American Law in a Global Context: The Basics
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Publication Date
9-2025
Description
American Law in a Global Context: The Basics has long been chosen by leading law schools in the United States and across the globe for study by foreign lawyers who pursue U.S. legal education. Highly instructive for lawyers from foreign nations yet sufficiently clear and memorable for undergraduate study, American Law prepares its readers at all levels to use the case method — the dialogues between teacher and student over the law cases at the core of U.S. law study. The book features casebook-length excerpts of judicial opinions in the basic subjects of American law schools. Each case is preceded by a short, clear description of basic ideas of that subject of the law and is followed by questions and notes that help the reader grasp the case and that distinguish U.S. laws and rules from other legal systems. This much-revised edition of American Law is completely updated, with the heightened clarity required for contemporary students. It retains its comparisons to other global legal systems, focuses on easing the reader’s grasp of the basics of U.S. law and prepares those who plan to practice it. The authors apply their experiences in teaching the basics of U.S. law to thousands of students from around the world to explain points that students of all nations, including the United States, find challenging. These challenging elements of the US legal system include its Constitution, its criminal system, its juries, and its use of facts, laws, justice, and economics.
Disciplines
American Politics | Comparative and Foreign Law | International Law | Jurisprudence | Law | Law and Philosophy | Law and Politics | Political Science
ISBN
9780190879679
Publisher
Oxford University Press
City
New York, NY
Reviews
"As, in effect, an introductory textbook, the work is well designed. Each section follows a rough format of commentary, extracts from case law or other works to illustrate key points, and a set of self-test questions for students to consider. As an introduction for students, it hits the brief. It is also a gentle introduction to American law for those who might want to read further."
—James E. Hurford, The Law Society Gazette
Recommended Citation
Fletcher, George P.; Kong, Hoi L.; and Sheppard, Stephen M., "American Law in a Global Context: The Basics" (2025). Faculty Books. 75.
https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/books/75
Comments
Also available as an eBook.