US promotes democracy with book by Rutgers law professor

'Law 101' encourages greater understanding of American legal system

CAMDEN – America’s secret weapon in the global effort to promote understanding of U.S. law and democracy just might be a book authored by a respected Rutgers—Camden legal scholar.

When “Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About the American Legal System” (Oxford University Press) was first published in 2000, author Jay Feinman gave the general reading public a thorough and accessible overview of the American legal system. Covering topics traditionally studied in the first year of law school, the book offered readers a comprehensive introduction to the law without attending class.

Now Feinman, a distinguished professor at the Rutgers School of Law—Camden, is bringing his survey of U.S. law to a much wider audience. “Law 101,” currently in its second American edition, has been translated into Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Dari, Pashtu (the principal languages in Afghanistan), and Urdu, (the national language of Pakistan). A Chinese translation is in the works and an English edition already has been released in China.

“This isn’t about getting people to adopt American ways of law but about promoting the understanding of American ideals and culture,” Feinman explained. “In a globalizing world, lawyers, business people, and opinion leaders need to understand American law.”

Several of the translations have been sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s International Information Program. As part of the department’s public diplomacy efforts, the book publishing program aims to foster a sense of mutual interests and shared values between Americans and people of different countries. The program has placed copies of “Law 101” in schools, libraries and community centers throughout the Middle East and Latin America.

“Law 101” was chosen “because it is a primer designed to help (general citizens) understand the American legal system. Therefore, foreign audiences would find this text to be informative and easy to comprehend,” says Gloria Steele, program officer for economic security/trade/global issues at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs.