Similar to most educational topics that someone might pursue reading material on, consumers have a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to the topic of business law. With so many options to choose from, consumers new to the topic will find themselves in the tough spot of choosing the ‘best’ books within their budget with very little head knowledge of what to choose from. So how does a consumer without previous knowledge in the field of business law find the best books?
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A common solution, albeit a big mistake, is to turn to top seller lists with popular retail stores like Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. Surely, if a book is purchased the most, it must be the best – at least so many new readers might believe this approach. However, certain industries (like business law) can often have skewed rankings in top selling titles due to the nature of the profession and the educational route many lawyers take to get to a certain point in their career. In fact, the topic of business law is a required course at many law schools. This means even lawyers that do not wish to practice business law are forced to take this course and buy the corresponding text book.
After browsing the top sellers list at Amazon, it is obvious that many of the top titles are law school textbooks. As a former law student, I would advise any non-law student against purchasing and reading a textbook of this type as the style of learning used in law school is quite different from other schools. The method of learning used in law school, essentially reading old cases and analyzing the outcome, is quite boring and an acquired skill.
Many readers, lawyers included, find the law school approach to learning topics to be quite inefficient and painful. While lawyers are forced to consult case law in their regular work, it is often nice to have a foundation of understanding learned through more traditional and easy-to-follow methods.
With all the aforementioned factors in mind, I’d like to offer you some insights on books to read on business law that allow for a more traditional style of learning.
Business Law Today, The Essentials: Text & Summarized Cases by Roger LeRoy Miller
The first book I would recommend for anyone looking to learn about the topic of business law is Business Law Today, The Essentials: Text & Summarized Cases by Roger LeRoy Miller. As mentioned before, case law review and analysis are the common methods for learning in law school. However, in this suggested title, readers will only have to read summaries of certain historical cases and have the basics broken down for them in a very easy to follow manner. While the book is lengthy (over 800 pages), readers will find themselves a bit more educated on the topic as they work their way through the text and build a foundation of understanding.
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Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky
This next book is a title I would recommend to a reader that has a basic understanding of the business law world but would like to take their learning to the next level and keep up with the changing legal environment. In today’s world, internet presence and social media is king. In fact, the internet is changing the fundamentals of the business law world in its entirety. Shirky uses this work to explain just how powerful the internet tools people have at their exposure really are and how times have changed. For those looking to advance their business law knowledge, this is a great title to modernize yourself.
The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki
When it comes to business law, a large part of parties involved in this field have touched on the topic of startups. Whether in in the form of entrepreneurial efforts to start a brand-new business or creating legal entities for liability and tax shields, starting a new company is a major cog in the industry of business law. While lawyers are expected to know the ins-and-outs of various business types, there are many factors that go beyond the legal ramifications of simply selecting a business type. This book will help readers involved with startup businesses as it breaks down types of businesses, suggestions, ideas and concepts that can be applied to variety of different business types.
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While there are hundreds of other titles across various marketplaces that readers might consider on the topic of business law, these three books are good readers for anyone just getting started on the topic or looking to further advance their knowledge in this field. I find these books to not only be good reads, but highly educational and somewhat motivational. Consider selecting these titles as you browse the book store for your next purchase.
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