rightnow

I am applying for law schools, and I keep hearing that you need to read "law-related books". What's that?

theory5

Have Fun then Study like Crazy
Hi!
When I entered law school I didn't read a single book to help me prepare. To make things even crazier...I forgot my pin code and didn't know my first semester grades until I showed up after Christmas vacation for the new semester. Little did I know that about over 50% of my fellow students had been kicked out of law school (luckily I wasn't one of them). Point is a lot of people get kicked out of law school their first year (or first semester as it was in my school). So you need every edge you can possibly get.

Personally, I love the Emmanuel books and Law in a Flash. I feel that they explain the law to me in extremely simplified terms. I appreciate that and have never failed a law school exam thanks to the help of these study aids. Yes, you will hear the word "study aids" and wonder what the heck they are referring to. These study aids simply allow you to understand what your professor has been talking about etc. They include series such as the "Nutshells," "Emmanuel," "Professor Series," etc. I highly recommend them even though a lot of professors look down upon them (Why? Because they explain in about 120 pages what your professor couldn't explain in coherent terms in a whole semester!). So if you find out what are the required first semester courses (usually Contracts, Torts, Constitutional Law) and start reading the study aids now!!! You'll be way ahead of the game.

As for all those other freak you out books? Feel free to read what you like. Just don't let people scare you too much. All you need to know is you will be mostly using your reading and analytical skills (and writing of course)!

Finally...I'll recommend 2 movies to watch that will put you in the "law school" frame of mind. Legally Blonde and The Paper Chase. Legally Blonde is great because it's a funny movie that can show you snippets of what law school is like. Yes you will get picked on randomly and YES you might get kicked out of class if you are unprepared (that's how it was in my school). Now as for the probability of a girl like Elle getting a 179 on her LSAT's....hmmm...well you never know? The Paper Chase is just a funky (a bit boring at times) that shows how obsessed law students can be when it comes to studying and attaining the best grades (also true). So watch them...enjoy...read up the study aids...and good luck!

real

About law-related books
Many prelaw students operate under the assumption that there really is nothing that they need to study in particular prior to starting law school. The reality is that there is a great deal one can read and study profitably in advance of law school. Remember, your goal is not just law school admission, but achievement of academic success while in the right law school for you, through a plan of self-development that includes reading books and materials that you will never have time for once you are actually in law school.

Start by looking at the Internet Legal Resources Guide (at www.ilrg.com). Note that the American Bar Association paper on "Preparation for Legal Education" is available there.

Next, check the bibliography in the Official Guide to U.S. Law Schools. How many of these books have you read? You could spend years profitably reading from this list. Pick a book of interest to you and get started.

Third, visit a good law bookstore, such as one associated with a top law school. Note that in examining the materials there for first-year students, you see two major categories of materials-official texts and handouts from law school professors for use in first-year classes, and a vast and varied assortment of unofficial materials that are commercial study aids for law students. My recommendation is that you start learning about the law now by purchasing some of the commercial study aids, one for each first-year course, and master them now before law school starts. One example would be the "Nutshell" series (such as "Contract Law in a Nutshell"). Such materials can give you a better perspective on the field of law you will shortly be studying.

You might also consider contacting the BAR-BRI organization, which offers post-law school bar exam preparation. BAR-BRI prepares and sells useful outlines on all areas of the law that are covered by each state's bar exam. These outlines, typically not used by law students until after they finish law school and are in a six-week cram study period for the bar, are actually quite useful as legal introductories for the pre-law student.

Understand that many law school professors hold such commercial prep materials in low regard. However, I am not proposing that you use such materials for legal research, but only as broad, general and useful introductory materials, read before law school starts, to give you a more informed basis on which to build your learning in law school.

Source:www.prelawadvisor.com