Subject Bibliography in Law: Humour and Law

The legal system isn't usually considered a wellspring of laughter, but every once in a while, a jovial judge is faced with a case of such absurdity that it fairly demands an equally amusing response. Presented here are some 100 of the most outrageous cases and judicial rulings ever handed down, dating from the present day back to the 13th century and covering such fertile legal--and laughable--grounds as a blowtorch-wielding hairdresser, the case of the bovine house-wrecker, the man who sued himself for breach of trust and other ticklish torts. From the case of Schwartz vs. Warwick-Philadelphia Corporation, which shows that brotherly love takes a backseat to backside injury when a slip and fall has plaintiffs seeking damages for their dented posteriors, to Aetna Insurance vs. Sachs, concerning a poodle who piddled on a priceless rug, these judicial rulings offer an hilarious perspective on the law and those who administer it.

Few people associate law books with humor. Yet the legal world--in particular the American legal system--is itself frequently funny. Indeed, jokes about the profession are staples of American comedy. And there is actually humor within the world of law too: both lawyers and judges occasionally strive to be funny to deal with the drudgery of their duties. Just as importantly, though, our legal system is a strong regulator of humor. It encourages some types of humor while muzzling or punishing others. In a sense, law and humor engage a two-way feedback loop: humor provides the raw material for legal regulation and legal regulation inspires humor. In Guilty Pleasures, legal scholar Laura Little provides a multi-faceted account of American law and humor, looking at constraints on humor (and humor's effect on law), humor about law, and humor in law. In addition to interspersing amusing episodes from the legal world throughout the book, the book contains 75 New Yorker cartoons about lawyers and a preface by Bob Mankoff, the cartoon editor for the New Yorker.

From the McDonald's hot coffee case to the cattle ranchers' beef with Oprah Winfrey, from the old English ""Assize of Bread"" to current nutrition labeling laws, what we eat and how we eat are shaped as much by legal regulations as by personal taste. Barry M. Levenson, the curator of the world-famous (really!) Mount Horeb Mustard Museum and a self-proclaimed ""recovering lawyer,"" offers in Habeas Codfish an entertaining and expert overview of the frustrating, frightening, and funny intersections of food and the law. Discover how Mr. Peanut shaped the law of trademark infringement for the entire food industry. Consider the plight of the restaurant owner besmirched by a journalist's negative review. Find out how traditional Jewish laws of kashrut ran afoul of the First Amendment. Prison meals, butter vs. margarine, definitions of organic food, undercover ABC reporters at the Food Lion, the Massachusetts Supreme Court case that saved fish chowder, even recipes - it's all in here, so tuck in!

Born into a family of attorneys, Dickinson absorbed law at home. She employed legal terms and concepts regularly in her writings, and her metaphors grounded in law derive much of their expressive power from a comparatively sophisticated lay knowledge of the various legal and political issues that were roiling nineteenth-century America. Dickinson displays interest in such areas as criminal law, contracts, equity, property, estate law, and bankruptcy. She also held in high regard the role of law in resolving disputes and maintaining civic order. Toward the end of her life, Dickinson cited the Spartans' defense at Thermopylae as an object lesson demonstrating why societies should uphold the rule of law. Yet Dickinson was also capable of criticizing, even satirizing, law and lawyers. Her poetic personae inhabit various legal roles including those of jurymen, judges, and attorneys, and some poems simulate courtroom contests pitting the rights of individuals against the power of the state. She was keenly interested in legal matters pertaining to women, such as breach of promise, dower, and trusts. With her tone ranging from subservient to domineering, from reverential to ridiculing, Dickinson's writings reflect an abiding concern with philosophic and political principles underpinning the law, as well as an identification with the plight of individuals who dared confront authority. A Kiss from Thermopylae reveals a new dimension of Dickinson's writing and thinking, one indicating that she was thoroughly familiar with the legal community's idiomatic language, actively engaged with contemporary political and ethical questions, and skilled at deploying a poetic register ranging from high romanticism to low humor.

