LawLibGuides: Corporations: Books

Books For a General Overview of the Law

The Law of Corporations in a Nutshell by Robert W. Hamilton, Richard D. Freer
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KF1414.3.H35
ISBN: 0314904573
This Nutshell Series book is fairly current, has few footnotes, and provides a useful glossary.
Corporation Law
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KF1413.G48
Corporation Law, by Franklin A. Gevurtz, is the Hornbook covering the subject.

Books For More Detailed Analysis

Fletcher Cyclopedia of the Law of Corporations by William Meade Fletcher
Call Number: LAW-4th Floor KF1384.F55
This is a voluminous set discussing in detail the American law of corporations. It includes history, definitions, and policy as well as black letter law. Fletcher is the most cited secondary authority in corporate law.
Model Business Corporation Act
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KF1404.A15A44
The Model Business Corporation Act is published by the Committee on Corporate Laws, a committee of the American Bar Association Section of Business Law. Although the last major revision took place in 1984, the committee continues to review and revise sections of the MBCA. The ABA publishes the official text and comments of the MBCA with statutory cross references. For additional analysis of the MBCA, the Model Business Corporation Act Annotated contains digests of cases decided by courts in states that have adopted the provisions of each MBCA section.
Business Organizations
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KF1366.C3
Business Organizations, by Zolman Cavitch, is another multivolume set on the subject. It is smaller and less scholarly than Fletcher, leaning more toward a practice orientation.
Folk on the Delaware General Corporation Law by Edward P. Welch, Andrew J. Turezyn, Robert S. Saunders
Call Number: LAW-4th Floor KFD213.F59
ISBN: 0735561915
This book is organized by code section (of the Delaware Code). The numbering of the Delaware Code is different than the MBCA. However, the general outline of how the subject is arranged is fairly similar. Because the state of Delaware has been a leader in the area of corporate organization and operation, legislators and judges in other states take notice of the provisions of the Delaware Code and the policies behind those provisions.

Books For Practice-Oriented Treatment

In addition to those works mentioned above (particularly Fletcher and Business Organizations), several other works are written with the practicing lawyer in mind.

BNA publishes a series of portfolios called BNA's Corporate Practice Series, LAW-4th Floor KF1397.C654 (also avaialble online through BNA database at Corporate Practice Library). There are more than 50 portfolios on a wide range of topics. They include worksheets (appendix material), bibliographies, and "practical scholarship" with a practitioner's focus. Each portfolio addresses a specific issue and is in the catalog under its own title. Even so, the portfolios are all shelved together.

Similar to the above, Lexis publishes a series of Business Law Monographs.

Corporate Practice Series
Call Number: LAW-4th Floor KF1397.C654

Books For Washington Treatment

In addition to the following texts, there are often Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars on business law. The coursebooks from these CLE's may contain chapters on issues (particularly emerging or changing) in corporation law.

Washington Business Entities: Law and Forms by Stewart M. Landefeld, Eric A. DeJong
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KFW213.L36
ISBN: 0327163984
This is a multivolume work that describes Washington corporation law and provides a generous supply of forms.
Washington Lawyers Practice Manual
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KFW80.W27
Although the textual analysis is fairly minimal, there is a generous supply of checklists and forms to help the practitioner.
Washington Corporate Law Handbook by Robert J. McGaughey
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KFW213.M39
This volume contains a well-organized discussion of the law of corporations in Washington. This text is sprinkled with citations to relevant primary authority.

Books For Ancillary Subjects

Some of the major works on related areas of law include:

Federal Income Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders by Boris I. Bittker, James S. Eustice, Gersham Goldstein
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KF6464.B5
ISBN: 0791339947
Securities and Federal Corporate Law by Harold S. Bloomenthal and Samuel Wolff
Call Number: LAW-4th Floor KF1439.B542
ISBN: 083661285X
Federal Securities Law Reporter
Call Number: LAW-Reserve KF1436.5.C6