Building a successful career in law all but hinges on continuing to learn, staying engaged, and always looking for ways to improve your skills. Books can play a key role in developing yourself as a professional. Therefore, when you next have a spare moment and you're looking to pick up a book, consider picking one which gives you a new perspective on legal practice. Here are a few books widely recommended by expert attorneys for both established lawyers and up-and-coming law students. They're not necessarily law textbooks, but that makes them all the more valuable. They give you a practical perspective on how things actually work -- rather than how they would in theory.
Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action
In the event you didn't pick this one up in law school, consider reading it now. An epic courtroom showdown, Harr's "A Civil Action" carries you through the roller coaster ride of high-stakes litigation and shows you the tremendous toll this kind of work can take on each side's attorneys. To be sure, the movie is excellent -- but the book is even better.
Fisher and Ury's Getting to Yes
Successful legal advocacy is not necessarily about crushing opponents in court. A good part of legal work involves negotiating on behalf of your client. Sadly, too many law schools provide insufficient negotiation training -- leaving new graduates thrown into the shark pit and left to figure things out for themselves. Fisher and Ury's "Getting to Yes" gives you a step by step and surprisingly easy strategy to reach effective agreements in almost any situation. As an attorney, consider this book your shark repellent.
Brené Brown's Daring Greatly
Far from your typical law book, "Daring Greatly" is still a must-read work for anyone who finds themselves in a supervisory role. With so much of legal work based on avoiding vulnerability, this book explains where vulnerability is necessary to create a productive, safe working environment -- something which will only help your employees' productivity and satisfaction.
Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People
A self-help classic written many decades ago, Carnegie's book on interpersonal interaction is just as effective as it ever was. According to Carnegie, success is based on the ability to assume leadership, express ideas, and arouse others' enthusiasm -- which is why he teaches you how to do exactly that in this book. Whether you're a lawyer or a law student, being able to understand and motivate people may be the most valuable skill you ever cultivate in or outside of the courtroom.
Sandra Day O'Connor's The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice
A fascinating reflection on constitutional law history, the United States Supreme Court, and the court during O'Connor's tenure, "The Majesty of the Law" is an excellent way to get an in-depth understanding of the Supreme Court. It's particularly useful for international attorneys looking to brush up their knowledge of the court.
Deborah Arron's What Can You Do With A Law Degree? A Lawyer's Guide To Career Alternatives Inside, Outside and Around The Law
It's a fact of life in the legal profession that many lawyers feel pigeonholed, stuck in a particular kind of legal practice. Sooner or later almost every lawyer considers the thought of a career well outside traditional legal work, but the concept is often so foreign they aren't sure if it's even possible. This book provides an excellent starting point, full of thought-provoking ideas on ways to use a law degree outside the usual path.
Many of those books you can probably find online as
here or even within the Google books section. I hope other members within this community will find these books helpful .