NYTimes on "Street Law"
Today The New York Times style section has a nice summary/review of Neeraja Viswanathan's cool and funny new book, The Street Law Handbook.
... Nearly as practical as Ms. Ettus's "Experts' Guide" is Neeraja Viswanathan's lawyerly guide to sex, drugs and petty crime. She's a New York lawyer who has practiced corporate litigation and criminal defense. She's got a sharp tongue and a lot of trenchant answers for those who crave more legal advice than is on offer from "Law & Order."It's good to know that thongs are sometimes O.K. on a beach, but not in an office supply store, and that mooning is outlawed in all 50 states. In fact, in Michigan, you don't have to be seen to be charged. Intent to moon is offense enough. (Well, it's more like an existential principle: if a man moons in a car and nobody sees him, is it a crime? Yes, if he's in Michigan.) It's also helpful to know that you won't be charged for having sex in your own house if you keep the shades down, and if you pay your spouse to have sex with you the exchange is not considered prostitution, except maybe in Washington, D.C.
California is probably the best place to be caught smoking a joint (first-time offenders are automatically sent to rehab and given probation). Las Vegas and Miami are probably the worst. The amount of drugs on your person — whether a marijuana seed or an ounce of cocaine — has no effect on the charge of possession, contrary to popular belief. And selling fake drugs carries the same penalty as an attempt to sell the real stuff.
Ms. Viswanathan's best lesson? A gentle prod to consider a career switch if you find yourself breaking the law — and getting caught — often.
Disclosure: Neeraja is my cousin. Buy this book. It's really good.
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