Prepare yourself for a long strange trip from which there is no return - The Law School Trip - a twisted insider's guide to the surreal world of legal education. Written by an award-winning law professor and humorist, The Law School Trip is the step-by-step guide that unlocks all the secrets of law school (to unlock the actual school, purchase The Lock-Picking Trip separately). In this one book, you'll learn about: * The LSAT® and other registered trademarks * Rankings: Feeling good about not getting into Harvard * Surviving the Socratic method with treatable injuries * Lucky charms and other tips for exam success * The Horribly Evil Bluebook * Fun, Fun, Fun and the Rule Against Perpetuities * Learning to love Mrs. Palsgraf * Strange Creatures from Outer Space and other law faculty * Law's Greatest Hits: Best First-Year Cases * Writing a resume your therapist would be proud of * And much, much more! The perfect gift for law students, lawyers, and anyone who has wondered what law school is like. REVIEWS "A delicious read from beginning to end." -- Grif Stockley, bestselling author of Probable Cause and Religious Conviction "Fly, drive, walk, or crawl to buy The Law School Trip, a superb and highly entertaining parody of legal education." -- Professor Timothy R. Zinnecker "Heaps and mounds of undulating and ululating laughter. ... McClurg makes the law school experience sparkle and shine." -- The Law Teacher, Official Publication of the Institute for Law School Teaching "Howlingly, gut-wrenchingly, turn purple and blow food out your nose funny!" -- The Bimonthly Review of Law Books "McClurg brings legal humor to new heights. ... Very, very funny!" -- Professor Myron Moskovitz "More pure pleasure than anything I've read in months." -- Professor Marianne Wesson, bestselling author of Render Up the Body and A Suggestion of Death "The perfect antidote for legal education... A must read for law students, professors, and lawyers." -- Professor Gerry Hess, Institute for Law School Teaching "What a Trip'! ... Truly a classic of legal humor." -- Professor David G. Owen "[A] one of a kind piece of work that you don't have to a lawyer or law student to love." -- Text-Book.com "[D]ispense[s] buckets of advice without ever removing tongue from cheek. ... [A] loving parody ... from the eyes of one who knows." -- National Jurist, The Magazine for Law Students

This hysterical, scholarly look at the history of lawyers is a roller coaster ride through history, viewed from a lawyer's perspective. This book will provide you with a good sense of the primal ooze that gave rise to the first lawyer and the religious, cultural, philosophical, economic, and political forces that have preserved lawyers from extinction--at least so far.

Dean Elspeth Flowers will let nothing--nothing--stand in the way of plans to catapult her backwater state law school into the U.S. News & World Report Top 5. But tensions between the school's warring factions--the Quants, Poets and Bog Dwellers--imperil her plans. So, too, in this rollicking satire do the errant pursuits of her faculty and the maneuverings of a mail room clerk with a business plan of his own to radically transform the school. The arrival of an outside committee to conduct the law school's required seven-year accreditation review threatens to expose the school's deepest secrets and forces the dean to confront her own darkest demons. A romp through the legal academy, Legal Asylum asks the hardest question facing higher education in America today: Can a school make it into the exalted realm of the U.S. News Top 5 and lose its accreditation, all in the same year?

2004 Arthur Ellis Award Nominee. Is it a crime to try to pick an empty pocket? Miller covers a wide range of legal history in this entertaining book that explores the unusual side of the law, which the public often doesn't hear about.

"A handbook for all lawyers, past, present and future, even those who are not yet born. It holds the secrets of absolute and total success as a lawyer. The reader will discover the legal significance of lobsters, rabbits, bulldogs and flatworms; the dangers of paper cuts and naked lawyers; the philosophical value of time sheets; how to know when you?re wrong, and when you're wrong about being wrong. Included among the book's many lessons on surviving in the law are: why mediocrity is the key to success in the law; how a law firm can achieve prominence, profit and perfection; what Socrates would tell you over a latte; and why lawyers are like lobsters." --publisher's description