To most Americans, the law-especially noncriminal law-is a mystery that only someone with a law degree can solve. Understanding Law in a Changing Society renders the complexity of law at a level that everyone can understand. The book walks readers through the structure of the legal system, different divisions of civil law, and the core concepts and distinctions that underlie contemporary legal thought. It also provides insight into the way law and social change affect one another. With this revised and updated third edition, the authors have incorporated an updated preface and a new introduction; outlined a "How to Brief a Case" section; included new case studies, readings, and "You be the Judge" features for selected chapters; and for the first time added a glossary of legal terms and key websites to the book. Important developments in judicial selection, the state secrets doctrine, and family law (including same sex marriage, child custody, and unwed fathers' rights) are highlighted.

To most Americans, the law--especially noncriminal (civil) law--is a mystery that only someone with a law degree can solve. With a masterful mixture of explanatory text, real cases showing the law at work, and the reflections of important historical and contemporary legal thinkers, "Understanding Law in a Changing Society" renders the complexity of law at a level that everyone can understand. The book walks students through the structure of the legal system, different divisions of civil law, and the core concepts and distinctions that underlie contemporary legal thought. It also provides insight into the way law and social change effect one another.In this revised and updated third edition, important developments in judicial selection, the state secrets doctrine, and family law (including same-sex marriage, child custody, and unwed fathers' rights) are highlighted.Author team This distinguished author team includes scholars and award-winning teachers from political science and public justice, as well as one who has practiced law in a private setting before joining the scholarly world.Multidisciplinary appeal Over the years, this text has been a reliable one for a variety of courses in a variety of departments introducing the American court system to students in political science, pre-law, criminal justice, and law & society courses.Features In the new edition, the authors have provided updated information for every chapter in a compact introduction to the text. Updates include new cases, readings, discussion questions, legal terms to know, further readings, and "You Be the Judge" items--all the features (including chapter objectives) that have made this text stand out from its inception.Updates Highlights of the updates include important developments in judicial selection, the state secrets doctrine, and family law including same-sex marriage, child custody, and unwed fathers' rights.New Features In addition, this edition includes for the first time annotated Websites for legal studies and a full text Glossary. This website for the book includes live links to the new sites in the book.How to Brief a Case For students new to law who may find the case format intimidating, the text opens with a section explaining step by step how to approach this task.Distinctiveness What sets this text apart from others you may consider? We think that its combination of casebook, reader, and basic text material is skillfully and uniquely woven together in a presentation designed for student interest and comprehension. Fascinating cases have been edited and introduced at just the right pitch and level. Students will come away with a solid understanding not just of the rule of law, but of how it works. The process of legal decisionmaking is at least as important as the laws themselves, for understanding the process helps students deal with complexity and inevitable change in the system.Finally, even with the new material and updates, this text is more compact than other introductory texts, offered in paperback, and competitively priced. In addition to its many other attributes, students will appreciate this text Websites from the Revised and Updated Third Edition

To most Americans, the law--especially noncriminal (civil) law--is a mystery that only someone with a law degree can solve. With a masterful mixture of explanatory text, real cases showing the law at work, and the reflections of important historical and contemporary legal thinkers, "Understanding Law in a Changing Society" renders the complexity of law at a level that everyone can understand. The book walks students through the structure of the legal system, different divisions of civil law, and the core concepts and distinctions that underlie contemporary legal thought. It also provides insight into the way law and social change affect one another. With this third edition, the authors have substantially updated and expanded the text, adding twenty-five percent more new cases, a new chapter on family law, and innovative "You Be the Judge" sections in each chapter, inviting students to decide legal questions, engage with the issues, and test their understanding.