Rating: 
Summary: This book delivers
Review: Have you been dreaming about making it through law school but don't quite have a "handle" on how to play the game yet? This book will tell you everything you need to know. Realistic, down to earth, and extremely practical, this book is, in my humble opinion, spades better than pretty much all the other law school books you'll find out there. Written by someone who's recently been in law school (the author is a May, 2003 graduate--not a professor or a lawyer who is far removed from what the current generation of law students is like--), I found pretty much everything the author says to be totally on the mark. I'm a third year myself, and I picked up this book earlier in the year because I still felt like I didn't really have a good handle on how this whole law school thing works. It's not really something that's "spelled out for you" like it is in undergraduate school. In law school, for instance, you're never really told things like how to really study for law school exams or what the essence of being a good lawyer is. You're never really told how to even find a lawyer yourself (if you ever need one) or why small firms and non-profits are great job options (beyond the huge firms that everyone seems to gravitate to.) I think these are things you just have to "figure out on your own" if you're lucky. Greene's book helps facilitate that process. I especially enjoyed learning little-known tidbits of information (good things to share at your weekend law school parties) such as when you can officially call yourself a "lawyer"--it's not at graduation from law school, as most people would tend to think. Check out the book to find out more. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: This book delivers
Review: Have you been dreaming about making it through law school but don't quite have a "handle" on how to play the game yet? This book will tell you everything you need to know. Realistic, down to earth, and extremely practical, this book is, in my humble opinion, spades better than pretty much all the other law school books you'll find out there. Written by someone who's recently been in law school (the author is a May, 2003 graduate--not a professor or a lawyer who is far removed from what the current generation of law students is like--), I found pretty much everything the author says to be totally on the mark. I'm a third year myself, and I picked up this book earlier in the year because I still felt like I didn't really have a good handle on how this whole law school thing works. It's not really something that's "spelled out for you" like it is in undergraduate school. In law school, for instance, you're never really told things like how to really study for law school exams or what the essence of being a good lawyer is. You're never really told how to even find a lawyer yourself (if you ever need one) or why small firms and non-profits are great job options (beyond the huge firms that everyone seems to gravitate to.) I think these are things you just have to "figure out on your own" if you're lucky. Greene's book helps facilitate that process. I especially enjoyed learning little-known tidbits of information (good things to share at your weekend law school parties) such as when you can officially call yourself a "lawyer"--it's not at graduation from law school, as most people would tend to think. Check out the book to find out more. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: This book delivers
Review: Have you been dreaming about making it through law school but don't quite have a "handle" on how to play the game yet? This book will tell you everything you need to know. Realistic, down to earth, and extremely practical, this book is, in my humble opinion, spades better than pretty much all the other law school books you'll find out there. Written by someone who's recently been in law school (the author is a May, 2003 graduate--not a professor or a lawyer who is far removed from what the current generation of law students is like--), I found pretty much everything the author says to be totally on the mark. I'm a third year myself, and I picked up this book earlier in the year because I still felt like I didn't really have a good handle on how this whole law school thing works. It's not really something that's "spelled out for you" like it is in undergraduate school. In law school, for instance, you're never really told things like how to really study for law school exams or what the essence of being a good lawyer is. You're never really told how to even find a lawyer yourself (if you ever need one) or why small firms and non-profits are great job options (beyond the huge firms that everyone seems to gravitate to.) I think these are things you just have to "figure out on your own" if you're lucky. Greene's book helps facilitate that process. I especially enjoyed learning little-known tidbits of information (good things to share at your weekend law school parties) such as when you can officially call yourself a "lawyer"--it's not at graduation from law school, as most people would tend to think. Check out the book to find out more. Recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Lacking depth
Review: I agree with the reviewer who described this book as more of an outline than a detailed, fleshed out book. I was shocked that this book could be so thick and yet have nothing worthwhile or interesting to offer. It was filler, plain and simple. Lots of generic generalizations that anyone could write. The author also showed she didn't know what a holding actually is when she provided a sample case brief and gave an erroneous definition of a holding. Be wary of spending money on this book or trusting this author's opinion. I would recommend Acing Your First Year of Law School instead -- these authors actually know how to brief a case.
Rating: 
Summary: Not really worth it.
Review: I bought this book based on the previous reviewers' comments, so when I was disappointed, I figured I should give my two cents. While practical and straightforward, the advice in this book can be gleaned just as well by communication with admissions/financial aid/career placement offices at your law school. At least I find this to be the case with my school. For a more in depth treatment and advice you won't get from these sources, I would recommend Law School Confidential by Robert H. Miller instead of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book if you're discouraged about law school
Review: I just finished my 1L semester, and my grades are starting to trickle in. So far, not so good. But I'm vowing to do better next semester, and I felt this book was very helpful in helping me see what exactly my mistakes were this semester. I bought this book a few days ago, on the recommendation of some 1Ls in my class, because unlike some of these other reviewers, my school's professors do not take the time to explain how to succeed in law school or how to study. Nor am I very friendly with any 2 or 3Ls who could provide me with this information. The reason I picked up this book is because I wanted a thorough and well-spelled out discussion of what exactly law school is all about, since I didn't do much reading on the topic before I started school in the fall. I've read other Dummies books, and felt this one was overall better organized and more thorough than those I've read in the past. I'm making up for lost time now on my winter break by learning more about how to be a better 1L, and I was very satisfied and pleased with this book. I strongly feel I'll be a better student because of it.
