Philip N. Meyer

David Ray Papke

Diane H. Mazur

Carrie Menkel-Meadow

Christine A. Corcos

Melissa Cole Essig

Peter H. Huang

Lenora P. Ledwon

The United States is the world's most legalistic nation not only because of its laws, lawyers, and courts but also due to the amount, variety, and appeal of its law-related popular culture. This large body of materials and experiences profoundly affects what Americans expect from their legal institutions and government. Indeed, might it be true that pop cultural law is more important in shaping the lay public's assumptions and expectations than are actual laws and real-life courtroom proceedings? Law and Popular Culture is the first classroom text to examine the full range of American law-related popular culture. Designed primarily for law school use, the text examines the most influential pop cultural media—film, radio, television, and inexpensive fiction—but each of the text's 14 chapters begins with a list of five readily available Hollywood films that are relevant to that particular chapter. Instructors might screen selections from these lists in conjunction with their courses. After an introduction to the study of popular culture and an outline of the text's goals, the chapters themselves fall into two categories. Half concern the pop cultural portrayals of legal institutions and actors—law schools, the legal profession, clients, witnesses, judges, and juries. The second half concern assorted areas of law—Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Torts from the first-year curriculum and Business Law, Family Law, International Law, and Military Law from standard upper-level electives. Instructors might use the text at the pace of one chapter per week for an entire semester or pick and expand upon selected chapters as they think best. Overall, Law and Popular Culture underscores and scrutinizes the immense role popular culture plays in shaping the American legal consciousness. Teachers and students alike can use the text to explore what Americans expect from their law and legal institutions while at the same time honing their understanding of law and of the meaning of justice under law.

Law and Popular Culture: Text, Notes, and Questions

Good lawyers have an ability to tell stories. Whether they are arguing a murder case or a complex financial securities case, they can capably explain a chain of events to judges and juries so that they understand them. The best lawyers are also able to construct narratives that have an emotional impact on their intended audiences. But what is a narrative, and how can lawyers go about constructing one? How does one transform a cold presentation of facts into a seamless story that clearly and compellingly takes readers not only from point A to point B, but to points C, D, E, F, and G as well? In Storytelling for Lawyers, Phil Meyer explains how. He begins with a pragmatic theory of the narrative foundations of litigation practice and then applies it to a range of practical illustrative examples: briefs, judicial opinions and oral arguments. Intended for legal practitioners, teachers, law students, and even interdisciplinary academics, the book offers a basic yet comprehensive explanation of the central role of narrative in litigation. The book also offers a narrative tool kit that supplements the analytical skills traditionally emphasized in law school as well as practical tips for practicing attorneys that will help them craft their own legal stories.

Storytelling for Lawyers

Philip N. Meyer

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