Statistics for Lawyers

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 552 pages
• Published by: Springer; 2nd ed. 2001. Corr. Printing edition April 16, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0387950079
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0387950075
• Book Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Weighs: 2 pounds

Product Review


From the reviews of the second edition:

"The dangers of misusing statistics are illustrated by the case of People vs. Collins, in which the product of the probabilities of several characteristics described by eyewitnesses was presented as convincing evidence against the defendant. This book analyses this and numerous other interesting examples to show the relevance of statistics to forensic science, medicine, commerce and the law. Each of the statistical concepts and procedures is presented with examples that include exercises based on actual data. The book is quite readable." (Dr. Henry Roberts, Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol. 35, 2003)

"This is the first book on statistics for lawyers that has come out in a second edition. The most impressive change in the book can be attributed to the publisher, who has included the book in its relatively new series on Statistics for Science and Public Policy. First published as an inexpensive softcover edition, the book is now a gorgeous hardcover volume . this book continues to be a wonderful resource for the use of statistics in the courts." (Technometrics, Vol. 44 (2), 2002)

"This book is designed to introduce law students, law teachers, practitioners, and judges to the basic ideas of mathematical probability and statistics as they are applied in the law. The cases and case studies reflect a broad variety of legal subjects, including antidiscrimination, mass torts, taxation, school finance, identification evidence and the death penalty. Significant new developments, reflected in this edition, include, for example, DNA evidence, epidemiologic studies in toxic substance litigation, statistical models for adjusting census counts, and vote-dilution cases." (Edward M. Psyadlo, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 983, 2002)

Product Description
Statistics for Lawyers is designed to introduce law students, law teachers, practitioners, and judges to the basic ideas of mathematical probability and statistics as they have been applied in the law. The book consists of sections of exposition followed by real-world cases and case studies in which stastical data have played a role. The reader is asked to apply the theory to the facts, to calculate results (a hand calculator is sufficient), and to explore legal issues raised by quantitative findings. The authors' calculations and comments are given in the back of the book. The cases and case studies reflect a broad variety of legal subjects, including antidiscrimination, mass torts, taxation, school finance, identification evidence, preventive detention, handwriting disputes, voting, environmental protection, antitrust, and the death penalty. The first edition of Statistics for Lawyers, which appeared in 1990, has been used in law, statistics, and social science courses. In 1991 it was selected by the University of Michigan Law Review as one of the important law books of the year. This second edition includes many new problems reflecting current developments in the law, including a new chapter on epidemiology. Michael O. Finkelstein is a practicing lawyer in New York City. He has been a member of the adjunct faculty of Columbia University Law School since 1967, teaching Statistics for Lawyers, and has also taught at Harvard, New York University, and Yale Law Schools. He is the author of a book of essays, Quantitative Methods in Law, and numerous law review articles on the applications of statistics in law. He frequently consults and testifies in litigated matters. Bruce Levin is a professor at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University in the Division of Biostatistics. He is the Consulting Editor for Statistics for the American Journal of Public Health, participates in clinical trials, and is the author of numerous articles on the subject of biostatistics. He has consulted and testified as an expert in many law cases involving statistical issues.

Reader Reviews
Some reviewer for a statistics journal called Phil Good's "Applying Statistics in the Courtroom" the best book ever written on statistics and the law. Given the fine books by Finkelstein, by Gastwirth and the deGroot, Feinberg and Kadane book, I think that was a gross overstatement. Phil does however get away from legalese and tries to present key issues. Finkelstein is a lawyer who with Herbert Robbins helped define what statistical evidence should be. He is well educated in statistics and his first edition was a classic. This book maintains the good features of the first book and provide a nice update with modern advances particularly in genetics. It is an introductory statistics text for lawyers with little or no statistical background and it teaches them the methods utilizing legal cases as examples. I was very much impressed with the authors' analysis of the Florida vote in the 2000 Presidential election that Finkelstein presented in a talk at the Joint Statistical Meetings in New York in August 2002. I heard the talk and discovered that this meticulous and interesting analysis is covered in the book, section 4.5.3 "Election 2000: Who won Florida?" This detail is typical of the nice interplay between statistical methodology and important legal questions. It is just one example of the gems in this book! The chapters are 1. Descriptive Statistics, 2. How to Count, 3. Elements of Probability, 4. Some Probability Distributions, 5. Statistical Inference for Two Proportions, 6. Comparing Multiple Proportions, 7. Comparing Means, 8. Combining Evidence Across Independent Strata, 9. Sampling Issues, 10. Epidemiology, 11. Survival Analysis, 12. Nonparametric Methods, 13. Regression Methods, 14. More Complex Regression Models. With many interesting and famous cases as examples this book is valuable to statisticians like me as well as to attorneys. Comment | | (Report this)