Book Opener

LearningAbout theLawThe Importance ofUnderstanding the LawHave you ever made a promiseand wondered what wouldhappen if you broke it? Haveyou ever purchased clothingand considered whether youcould get your money back ifyou returned it to the store?Have you ever dreamt of startingyour own business andbeing your own boss, wanted to get married, buyyour own house, save for college, or plan for retirement?These are important issues in business andpersonal law, and they and countless others likethem affect your daily life and future. Learningabout these laws can be fun and exciting, and understandingthese laws will greatly enrich your life—not just as an individual who knows and obeys thelaw, but as a contributing member of your schooland community, as a participant in the Americansystem, and as part of the world in which you liveand work with others.The Structure of Your Book Your book hasbeen organized to make learning the law easy,thought provoking, and enjoyable. It is divided intoseven units. The first unit introduces you to law andethics, civil and criminal law, and our legal system.The next unit introduces you to the law of contracts,which serves as the foundation of business andemployment law, and much of personal law. Theremaining units cover topics that you are likely toencounter in your daily life and in your future. Theseissues include renting or buying a home, getting married,finding a job, starting a company, planning forretirement, and writing a will, among others.Personal law topics are covered with a life-cycleapproach, presenting the material chronologically asit may arise in your life.Connectingthe Law toYour WorldThe law is a thriving realworldenterprise that evolvesover time to meet the needs ofour diverse population and ourchanging society. In this book,you will be introduced to howthe law relates to your life andthe world. You will find manyfascinating features on communityinvolvement, cultural diversity,international law, and thepractical issues and circumstances of your daily life.You will also draw connections between what you learnand other academic disciplines, from business to thehumanities, and discover features that challenge you tothink creatively, critically, and to explore new ideas. Youwill even be asked to question the law itself, why it’simportant, to consider whether it is ethical or practical,and to apply legal principles in a variety of situations,both real and imaginary. And you will learn from realpeople working in legal fields, both those profiled inyour book and people practicing in your community.Being an ActiveParticipantLearning about business and personal law is aparticipatory enterprise, and you will play an activerole, both individually and as part of a team. You willlearn by conducting library and real-world researchand sharing your findings with the class. You willargue for or against a point of view, keep a JusticeJournal and write reports, and learn to organize andchart your research findings in legal workshops. Youwill take part in role-playing and advocacy activitiessuch as mock trials, and work with others, both incooperative and adversarial situations. The greatbreadth, scope, and variety of learning activities mirrorsthe diversity in the law itself. It creates a compelling,lively environment that makes learning aboutthe law fun, easy, and fulfilling.Introducing Your Book iii