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Law School Confidential : A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience

Law School Confidential : A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience

List Price: $17.95
Your Price: $17.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: overrated
Review: This seems to be the must-have law school prep book of the moment, based on my discussions with other 1Ls to be. Basically, though, this is nothing more than Planet Law School wearing a happy face mask.

The perspectives of the law school graduates are not particularly interesting, and none of the "panel" of graduates went to a school ranked lower than Boston College. Thus, the perspectives on future job possibilities and the contributors' peers' intellectual abilities are skewed to the high end of the scale.

The main author gives various tips for working through 1L, giving bad advice on book briefing (highlighters leak through law books' thin paper, sir; beyond that, his methods don't provide much instruction on actually learning law, more just working your way through the chore of prepping for class) and scheduling of time (not all students have the same schedule of classes the main writer did, which makes his scant-as-it-is advice 90% worthless).

There is an interesting 20 or so page interview with an admissions director at Penn. But if you are already admitted to your chosen school, this interview is also worthless....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hands Down The Best
Review: I foolishly purchased a bunch of this sort of book and found this one to be the very best by a longshot. I read the book in preparation for my first class and instantly identified with snd recalled much of it as classes began. The book was also a huge help way back in during the admissions process. One will recognize others who have read the book early on by noting their "outlining style" that is described in this book - give them a wink when you see them. This book advises one on all aspects of legal education, from preparing for the LSAT, applying to schools, outilining courses, briefing cases, interviewing ... the works. I also really enjoyed the input in the book from a dozen or so students who recently graduated from law school. Probably my favorite part of this book is the section on "Law School Etiquette" because I am a golfer and can relate to players without etiquette and how annoying they are. If you read nothing else other than this book, you'll be in great shape and have a nice advantage over your collegues who "go in cold."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Resource
Review: This book is the only one of its kind on the market. It actually tells you what you will be realistically facing and how to prepare and the resources it points you to are excellent for example I signed up for an online first year prep course called learninglaw aristotle recommended by the book and found it to be the most valuable info. I had going into my first year. Also knowing what the selection process is like from an insiders perspective really helped me calm down as I waited for my acceptance letter.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse
Review: if you are considering law school,read this book first...then decide for yourself if the anxiety,expense, fear and loathing that naturally attend the endeavor,are not pre-exclusionary to your inherent nature ...can you swim in white rapids ??...of course,if law school is already a predetermined career choice,read Law School Confidential anyway...get the edge....miller is explicit that lawschool is not LA Law....or Judge Wopner....its an all out blitzkrieg....and you have to know, going in,success may have more to do with navigating the rigors of the "jungle" than just intellectual bandwidth....he adresses law school etiquettes,living conditions,panic management..and the degree itself, is likely,the first round of a 15 round slugfest....after you are admitted to the bar you are saddled still, with employment... "gotta get a job"...hopefully one that enables you to retire the heavy debt you encumbered acquiring it....another potentially excruciating round of "selling yourself"......he notes one undergrad mailed out 500 resumes...to get a summer job.....this book told me,dont go into this frivously...think it through judiciously..no pun intended....be sure you understand the committment,before you break the piggybank,or your self esteem...miller was crystal clear, to get the big "whiteshoe" firm offer,youll put your other life(social) on hold 24/7/365 x 3..pretty much must graduate top ten..dont forget the bell curves....and law school can be a slippery slope,even for the more accomplished,seasoned, bump skiier....but if its what you really, really want, go for it.....blood,guts,and feathers..hook,line,and sinker...it can be.?? most rewarding..???

