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

Rating:
Summary: Having read LSC I'm chomping at the bit!
Review: Okay, I exaggerate. But this book offers such a complete overview of what lies ahead for me in the coming weeks (about the begin my first year) that I am actually feeling okay about it all! Thank you LSC! I'll keep you by my side all year!

Rating:
Summary: excellent guide
Review: This book appears to be excellent preparation for law school. The information is timely and helpful, and has alleviated a lot of my concerns. Its tips appear to be insightful, and I believe I will do most of the things the book recommends. This is a must for law students.

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Summary: Law School Confidential: To be or not to be a lawyer
Review: For those who are thinking of applying to law school or who are in the first (or perhaps second) year of law school, this book should be a must read. Too many people apply having a vague notion of what they would like to do with their degree and put off addressing important decisions until some of the choices that they would like to have have come and gone. As many who have fumbled through the application process and/or the first semester of law school in a haze have found out, it may now be too late to do what it is that they want to do. The process has made important decisions for them. This is a no nonsense book that includes useful comments from recent law school graduates. It addresses whether to apply, the application process, studying, exams and applying for jobs. It is the kind of book that those of us who graduated from law school years ago can read and say "yes, yes" I wish I had known that!

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Summary: One of the better law school prep books...
Review: I have bought way too many of law school preparation guides. Most of them are in a pile on my floor, but this is the one I keep picking up over and over. The advice is straighforward and doesn't try to sugarcoat issues about getting in and all three years of law school, it tells it like it is. The panel is an interesting representation of all types of students from all types of schools.
All in all highly recommended.

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Summary: READ THIS if you are planning on law school
Review: This is the best book about law school I have ever read!!! I only wish I had picked it up sooner. It begins with a section of questions to make sure you want to go to law school and ends with passing the bar. It is the comprehensive bible of law students!

Rating:
Summary: The book is fine, but beware
Review: Read with care the reviews and who is writing them before you buy this book. How people can give it five stars (or a poor review) without having been to law school is questionable. It is a fine book, but only if you take it for what it is worth. I am in law school, and some of it worked and some of it did not.

Rating:
Summary: Illusion of Helpfulness
Review: In my first year of law school, I thought that this book would be my step ahead of everyone. I followed the directions dutifully. And in my second semester, I began to realize that the author's method, which looks quite good on paper, only works for a very few select classes, and a fewer number of people. While his "method" sounds organized and helpful as could be, it's not. Different people learn different ways, and different classes demand different types of preparation and studying. The author's method does not account for this.
The book was good, however, at giving a broad overview of what to expect in one's career in law school. Not all law schools work the same way, but it helps to have a general map laid out to warn you of what's coming. If you're nervous about law school and want to be able to walk in feeling a little smug, this will definately help you to feel more prepared, but don't let it fool you, okay?


Rating:
Summary: Opinionated, organized, plain-talking and worth the dough.
Review: A great resource for readers still deciding about law school and how to maximize the experience. It's well-written, with insightful comments from recently-minted attorneys and Cornell's dean of admissions. The dean, for instance, explains that the US News and World Report rankings are so powerful, and competition for the brightest so intense, that some schools may overanalyze LSAT results to the detriment of students. (Since USNWR publishes median LSAT scores for various schools, some schools apparently fear that 'soft admits' with lower scores might affect the school's reputation.)

Miller doesn't shy away from other unpleasant truths - one mentor admits that financially, she could not afford to practice the public interest law she entered law school to study. He refers several times to law schools that have more of a "cutthroat" reputation, where some hoard required books from the library, and warns would-be students to choose carefully. But the author also provides advice on "law school etiquette," suggesting the best way to answer questions in class (don't bore anyone or beat them over the head with your opinions), deal with academic competition and the overwhelming workload. Many readers will take issue with his comments, but whether or not you finally agree, he brings up good issues to think about before applying or your year as a 1L.

It's interesting also to compare this book with Scott Turow's "1L" - Turow having gone to Harvard Law in the shadow of the late 1960s, and part of an activist class (which, in his book, comes together to publicly criticize a tough professor). Miller, by contrast, is a Gen-Xer, whose generation tends to be more entrepreneurial than activist, and noted for their independence. While Turow talks about his tense experiences with a study group, broken friendships and the competition over class outlines - his book bursts with angst - Miller advocates lots of research, phone calls, preparing ahead, and what you might call "leaving the building". This is some of the best advice in the book; he talks about the calmer experience he had taking the LSAT, by driving to his home state from his Ivy League school. Instead of testing at his ultra-competitive alma mater, he tested with a handful of students, in a more relaxed setting. This is echoed in his advice to get out of Dodge when exam comes - off-campus, where concentration will be easier - even if it means temporarily moving in with a friend or a motel room.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful, but Maybe Too Directive
Review: This book provides good insight into the trials and tribulations of preparing for and then attending law school. It's a good read for anyone who is interested in attending law school, or for the family/friends of a potential/current law student. This isn't necessarily fiction, so I wouldn't recommend it for general casual reading.

My only qualm with this book is that the author, Robert Miller, seems to think that his method for attacking law school classes is the only right way to do it. He seems to insist that participation in things like Law Review and various organizations are necessary. This may be the case for those who are gunning for the big-name law firm in downtown New York City, but if you're one of those (and you probably are) not in the top 25% of the law class and you don't care about working at a multinational law firm that spans into every possible area of legal services, then Robert Miller's recommendations in this book may not be practical. His view is, in fact, somewhat unilateral.

I recommend that you read this book if you are considering law school, but read it with a grain of salt. Remember that if you want law schools to look beyond your "numbers" (LSAT/GPA) then you're going to have to look beyond their numbers (USNEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKING).

Rating:
Summary: A Great How-To Guide
Review: This is an excellent, comprehensive guide for law school students. I read it in preparation for school, hoping to mine some gems of knowledge to help me and I feel like I hit the mother lode. The book covers every aspect of school from applying, to studying, to the job search and bar exam. Aside from the specific information it provides, the book instills a great deal of confidence that law school is a doable experience and not as daunting as it can seem. The book was well written and clearly presented--not surprising for a book written by lawyers. I feel that this book provides a leg up for school and I would highly recommend it to everyone considering or attening law school.