The aptly titled "Ministry and the American Legal System" by Richard B. Couser is a comprehensive (perhaps to those not acquainted to the workings in the legal "world" on a daily basis) book concerning how ministry and the legal system function harmoniously.

Couser begins with a brief overview of American history pertaining to the development of our Constitution and First Ammendments rights then systematically tackles important issues in two broad catagories he divides as U.S. Law & Religious Bodies and Risk Management Issues.

On a general level, this book addresses misconceptions (at least one's that I had) about our legal system, articulates some constitutional rights and enlightened me to some resposibilites as a worker of the Gospel that I wasn't aware of all by admittedly ignorance of the law. For example, the ramifications of not having proper insurance if I were ever in an auto accident in a church vehicle and how I would (or would not) be deemed liable.

Couser addresses topics such as Ecclesiastical Organizations and the Courts, Liabilities for Contracts and Torts, Copyright Law and the Church, Compensation and Taxes and so on. If there was anything you've ever wondered about on the administration side of your church or organization, Couser undoubtedly covers it with expertise.

Richard Couser is clear and definitive in his authority and knowledge in these matters. He will consistently use real cases, explain how whatever presiding (not sure if this is the correct term) entitiy of the legal system (State, Court, etc.) came to their ruling and therefore support his material with clear cut fact. Couser is not remiss in warning that change in legislation can make portions of this material obslete. I know that many do but more people professing to be Christian should probably develop at least some level of interest in these matters anyway as to keep up with current changes in law.

Not leisurely reading by any means, but important for those in church leadership to be at least acquainted with.

This book is really well done by Proff Leo and Thomas! It goes in greaat deapths of detail about the history and the argumentative sides of the Miranda debate! Ive also taken the criminology class with prof leo and this book it great for academic reading and for leisure reading.

The book is for lawyers in Great Britain and Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand. So the examples may strike U.S. lawyers as odd or old. But the principles are still valid, and the advice is still practical. The book explains how to draft in a clear, modern style. It provides before-and-after texts, examples of litigation-causing terms, and authoritative discussions of grammar, punctuation, and tone for the legal drafter.

It also has two things I haven't seen in other drafting books: (1) an informative discussion of the historical causes of bad legal drafting, and (2) a history of the plain English movement in England, Commonwealth nations, and the U.S.

Well, my dad wrote the book but it's great anyway. One of the highest selling books ever printed by the American Chemical Society.

This nutshell is a great synopsis of negotiable instrument law. It saved me from failing a payment systems class that I really didn't understand a week before the exam.

An impressive and "reader friendly" compendium of information and instruction Nolo's Patents For Beginners is the ideal introduction to the patenting process for novice inventors and entrepreneurs. Written in plain English, the reader is provided with up-to-date principles of patent law; shown how to properly "read" a patent application; shown the nuts and bolts of patent ownership; informed what the inventor's social or economic status is irrelevant; learn how to analyze and resolve patent disputes; what patents don't inherently provide "defensive" protection; and what the fundamentals of international patent law are. Nolo's Patents For Beginners is a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, corporate, and community library reference patent law collections.

This book is applicable to all businesses and industries, but my review is from the perspective of an IT consultant. In my profession we've all signed a nondosclosure agreement at one time or another, and we frequently make presentations or provide information that discloses trade secrets, or business-sensitive information to clients and potential clients.

This book contains a clear explanation about what you should be protecting with a nondisclosure agreement and does so in detail. The author clearly explains how to protect youself from both employees and competitors, as well as from potential business alliances (contractor/subcontractor, suitors in a merger or acquisition to whom you expose sensitive information, and clients to whom you make presentations and reveal processes and other sensitive information).

Key topics of importance that this book covers include:

* How much protection an NDA affords you.
* Remedies available to you in the NDA is violated.
* Alternatives to NDAs.

It also covers non-compete agreements and their limitations, especially in certain states, and gives example NDAs for specific situations such as beta testing, customer data, etc. The accompanying CD ROM provides fifteen sample forms that can be used with little or no modification (although I recommend that all be checked by an attorney who specializes in intellectual property law and is familiar with nuances of the law in your state).

Good use of diagrams to illustrate how specific techniques would work out. A good conceptual overview of various techniques. Sufficient info on each technique to allow you to decide which ones are likely to work best for you. Prepares you for a more meaningful discussion of alternatives with your estate planner.

Pyle and Pious do an excellent job of bringing together the proper corpus of primary documents to support their thesis that different institutions of power, especially the executive and less-so the judiciary, have not respected the constitutional confines placed on them. The two professors, through an erudite and relevant collection and commentary of source materal, including books, essays, and Supreme Court cases, make a strong argument. Moreover, the authors substantiate facts with source material and are neither implictly nor explicitly supercilious in their presentation of their commentary and sources. I personally recommend this book as either a text for use in an American Government class at the High School or college level in addition to a personal read for any one who has an acute interest in American political history.

In closely analyzing actual legal decisions, Reasoning and the Law is a unique philosophy of law text. After a fine short review of logic/reasoning in general, the book applies general reasoning to the law. It's exceptionally student-friendly with thoughtful questions posed at the end of chapters. I highly recommend this book; it is the best introduction to philosophy of law on the market.