Customer Reviews

Concepts And Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts (Concepts and Insights)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Most of the reviews are by law students, and I agree that this is an excellent study aid that (for any student with the potential to become a decent lawyer) is far more valuable than the usual commercial outlines. However, as someone who graduated law school in 1991, I can add that it also provides rare pleasure that is not to be missed by any member of that exceedingly small group composed of lawyers who actually are interested in the law. (For lack of a better analogy -- and I trust I won't be misunderstood -- the effect is a little like Rocky and Bullwinkle, something that manages to keep both the kids and the adults entertained, although on different levels.) It is hard to imagine a better opportunity to follow along as a truly great lawyer shows by example how one distinguishes cases, assesses what the court saw in the facts, and elaborates doctrine. This, in somewhat informal garb, is traditional legal analysis at its very best and accessible enough to make it painfully clear to everyone what we stand to lose through the invasion of our law schools by a bunch of PhDs peddling the latest academic fads. Any law student who wants to get some sense of what it means to be a real lawyer (you won't meet that many) should read this book.

I remember Chirelstein from my time at Columbia Law School as a somewhat distant figure, but when he appears in these pages it is hard to describe the sensation produced by such direct and complete access to a superior mind. Combine this with flowing, limpid prose, and the result is profound sadness that such books are so rare.

This book is pure genius. The dense and mysterious subject of contracts is rendered both intelligible and sensible by the author's witty prose. Written in the friendly, almost conversational style familiar to his students, Chirelstein provides in just a few pages a thorough overview of the material.

The book is short enough to read in a weekend, and should be mandatory reading for all first year law students. I read it twice; once at the beginning of the semester and once for finals (its that short) and found in invaluable.

The book gives an incredibly clear explanation of all the basics of contract law. Professor Chirelstien taught me Contracts at Columbia Law School in 1997, and his book amazingly explains the law of contracts in a basic form that is as useful for first-year law students as it would be informative for anyone wanting to learn about contracts.

This is one of the few books that someone should consider reading before law school. Written in a fluid style, the book provides an adequate overview of what could be called "Contracts' Greatest Hits." While it is probably not sufficient to rely on for exams, it is a great introduction to legal thinking generally.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in contracts and contractual obligations. The concepts of contract law are often presented by law school professors as mysterious and lofty. Professor Chirelstein makes them easy to understand. As my first year contracts professor put it when speaking of the author of this book: "Oh. . . you mean the Great Chirelstein." And indeed he is!

This book explains contract law simply and effectively in an incredibly small number of pages. The book covers the entire common law of a first year course. When taking Contracts, I used Chirelstein as a review of a section of law, and it noted just about every seminal case. Often, the explanations were better than my professor's (and perhaps not conicidentally, sometimes they were the same). Now that I am a second-year student, I still use it as my first reference for contracts before looking to a horn book or Westlaw. I would recommend every first year law student to have a copy. It is easy on the back and on the mind.

One should note, however, that this book does not reference the UCC. Rather, it is a supplement for the common law majority rules.

Really simplifying the difficult things, I was very pleased. I know it's short, but that and the fact that I heard the opinions (and he makes it really clear that they are his opinions) of the author actually kept me interested.

Helped me wade through the really confusing stuff, and like i said, i did FAR better in contracts than other classes with more confusing and complicated hornbooks.

I have NO IDEA why they're including a review of the chinese translated version. . .that has no bearing on the utility of this book.

A perfect companion guide to your Contracts text... has overviews of those cases we will all learn to love (Contracts Best Hits) but not your average canned brief. This book gives you a great overview, rationals behind the big decisions, and all the while with a wit and humor rarely seen in the field of Contracts. Very strong on public policy, so you can have extra insight on exams. Worth every penny.

I am a failed law student. I went the first year and quit because I didn't enjoy the experience and knew the law profession was not one I wished to join. However, I came across, and kept, a few *phenomenal* books while I was in law school, books written in layman's terms that give a wonderful understanding of an area of the law, and this book is one.

Many of us don't have the time or money to invest in a personal lawyer to answer any legal questions. This book serves the role nicely. With its simple language and highlights of the major points of contract law, it will give good direction when seeking legal council.

What this book will not do is give you everything you need to pass a law school class. I know because I tried. But for the semester I did care, this book supplemented my text and the UCC very well and helped me get an A.

The book delivers what it promises: a very succinct overview of Contracts law. I found it immensely helpful in understanding major themes in Contracts, and the book addresses many of the most popular cases found in the casebooks. My one complaint is that Prof. Chirelstien is sometimes a bit verbose at times. It often appears as if he looses sight of his audience (law students primarily) and tries to impress his colleagues in academia with his vocabulary and academic wittiness. I can get that in class from my own professors. That said, I think the book a very helpful guide to law students who are still fuzzy about the concepts after reading the casebook and going to lecture.