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Must Read for Potential Law Students
Review: I will be beginning my fist year of law school this fall and I am happy to report that reading Law School Confidential has greatly reduced my anxiety about the upcoming year. Robert Miller and his group of mentors thoughtfully lay out all of the pit falls, both socially and academically, that law students typically fall prey to. The books observations are very insightful and I can see how they will help me immensly this fall. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering law school.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An Introduction Worth Reading
Review: I'm not a law student, but I'm seriously considering law school, and I was looking for a book that could give me a good overview of the law school experience from beginning to end. Though I don't have any experience to compare with the book, I think it does a good job of giving enough of an overview to make it a worthwhile read for anyone considering going to law school. I'm one of those people who likes to know as much as I can about what I'm getting myself into, and this book left me a little more confident about some things, and caused me to ask myself some important questions about my desire to go to law school and what I think of my ability to handle the workload, etc. It's not the only book I'm consulting, besides picking the brains of lawyer accquaintances, but I think it's one I'll refer to again as I continue on the path to applying to law school. I say, if your thinking about law school, get this book and read it from start to finish, just as part of your research.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent guide for prospective and future law students
Review: When I began reading this book, I was not sure if a law career was right for me. This confusion stemmed partly from not fully understanding what law school would be like and/or what being a lawyer is all about. After reading the book, however, I have a much better understanding of and appreciation for the process. The book includes advice and information that anyone considering law school can appreciate and utilize: study suggestions, application information, post-employment advice. Robert Miller and the other contributors to the book do an excellent job in mapping out the trials and tribulations of the law student's journey. I highly recommend this book for current students and future students; its benefits are endless.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thinking of Law School? This is a Must-Read
Review: If you are contemplating going to law school, applying to law school, a current law student, or have friends/loved ones who are any of the above, this book will be a great resource for you. It takes you through the application process, each semester at law school, obtaining summer and post grad employment, up through passing the bar exam. Not only is it comprehensive, but the advice of the author and his fellow recent law school grads is honest, up-to-date, insightful, diverse, and most of all, practical. The advice in this book is what you'd get if you had time to sit down and ask a panel of new lawyers to unlock the mysteries of getting a legal education. Thus, 'Law School Confidential' also manages to shed light on any common sense that is so often trampled in the stresses of law school.

I read this book cover to cover, and I felt 100% enlightened and energized after I finished it. I will now be able to apply to law school with great verve, and the most important take-away point from this book for me was that now I am sure that law school is the right path for me. Even if you get nothing else out of this book, being able to assess whether or not plunging into law school is a good decision that merits the cost of the book several times over.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A companion for law school
Review: Most law school preparatory books help you decide if law school is for you and how to go about preparing for it. This book, which is more of a true companion, takes you from the beginning decision stage to the ending employment. This book should not be out of reach of you are deciding or going to law school.

The book was put together by a team of recent law school graduates who have compiled success, and horror, stories, which are used to help the prospective law school student understand what is needed and why. In regards to admission to law school, they also got some insight from faculty and admission staff. The writing itself reflects this sense of someone on the inside telling us the scoop.

Without getting too bogged down in details, the writers bring tips for staying ahead of the game as well as tips for cutting losses. They even give dates for when students should start preparing your resume and when they should send cover letters looking for summer employment.

Although working on the law review is discussed, I found that little information, comparatively, was given for moot court. This is a part of all law schools, so it seems odd that it is left out here.

I would recommend any one applying or attending law school to take a look at this. This may be one of the most valuable resources outside of the Black's Law Dictionary.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An Enjoyable Primer for Navigating Law School
Review: Robert Miller's "Law School Confidential" is an excellent resource for the potential (or current) law student. It covers the entire spectrum of the law school experience, from making an honest assessment of whether or not to go (something far too many potential law students neglect to do) to landing that posh job at a top firm. Along the way, Miller discusses taming the LSAT, coming through the brutal first year intact, Law Review, summer internships, interviewing, clerkships and lifestyle. Perhaps the best feature of this book is Miller's light-hearted, breezy writing style. The tone is that of a friend who has scaled the mountain and is now telling you about it over a pitcher of beer, rather than that of a pompous square lecturing you about law school's do's and don't's. The frequent quotes from the book's "mentors" (former law students) add to the sense of credibility one gets from this book.

I have a small beef with this book which prevented it from achieving the rarified air of five stars. Since the book discusses a broad range of subjects pertaining to law school, it gives a fairly superficial treatment of each. This is of course out of necessity; the book would be 2,000 pages long if Miller went into detail about every last topic. But he makes very few recommendations for further reading. A perfect example is the chapter entitled "Your Five Most Critical Hours: How to Beat the LSAT." Judging by the title, you'd think this was a veritable cornucopia of information on cracking the LSAT, right? Guess what--the chapter is seven pages long. The only resources Miller mentions are the Princeton Review (he didn't take it), a Princeton Review book and an ARCO book. These are mentioned in passing; they are not recommendations. My point is, this book would have benefited greatly from a "Further Reading" section at the end of each chapter for those who want to get more detailed information about a topic and are confused by the ocean of law school books that are out there.

But this is just a small chink in the armor of what I consider to be a very helpful, informative and enjoyable book. Kudos to Mr. Miller--a generation of law students will be better off for having read his book.


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