Anonymous wrote:+1 for Just Mercy.

Others: Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action and Jeffery Toobin's The Run of his Life: The People vs. OJ Simpson.

A Civil Action is in my top five favorite books. I couldn’t put it down. (Don’t watch the movies, what a piece of garbage and John Travolta was not right for the part.)

When the book first came out it became required reading in top colleges like Harvard, Princeton, Yale. It’s remarkable in the details of the case and the decisions made, every detail of the judges, the attorneys, the families affected by chemical dumping and it’s never boring. You’re at the edge of your seat so many times.

Highly recommend checking out The Great Courses Plus (website or available at many libraries).

They have a course w 36 lectures called “Law School for Everyone.” I’m midway through it and it is a great intro to fundamentals.

One L by Scott Turow for sure!

A Civil Action is also good

The Paper Chase - vintage movie

WSJ and Economist for good examples of clear, concise, analytical writing

Maybe a good early history of immediate post-Revolution America, to revisit all of the different ideas that the Founding Fathers and others had on public policy, individual rights and statecraft, and how these ideas were debated, implemented, and revised in the nascent Republic

A Knock at Midnight by Brittany Barnett is one of my favorites - nonfiction.

The Antagonists: Hugo Black, Felix Frankfurter and Civil Liberties in Modern America, by James F. Simon

https://a.co/d/aQyJMGS

Old book, but I read it the summer before law school and absolutely loved it!

Truth Be Told by Beverly McLachlin

Canadian law, but some US interest (for example she writes about her in person conversations with Ruth Bader Ginsburg), but just an interesting and motivating read - might help her think about what she wants to do as a lawyer, and just provides some neat perspectives and history. I appreciated the way she writes her legal mindset into telling her story.

​"Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin offers an intimate and revealing look at her life, from her childhood in the Alberta foothills to her career on the Supreme Court, where she helped to shape the social and moral fabric of the country.

Beverley McLachlin has led an extraordinary life. One of the few women studying law in the 1960s, she graduated at the top of her class and began her long career—first as a dedicated lawyer and professor, later as a judge serving on the highest court in the country, and finally as the first woman to be named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

The journey wasn’t easy. The options for women growing up in rural Pincher Creek, Alberta, were limited. But McLachlin was willful and spirited, and she wanted an education. She also had an innate sense of justice, which was reinforced by the lessons her parents taught her about equality and the value of hard work. It was this faith in justice that pulled her through dark times, especially when faced with sexism and exclusion at work and personal tragedy at home.

Over time, McLachlin became a champion for Canadians from all walks of life. As a judge on the Supreme Court, she presided over charged debates on topics such as same-sex marriage, euthanasia, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. With each judgment, she laid down a legal legacy proving that fairness and justice are not luxuries of the powerful but rather rights owed to each and every one of us.

With warmth, honesty, and deep wisdom, McLachlin recounts her remarkable life on and off the bench. Truth Be Told is an inspiring reminder that integrity and the rule of law are our best hopes for a progressive and bright future."

Anonymous wrote:Have her watch the Netflix show, the Lincoln Lawyer

(recommend the show over the book)

I'm a lawyer and loved this show. It's not at all realistic though.

Just mercy & Gideon’s trumpet are my highest recs.

Though I just checked Goodreads and I apparently also gave 4 stars to Sotomayor’s book & The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Toobin

Anonymous wrote:Looking for realistic portrayals rather than glamorized thrillers. I can see there are multiple good suggestions here. Is there any particular Supreme Court Justice that stands out? She loves biographies and autobiographies

The Brethren, as mentioned already, is a must-read if you want to understand how SCOTUS works and its recent-ish history.

Anonymous wrote:Don’t forget “One L” - the must read for any aspiring law student.

That one might scare her off from going to law school.

Anonymous wrote:The Brethren

My first thought was this one.

Anonymous wrote:Looking for realistic portrayals rather than glamorized thrillers. I can see there are multiple good suggestions here. Is there any particular Supreme Court Justice that stands out? She loves biographies and autobiographies

Have heard very good things about Sotomayor’s, though I may hear about this one disproportionately because DC, like the justice, is a type 1 diabetic.

Note that you can get signed copies of SCOTUS-authored books from the Supreme Court gift shop.

https://supremecourtgifts.org/

Don’t forget “One L” - the must read for any aspiring law student.

Anonymous wrote:Looking for realistic portrayals rather than glamorized thrillers. I can see there are multiple good suggestions here. Is there any particular Supreme Court Justice that stands out? She loves biographies and autobiographies

I enjoyed Sonia Sotomayor's autobiography. Of course most lawyers have a very different life than hers!

Looking for realistic portrayals rather than glamorized thrillers. I can see there are multiple good suggestions here. Is there any particular Supreme Court Justice that stands out? She loves biographies and autobiographies