Law Students

Other People, Property.

By Steve Pirates

You down wid’ OPP?

Yes, it is my favorite class and concept. At the beginning of the year, I read a paragraph stating that the law of Property is not about things. And to a large extent it’s not even about the way people interact with things. The Law of Property is really about the way people interact with one another regarding things.

I didn’t believe that. I agreed that Property Law wasn’t about things. But it must surely be about the way people interact with things. I mean, that’s what Property IS. And to a large degree I still feel that way. But, despite the fact that Property as a concept refers to how people interact with things, Property LAW is all about people and other people.

At the beginning of the year, this was the class I was the least interested in. I was appalled that Property was a full year course while Criminal Law was given only a semester. Certainly Criminal Law must be more important, I mean just look at the TV. Law & Order (all ten series), The Closer, Cold Case, Homicide: Life on the Streets…. All of them deal with crime. Crim Law is so sexy and juicy. Who ever heard of Property & Order, The (Deal) Closer, Cold Case Law, Eviction: Life on the Streets? See what I mean? Television demands that Crim Law be a larger course than Property.

But a funny thing happened. As the first semester proceeded, I realized that the Preface to the book was correct. Property law really is about people and other people. And that is when I realized why it was the larger course. At it’s heart, Criminal Law is just about people acting crappy to one another, in every way conceivable. Property Law is about every imaginable way that people can interact, for every imaginable purpose, to help, to exploit, to give, to take, to share, to exclude, to express, to hurt, to protect. The clever ways that people use property to adjust their position relative to one another has completely fascinated me.

I am going to have to start checking TV Guide now. Maybe one of these days Dick Wolf will catch up with me and we’ll get: Law & Order: Home Owners Association Unit.

C’mon Dick, let’s make this happen.

Full post as published by Jolly Lawger on January 24, 2008 (boomark / email).