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Books > Law > Jurisprudence & general issues > Legal profession
In the summer of 2008 Kimberley Motley quit her job as a public
defender in Milwaukee to join a program that helped train lawyers
in war-torn Afghanistan. She was thirty-two at the time, a mother
of three who had never travelled outside the United States. Through
sheer force of personality, ingenuity and perseverance, Kimberley
became the first foreign lawyer to practise in Afghanistan and her
work swiftly morphed into a mission - to bring 'justness' to the
defenceless and voiceless. She has established herself as an expert
on its fledgling criminal justice system, able to pivot between the
country's complex legislation and its religious laws in defence of
her clients. Her radical approach has seen her successfully
represent both Afghans and Westerners, overturning sentences for
men and women who've been subject to often appalling miscarriages
of justice. Inspiring and fascinating in equal measure, Lawless
tells the story of a remarkable woman operating in one of the most
dangerous countries in the world.
The story of the Civil Rights icon and Black lawyer who fought
racism and political oppression with uncommon devotion. There is no
equal justice for Black people today; there never has been. To our
everlasting shame, the quality of justice in America has always
been and is now directly related to the color of one's skin as well
as to the size of one's pocketbook."This quote comes from George W.
Crockett Jr.'s essay, "A Black Judge Speaks" (Judicature, 1970).
The stories of Black lawyers and judges are rarely told. By sharing
Crockett's life of principled courage, "No Equal Justice" breaks
this silence. The book begins by tracing the Crockett family
history from slavery to George's admission into the University of
Michigan Law School. He became one of the most senior Black lawyers
in President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal administration. Later,
he played a central role fighting discrimination in the United Auto
Workers union. In 1949, he became the only Black lawyer, in a team
of five attorneys, defending the constitutional rights of the
leaders of the U.S. Communist Party in United States v. Dennis, the
longest and most dramatic political trial in American history. At
the close of the case, Crockett and his defense colleagues were
summarily sentenced to prison for zealously representing their
clients. He headed the National Lawyers Guild office in Jackson,
Mississippi, during 1964's Freedom Summer. In 1966, he was elected
to Detroit's Recorder's Court—the court hearing all criminal
cases in the city. For the first time, Detroit had a courtroom
where Black litigants knew they would be treated fairly. In 1969,
the New Bethel Church Incident was Crockett's most famous case. He
held court proceeding in the police station itself, freeing members
of a Black nationalist group who had been illegally arrested. In
1980, he was elected to the United States Congress where he spent a
decade fighting President Reagan's agenda, as well as working to
end Apartheid in South Africa and championing the cause to free
Nelson Mandela. Crockett spent his life fighting racism and
defending the constitutional rights of the oppressed. This book
introduces him to a new generation of readers, historians, and
social justice activists.
This edition makes Susskind's highly-acclaimed and best-selling book available in paperback, and includes a new and substantial preface by the author. His prize-winning book demonstrates why the future of the law is digital. It shows why and how IT is radically altering and will alter further the practice of law and the administration of justice. Beyond automating and streamlining traditional ways of providing legal advice, IT is re-engineering the entire legal process, resulting in legal products and information services focused on dispute pre-emption rather than dispute resolution, and legal risk management rather than legal problem solving. With easy and inexpensive access available, IT will help to integrate the law with business and domestic life. This book explores the implications, opportunities, and challenges presented by the information society as it irrevocably changes how law will be practised and justice administered.
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