.
3. “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison
- Invisible Man is a novel by Ralph Ellison, published by Random House in 1952. It addresses many of the social and intellectual issues facing African Americans early in the twentieth century.
- Since its publication, Invisible Man has been heralded as one of the most important novels of the 20th century. Ellison won a National Book Award for Fiction in 1953, and it’s been heavily circulated in classrooms ever since.
- It’s a study of morality when the question of identity is removed from the equation.
The narrator of the novel, a man who is never named but believes he is “invisible” to others socially, tells the story of his move from the South to college and then to New York City. In each location he faces extreme adversity and discrimination, falling into and out of work, relationships, and questionable social movements in a wayward and ethereal mindset.
4. “Personal History” by Katharine Graham
- Winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Biography
An extraordinarily frank, honest, and generous book by one of America’s most famous and admired women, Personal History is, as its title suggests, a book composed of both personal memoir and history. - Katharine Graham writes on the most dramatic moments of her stewardship of the Post (including the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and the pressmen’s strike), with acuity, humor, and good judgment.
- Her book is about learning by doing, about growing and growing up, about Washington, and about a woman liberated by both circumstance and her own great strengths.
Katharine Graham’s autobiography Personal History (1997) is the illuminating inside story of one of the United States’ most powerful media moguls.
5. “The Story of My Life” by Clarence Darrow
- Although written in 1932 it is an up to date and powerful essay -under the way of a memoir- about how to be a lawyer, from the deepest point of view, using as a trail the life of the author.
- “I was attracted by the show of the legal profession…” and “developed a desire to be a lawyer”, which consists of putting yourself in other person’s place, “I could not avoid doing so”.
- A fascinating career of fifty years going to court -the Coal strike, the Loeb-Leopold trial, the Evolution case or “monkey trial”, and many others recounted in this book.
“Darrow’s thoughtful insights into issues that continue to haunt America and the world, such as the impact of money on justice, capital punishment, the wisdom of the criminal justice system as applied, and on.”
What is your favorite book? Tell us in the comment section!
