In this well-researched and engaging book, Paul DeForest Hicks makes a convincing case that the Litchfield Law School provided the most innovative and successful legal education program in the country for almost fifty years (1784-1833). A recent history of the Harvard Law School acknowledged, “In retrospect, both Harvard and Yale have envied Litchfield’s success and wished to claim it as their ancestor.” Upwards of twelve hundred bright and ambitious students came from all over the country to study law at Litchfield with Tapping Reeve and James Gould, who took a national rather than state perspective in their lectures on the evolving principles of American common law. In every year from 1791 to 1860, there were law school alumni, including Aaron Burr and John C. Calhoun, who served at high levels in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal and state governments. Hicks gives fascinating details about many who succeeded as lawyers and in public office but also in the fields of business, finance, education, art and the military. Whether they practiced law or pursued other careers, their collective achievements continued to enhance the prestige of the Litchfield Law School long after it closed.

An invaluable and fascinating resource, this carefully edited anthology presents recent writings by leading legal historians, many commissioned for this book, along with a wealth of related primary sources by John Adams, James Barr Ames, Thomas Jefferson, Christopher C. Langdell, Karl N. Llewellyn, Roscoe Pound, Tapping Reeve, Theodore Roosevelt, Joseph Story, John Henry Wigmore and other distinguished contributors to American law. It is divided into nine sections: Teaching Books and Methods in the Lecture Hall, Examinations and Evaluations, Skills Courses, Students, Faculty, Scholarship, Deans and Administration, Accreditation and Association, and Technology and the Future. Contributors to this volume include Morris Cohen, Daniel R. Coquillette, Michael Hoeflich, John H. Langbein, William P. LaPiana and Fred R. Shapiro. Steve Sheppard is the William Enfield Professor of Law, University of Arkansas School of Law.

Litchfield was founded 57 years before the Declaration of Independence, and it wears its distinctive history proudly.Visitors first note the town's scenic beauty, then its pace, friendly atmosphere, and historic architecture. Litchfield was the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin; Ethan Allen, a hero of the Revolutionary War; Sarah Pierce, whose Litchfield Female Academy pioneered education for women; Tapping Reeve, founder of the first American law school; and Oliver Wolcott, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Litchfield was also the home of Alain and Margaret White, whose visionary donation of 4,000 acres of woodlands and wetlands thrust Litchfield into the forefront of nature conservancy. Litchfield guides readers around the village green, through the town's historic district, and to the nearby White Memorial Conservation Center.

Harno, Albert J. Legal Education in the U.S.: A Report Prepared for the Survey of the Legal Profession. San Francisco: Bancroft-Whitney Company, 1953. v, 211 pp. Reprint available August 2004 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-441-X. Cloth. $70. * This concise yet detailed survey offers an excellent introduction to the history of American legal education from the colonial era to the 1950s. Its evolutionary perspective derives from one telling insight: "A social consciousness of the significance of law to a people is an attribute of a ripening civilization" (18). In succeeding chapters, Harno examines "Our English Heritage," "The Formative Period of American Legal Education," "Early American Law Schools and the Laissez Faire Period," "The Case Method," "Impact of Professional Organizations, Criticisms of Modern Legal Education," and "Legal Education-A Present Appraisement."

A history of the Federalist period combines biographical insights with analysis and reflection to capture the sweeping issues, remarkable personalities, and intricate controversies of the time in a swiftly moving narrative.

The Dictionary of Early American Philosophers, which contains over 400 entries by nearly 300 authors, provides an account of philosophical thought in the United States and Canada between 1600 and 1860. The label of "philosopher" has been broadly applied in this Dictionary to intellectuals who have made philosophical contributions regardless of academic career or professional title. Most figures were not academic philosophers, as few such positions existed then, but they did work on philosophical issues and explored philosophical questions involved in such fields as pedagogy, rhetoric, the arts, history, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, medicine, anthropology, religion, metaphysics, and the natural sciences. Each entry begins with biographical and career information, and continues with a discussion of the subject's writings, teaching, and thought. A cross-referencing system refers the reader to other entries. The concluding bibliography lists significant publications by the subject, posthumous editions and collected works, and further reading about the subject.

The Thriving Lawyer: A Multidimensional Model of Well-Being for a Sustainable Legal Profession is based on an innovative model, grounded in science. This book serves as a resource for promoting well-being and culture-change in the legal community by educating about pertinent issues impacting lawyers, and how to address them. It is a roadmap, highlighting the many over-arching and inter-connected aspects of well-being, and enabling readers to identify and target the issues most relevant to their unique situations. Along with practical strategies, the book provides a big-picture framework, illustrating how the many intersecting individual and organizational factors which influence well-being are all related, yet separate and distinct. The framework provides a foundation for creating change, and where you focus first will depend on the needs, the situation, and any unique challenges faced by you or your organization. The Thriving Lawyer explains why, in addition to self-care, change is needed on the organizational level in terms of workplace culture and policies, as well as normalizing self-care and eradicating stigma. This book is intended to benefit individual lawyers, their organizations, and professionals who support them, by educating, motivating, and promoting self-care and healthy work environments.

The ABA Journal serves the legal profession. Qualified recipients are lawyers and judges, law students, law librarians and associate members of the American Bar Association.