Law in the United States

Law in the United States, Second Edition, is a concise presentation of the salient elements of the American legal system designed mainly for jurists of civil law backgrounds. It focuses on features of American law likely to be least familiar to jurists from other legal traditions, such as American common law, the federal structure of the U.S. legal system, and the American constitutional tradition. The use of comparative law technique permits foreign jurists to appreciate the American legal system in comparison with legal systems with which they are already familiar. Chapters in the second edition also cover such topics as American civil justice, criminal law, jury trial, choice of laws and international jurisdiction, the American legal profession, and the influence of American law in the global legal order.

Arthur T. von Mehren (1922-2006) was Professor of Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School Peter L. Murray is the Robert Braucher Visiting Professor of Law from Practice at Harvard Law School

1. Sources of American law; 2. American common law; 3. Comparative perspectives on American contract law; 4. American federalism; 5. American constitutional law and the role of the United States Supreme Court; 6. American civil justice; 7. American criminal justice; 8. American trial by jury; 9. Choice of law, International civil jurisdiction and recognition of judgments in the United States; 10. The American legal profession; 11. The United States and the global legal order.