Provides an introduction to the law, covering the basic subjects lawyers learn in the first year of law school, including constitutional law, civil rights, civil procedure, and the litigation process, torts, contracts, property, criminal law, and criminal procedure; and features real-life examples of the law in action.

Includes index.

There are no secret books : you can understand the law -- Constitutional law and constitutional politics : interpreting and applying the Constitution -- First freedoms : constitutional rights -- Your day in court : the litigation process -- Auto accidents, scalding coffee, and medical malpractice : personal injuries and tort law -- When is a deal a deal? : businesses, consumers, and contract law -- You are what you own : the law of property -- From insanity to in cold blood : criminal responsibility and criminal law -- Protecting the innocent, freeing the guilty : criminal procedure.