The Street Law Handbook: Surviving Sex, Drugs, and Petty Crime
- Book Review,
by Neeraja Viswanathan
From Booklist
Lawyers are always being asked for casual advice on the law. Attorney Viswanathan took that professional hazard and turned it into a brief guide on everyday legal issues for the layperson: how much pot can warrant a felony conviction, how many drinks can get you arrested, and when can you claim entrapment, for instance She covers federal, state, and local laws, noting how their enforcement varies from place to place, but focuses on issues involving sex, drugs, and petty crimes--not lawsuits. Drawing on her own experiences as well as interviews with other lawyers, Viswanathan offers street-law concepts on general legal concepts, including controlled substances, contraband, entrapment, probable cause, reasonable suspicion, and a variety of other topics. She follows with vignettes of real-life cases and solid advice on legal rights. Her caveat: the book is no substitute for real legal advice or common sense and is not intended to encourage law breaking. This is a quick and easy reference work and a meaningful approach to dealing with legal encounters. Vernon Ford
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Who knew the law could be so much fun?
Can you be arrested for wearing a thong if you're ugly? Unknowingly renting a house to drug dealers? Becoming too familiar with your Halloween pumpkin?
The Street Law Handbook answers these questions and more, as lawyer Neeraja Viswanathan cracks the tough nut of small-time law enforcement and lays the rules bare. Exactly how much pot do you need to have in your possession to warrant a felony conviction? What merits a strip search, and exactly how much is an officer allowed to inspect? Can you really have sex in a cab? If you've ever felt the desire to act impulsively but weren't sure of the consequences, this is the book to consult. Combining straightforward legal information, hilarious true tales of small-time crimes, and handy legal definitions that will, if nothing else, make you a smarter Law & Order viewer, The Street Law Handbook is a fun and informative layman's guide that puts the ease in legalese.
About the Author
Neeraja Viswanathan graduated from Fordham University School of Law and has practiced corporate litigation and criminal defense on Wall Street. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Advocate, Ladies' Home Journal, and on Nerve.com. She lives in New York City.
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