<p>Often books give insight into certain professions and walks of life that is not fully conveyed to people in general; it seems that there should be plenty of such books about the practice of law. Can any lawyers or law students or avid readers recommend any books that other (hopeful) lawyers and law students should read?</p>
<p>A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr </p>
<p>The Majesty of the Law - Sandra Day O'Connor</p>
<p>On Trial - Henry Miller</p>
<p>Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse--Steve Bogira</p>
<p>Random Family--Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (not specifically about being a lawyer but about the impact of the criminal justice system)</p>
<p>Anonymous Lawyer--Jeremy Blachman (i haven't actually read this, but he has a blog by the same name...while it's a satire of law-firm life it's got a pretty truthful core).</p>
<p>oh, and i'd recommend the bible and/or a religious text of your choosing--both because of its influence on the American judicial and political systems and because it's a good way to retain a moral core when sometime in 1L year all of a sudden everything seems less black and white than before and you feel like there's an argument for anything.</p>
<p>not a book but my favorite blog which is closely related to the profession.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.philalawyer.net%5B/url%5D">www.philalawyer.net</a></p>
<p>A classic is The Paper Chase. You don't even have to read it; it was made into a movie.</p>
<p>Another classic is One L.</p>
<p>One L was a good read. Scott Turow is an excellent writer.</p>
<p>'Gideon's Trumpet', by Anthony Lewis--- tells the story of an important supreme court case (Gideon v. Wainwright- 1963).</p>
<p>Also, I second whoever recommended 'A Civil Action'. It was made into a movie as well, but don't even waste your time with it since the book is infinitely better from an entertainment perspective and much more informative about the process of preparing for a civil trial.</p>
<p>Any recommendations for a book or movie that gives authentic insight into corporate or investment law?</p>
<p>One L is definitely interesting, even if Turow is a little melodramatic.</p>