University of Miami - School of Law

Recommended Summer Reading List
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April, 2009

Many of you wish to take this summer to travel the world, connect with family, or explore other interests. We want to encourage you to do all of this and more. Your first year of law school will be one of the most intellectually challenging and exciting experiences, and you want to be well rested before you start.

Some of you have asked about some suggestions for books and other materials. The UM School of Law has a broad diversity of faculty, administration and students who would approach the summer reading project in different ways. This list is intended to expose you to a range of options.

Current Events:

The study of law is tightly woven with an understanding of our government, political process and world affairs. We encourage you to read a good national newspaper, such as the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post or The Los Angeles Times. A few professors will require a New York Times subscription for their courses.

Fiction ( Some “Classics”)

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man
Herman Melville, Billy Budd
Thane Rosenbaum, Law Lit: A Collection of Great Writing about the Law 

Non-Fiction (Stories About Big and Important Cases, Legal History, Social Policy and Philosophy)

Akhil Amar, America’s Constitution, A Biography
Catherine Drinker Bowen, The Lion and the Throne: The Life and Times of Sir Edward Coke
Joel Feinberg, Philosophy of Law
David Friedman, Law’s Order: What Economics Has to do with Law and Why It Matters
John Grisham, The Innocent Man
Lani Guinier, Becoming Gentlemen: Women, Law School and Institutional Change
*Jonathan Harr, A Civil Action
Peter Irons, The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court
David Kessler, A Question of Intent
*Edward Levi, Introduction to Legal Reasoning
Anthony Lewis, Gideon’s Trumpet
Arthur Liman, Lawyer: A Life of Counsel and Controversy
*Karl Llewellyn, Bramble Bush
*Plato, Gorgias
Gerald Stern, The Buffalo Creek Disaster: How the Survivors of One of the Worst Disasters  in Coal-Mining History Brought Suit Against the Coal Company—and Won
Michael Tigar & Angela David,eds., Trial Stories
Jeffrey Toobin, The Nine
Sarah Weddington, A Question of Choice
Barry Werth, Damages

(Books with * are required by some 1L faculty in the fall semester.)

Transition to Law School (As Recommended by our Academic Achievement Program)

Charles Calleros, Law School Exams
Enquist, Oates, and Kunsch, The Legal Writing Handbook: Research, Analysis & Writing
Ann Ijima, the Law Student’s Pocket Mentor: From Surviving to Thriving
Ruth Ann McKinney, Reading Like a Lawyer
Ramy, Succeeding in Law School
Schwartz, Expert Learning for Law Students
Ruta K. Stropus and Charlotte D. Taylor, Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School: Strategies for Success
Wydick, Plain English for Lawyers

The ability to write well is essential to success as a law student and lawyer. You may wish to invest in the classic Elements of Style by William Strunk, R. and E.B. White (fourth edition.)

Practical Advice

Kimm Alayne Walton, Guerilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams
Suze Orman, Suze’s Orman 2009 Action Plan
Stephen Covey et al, First Things First

Blogs

http://lsolum.typepad.com/legal_theory_lexicon/
http://www.discourse.net/ (moderated by our own Professor Michael Froomkin)

Movies:

The UM Law Library maintains a collection of law-related videos and DVD’s.  A full listing of those available can be located at: http://library.law.miami.edu/films.php

We have asked our Student Orientation Committee to identify those that they found the most useful and provocative and you will find those suggestions on our message board on the admitted students web page.
 
Where to Buy?

The majority of Law Students purchase their textbooks in these locations:

1. University of Miami Bookstore

   www.miami.edu/bookstore/
   Phone: 305-284-4101
   Email: 0475trd@fheg.follett.com

2. Book Horizons, 1110 South Dixie Highway, Coral Gables

   Phone: 305-665-6161
   Email: info@bookhorizons.com
   www.bookhorizons.com

3. Most of the books mentioned on this web page will be generally available online or in major book stores.