4 comments about Cardozo.

1. This is a book for laypeople and lawyers, rare in judicial biography. It is written in a clear and lucid prose, eschewing much of the current academic jargon. The author's years of work include many interviews with people now dead (and thus unavailable!), providing invaluable insights and perspectives into Cardozo's life and judicial influence. This work will be interesting to social historians, as well, for its treatment of the Nathan and Cardozo families' experiences in an evolving America.



2. Professor Kaufman presents his subject, first, as a man, establishing the personal background that shaped Cardozo's work as a judge. Kaufman then offers an insightful examination of the judicial work of Judge and Justice Cardozo, analyzing the development and maturation of Cardozo's thinking regarding the many legal principles which have become mainstays of American jurisprudence. The biography is well suited to lawyer and non-lawyer, and provides an extraordinary social history of the shaping of the American common law that governs our lives and liability today. This biography is a must-read primer for all soon-to-be law students, who will find in it an invaluable guide to the principles they are preparing to study. Professor Kaufman's honest analysis of the talents and faults of his subject is much to be commended.



3. Andrew Kaufman has written an engrossing account of the life of Benjamin Cardozo, a judicial hero of the first third of the century. This book should prove especially useful for first-year law students, who read many of Cardozo's most important decisions in their contracts and torts classes. But even non-lawyers with an interest in the legal system will find it highly readable and informative.



4. Professor Kaufman worked on this impressive biography of Benjamin Nathan Cardozo for over 35 years. There were times when one began to wonder if it would ever appear. Well, it did and it was worth the wait. This is a long book, running some 700 pages including notes. At times, it seems almost too detailed--but it is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in Cardozo, the development of American law, and the Supreme Court. Kaufman strikes a nice balance between BNC's private and public lives, his 18 year service on the New York Court of Appeals and his 5 or so terms on the Supreme Court, the biographical details one expects and the legal doctrines and opinions that he authored. Along the way, the author covers BNC's significant books; his involvement with the ALI; his work in developing key contract and tort concepts on the Court of Appeals; his long period as Chief Judge there; and his methods of working and drafting opinions while on the New York court.
   
   It is generally conceded that Cardozo's greatest contributions to the development of American law occurred on the CA and not during his service on the Supreme Court--he was the master common law judge rather than constitutional expert. So Kaufman devotes around 300 pages to Cardozo's service on that court. By contrast, around 100 pages are devoted to the Supreme Court and BNC's period in Washington. In fact, BNC does not get appointed until page 455. Cardozo found the Supremes a much less collegial body than the NY Court, in part because the justices were still doing the bulk of their work at home. Cardozo's views of state regulatory power and taxation, national regulatory power, court packing, and some civil liberties cases (such as Palko) are well addressed. Cardozo must have found it difficult to deal with colleagues such as Justice McReynolds and the other "four horsemen," but nonetheless he opposed FDR's court packing scheme.
   
   While Richard Polenberg's "World of Benjamin Cardozo" (also published by Harvard University Press) is itself a fine contribution, this is the most exhaustive study of Cardozo that we are likely ever to see. It is a masterful work, but one that requires persistence to get through. It is the book that BNC deserves.

No comments about Waves of Recovery: The Life of an Advocate of Latino Civil Rights.

No comments about Suicide Lawyers: Exposing Lethal Secrets.

1 comments about Defending Rights: A Life in Law and Politics.

1. For a long time I was looking for a book that could describe public-interest law from a day-to-day perspective. Although Askin packs decades of his career into the book, he provides lots of detail about the many victories and setbacks he has experienced--what happened in each case, why he believes it happened, how much luck played a role, how he disagreed with others about strategy, etc. In all it's the most accessible book about law I have ever read, thanks to Askin's friendly style, straightforward writing, and passion for the events he is describing.

No comments about My Life at the Bar And Beyond (Footprints).

No comments about The lives and times of the chief justices of the Supreme court of the United States. By Henry Flanders..

5 comments about 100 Words per Minute: Tales from Behind Law Office Doors.

1. I have been a legal assistant/paralegal for over 15 years and was excited to find a book about my life. I read it in one sitting. I loved it! I laughed a lot and cried too. Thank you for the wonderful tribute to our profession.



2. A masterpiece of workplace sociology! To begin with, Sara is an absolutely amazing writer: the poetry throughout, even in the prose, is stunningly beautiful. And the service she has provided to clerical workers and their bosses by writing "100 Words Per Minute" is immeasurable and invaluable.
   
   Alice Kisch
   Editor, Retired Legal Secretary



3. Several years ago I read Ms. Sara's book of poetry, To Be Filed, which I enjoyed quite a bit. So I was very happy to find she'd published a new book of both poems and stories, 100 Words per Minute.
   
   Like "To Be Filed", this book focuses on her experiences working in various law offices since the 70's. The stories are a blend of the funny, nostalgic, and reflective. For anyone who works in a law office, you'll recognize many of these characters. For anyone who hasn't, this will be a revealing peek into the real world of law. The egos, the conflicts, the deadlines and stress. It's all here. Sara weaves together tales from all over to create a coherent whole, held together by her constant longing for something different, and her continual return back to the belly of the beast.
   
   Those who enjoy this book will also like "Legal Tilt" which also looks inside the legal world and exposes the truths hidden there.



4. 100 words per minute is a lively fast read that tells stories of what it's really like to work in a Law office. Besides the crazy and wonderful characters Adina Sara describes, there is a profound message underneath about how sometimes a career finds you and that can turn out fine. A job is something that you do to pay the rent and a career is supposed to be an area where you have much interest and grow and develop. But a job can turn into a career and sometimes it can do more for you than make money. The people you work for and work with are often where the most learning lies. Adina Sara was appreciated for her skills and that is what kept her in the Law field. This is a good read for all office workers.



5. Part short fiction anthology, part memoir, 100 Words Per Minute: Tales From Behind Law Office Doors is a collection of ultra-brief, wry, witty, sometimes nasty, always insightful short stories by veteran law office worker Adina Sara. From backbiting coworkers to clueless bosses to litigators of all flavors from megalomaniacal to nearly-dead from exhaustion, 100 Words Per Minute offers a wry glimpse into trials and tribulations, and what working within America's legal system is really like. 100 Words Per Minute is a singularly delectable collection, whether the stories are savored a few at a time or all at once.

No comments about Justice James Iredell.

No comments about Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary (Facts on File Library of American History).

1 comments about All Rise: Reynaldo G. Garza, the First Mexican American Federal Judge (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas a&M University, No. 62).

1. Reynaldo G. Garza is a giant in the political and legal history of Texas and is most deserving of biographical treatment. All Rise successfully recounts many of the highlights of Judge Garza's life and career. It ultimately disappoints, however. First, the author lacks the legal background necessary to explain the significance of many of Judge Garza's judicial opinions. Second, the book fails to fully introduce the reader to the biographical subject himself, leaving him portrayed as two-dimensional and leaving the reader wanting more.