I recommend this book highly because I got a great overview of what I need to do better next semester in order to boost my law school GPA (which right now is hovering close to a 2.7). The chapter on "Making the Most of Your Study Time" helped me realize what really should go in an outline and what should not--after reading this chapter I realized I went about my outline all wrong--again, because no one really took the time to sit down with me and explain it all. And the chapter on "Thinking and Talking Like a Lawyer" summed up into words what I couldn't quite put my finger on about law school over the past three and a half months: what exactly the new method of thinking that you're supposed to learn in law school is all about. Up until this book helped elucidate this concept for me, I realized that I really wasn't "getting" what I was supposed to out of the Socratic Method. Now I feel a little more clued in.
This book was full of good tips, such as making me realize that in order to be competitive for summer clerkships, you need to get your cover letters in to the largest and most competitive firms by Christmastime. If it weren't for this book, I wouldn't have known that, because my career services office really doesn't do a good job of letting students know important facts like this. I also appreciated the chapter on "landing your perfect summer job" because it explained what exactly the monetary and prestige differences, among others, are between the large firms and small firms. Perhaps most of all, this book made me feel appreciated. More specifically, I liked the way this book, unlike others I've read, didn't try to sell you on the large firm as the only option for your summer job (or career.) Similarly, this book also did a great job of not trying to sell you on the idea that the law review is a make-or-break-your-legal-career move. See the "Getting Involved in Law School" chapter for reassurance that it's perfectly okay not to end up making the law review, or even wanting to, because there are other valuable EC's out there. I also learned from this chapter that it can be more important to find EC's that are a good fit for your future career plans than to just blindly assume that the law review is the end-all-be-all. That's one aspect that really annoyed me about other law school guidebooks I read--the subtle or not-so-subtle theme that you must be in the top 10% of your class, on law review, and a summer associate at a big-name firm to "make it" as a lawyer. I appreciated the fact that Greene's book didn't make these assumptions, and liked the way non-traditional uses of the J.D. were thoroughly explored (see the Considering Alternative Legal Careers chapter) unlike other books, which just gives a nod to this equally valid way of using your J.D.
As per the Dummies tradition, this book spells things out for you, and many intelligent and hard-working students, like myself, need that. My recommendation for other law students is to read this book to get a good overview of law school and to help you better find your place when you're lost. I think other law school guidebooks can also valuable, but if you're looking for a more user-friendly guide, and one that has a more liberal tone than the other much more conservative law school books I've read, then look to this book to once and for all finally understand what law school is all about and your place in it.
Rating:
Summary: This is required reading for all law students!
Review: I just finished my first year of law school, and let's just say that I'm having major doubts about whether law school is really for me (and I know I'm not alone here). I went into law school because I didn't really know what else to do with myself and lately I've been looking for books that might candidly address this issue (i.e. what to do when you've come to the realization that you don't want to practice law.) I hadn't found any until I read this one. What really appealed to me about this book was that from the get-go the author doesn't assume that you're necessarily going to use your law degree to practice law. She points out all the other great uses of a law degree besides the traditional practice of law in a chapter about alternative legal careers and in other places throughout the book. Since my law school's career services office doesn't really cater to people who have a non-law firm inclincation, this book was really helpful in pointing me in a whole new direction!
Rating:
Summary: Generic overview of law school
Review: I wasn't impressed by this book at all. After my first semester in LS, everything this author suggests the law professors and 2Ls and 3Ls will tell you. I mean, it is a quick and easy read, but it's a waste of money. I bought the book after reading the 5 star recs here and I was mad at everyone who said it was worth something once I finished it. I would recommend, Law School Confidential, and Planet Law School II. Unless you have a whole bunch of extra time and money lying around, skip this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great book for African-American law students
Review: I'm a 1L, and I read this book (I just finished it, in fact) to get a better perspective of what law school is all about. I was recommended this book through my pre-law club back in undergrad, specifically because it seems to be the only book out there that shares the minority perspective. I flipped through some other law school books, and even read a few others, but I found that this one was the only one (surprisingly so) that had advice for minority students. I was surprised that so many of the other books out there seem to overlook us--especially since most law school classes are around 20% minority.
Besides the fact that I felt "included" in this book, I also recommend it because it really helped explain the whole job search process in a very understandable way. How to find a law school summer job is a confusing topic, and I feel like I'm ahead of the game because I understand what's involved--even though my first semester has only just gotten underway.
Loved the Batman producer/ non-traditional way to use your J.D. interview! Very inspiring for me, as I have planned all along to use my J.D. in a non-practicing law way.
One recommendation for the next edition would be a bit more info on what goes into outlines, like another commenter said. Since law profs don't seem to talk about this at all (at least at my law school) I think it's important to have what goes into these things spelled out for you. But I thought the discussion about preparing for classes, what's in an exam, and taking an exam, was really helpful.
Overall, I'd give this book 4.5 stars, but rounded to 5. I recommend this book especially for my fellow under-represented minority classmates out there.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for all rising One Ls!
Review: I'm starting law school in the fall as a 1L, so of course I've been reading everything I can on what to expect. Out of all the law school books I've read so far, this one is by far the best! Not only did it give a very realistic sense of what to expect as a law student, from the amount of studying to the job search process, but I really enjoyed the interviews with other law students and professors. Also, I really liked the fact that it included non-traditional students so much in the discussion, because I'm 29 and starting law school after many years in the business world. The other books I read didn't include non-traditional students' perspectives at all, so be sure to check this book out if you're not a "straight-arrow" law student and want to be inspired!
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