Jay Feinman
Rutgers The State University School of Law—Camden
Professor Feinman received his B.A. degree summa cum laude from American University and his J.D. degree cum laude from the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and Comment Editor of the University of Chicago Law Review. He teaches Contracts, Torts, Business Torts, Insurance Law, and other subjects. Among his professional activities, Feinman has served as Chair of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Contracts and Section on Teaching Methods. He is a member of The American Law Institute and an Advisor for the Restatement Third of Torts: Liability for Economic Loss. At Rutgers-Camden, he has served as Associate Dean and Acting Dean of the law school. He has been recognized for his teaching by receiving the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching (2005), the Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching (2004), and the Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence (1999). Professor Feinman's many publications include five books and more than fifty scholarly articles.
Jay Feinman On Law Preview . . .
Why do you teach for Law Preview?
One of the most interesting things about teaching for Law Prieview is having to boil down the subject to its core -- what are the basics of contract law that can be communicated in a single day?
Why is Law Preview better than other modes of preparing for law school?
It teaches the ability to think systematically - to identify legal issues and relevant facts, then work through them step by step.
Jay Feinman On Law School . . .
What is the most important skill law students lack when they begin law school that Law Preview teaches?
See above.
What are your favorite study aids for the subject-matter you teach at Law Preview?
A source that is generally under-utilized by students is the Farnsworth treatise -- Textbook Treatise Series: Contracts -- rich in information and ideas but accessible.
What is your favorite fiction/non-fiction book for the subject-matter you teach at Law Preview?
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, a great story abot law in general and contract law in particular, among many other things.
What is your favorite casebook for the subject-matter you teach at Law Preview?
Macaulay, Kidwell, & Whitford, Contracts: Law in Action. It has great text, theory, and business context as well as cases.
What's your favorite thing about teaching the law?
One of my favorite things is the craft fo teaching -- figuring out what students need to know and how best to engage them with the material.
Jay Feinman On Life . . .
What are your 3 favorite websites?
Favorite legal websites include some blogs of the Law Professors Blog Network, such as the Contracts Prof Blog, http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/contractsprof_blog/
What are your 3 favorite movies?
Favorite legal movies include Talk of the Town (directed by George Stevens, with Cary Grant, ROnald Colman & Jean Arthur), The Merchant of Venice (the Michael Radford version, starring Al Pacino), and The Verdict (with Paul Newman).
