Rating: 
Summary: Ace your first year--read this book
Review: It takes most law students a full year to learn the essential elements to success in law school--how to read and brief cases, how to prepare for exams and how to write a successful exam answer. The reason it takes a year to learn these skills is simple. They are not taught in the classroom, they are learned the hard way through trial and error. You don't have to learn the hard way. "Acing Your First Year" gives you a head start on law school. It teaches you the skills that you will need to ace your first year exams. It also teaches you how to avoid the infinite number of stressful, unhelpful, time-consuming distractions you will face in your first year. Those law students who ace their first year enjoy enormous advantages (getting a job, a clerkship, making law review). Ace your first year--read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: good advice, little substance
Review: Law school is an enormous amount of work. Understanding its complexity and demands requires a substantial body of text. Trying to convey the intensity of the law school experience and the breadth of material you will need to learn is hard to convey in a "follow-these-ten-steps-to-certain-success" format. While most of what this book suggest will likely work for the aspiring law student, it will only work if the aspiring law student has a context in which to apply the suggestions. This sounds a little vague; I suggest reading _Getting to Maybe_ by Richard Fischl and Jeremy Paul. It has the substance and contextual relevance that this book does not.
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading...more damaging than helpful
Review: Plain and simple, this book gives bad advice. Avoid it...and pick up a worthwhile read like The Eight Secrets of Top Exam Performance in Law School by Prof Charles Whitebread. Whitebread gives useful tips on how to succeed on law school exams, which determine 100% of your grade in many cases.
Rating: 
Summary: Prelude to Success
Review: Shana and Henry Noyes capture the essence of the difficulties that face a first year law student. They've managed to boil down what can be an incredibly intimidating experience into ten easy to read chapters. Students beginning law school should not underestimate the value of being well prepared for their first day of class. High grades received in the first year can catapult a student to a prestigious judicial clerkship or a summer associate position at a well respected law firm. Students who read this book will have a tremendous advantage over others who are not so fortunate. This is a must read for all first years!
Rating:
Summary: This is the one to buy!
Review: There are so many books out there about succeeding in law school. Save your time and money and just read this one. Everything you need to know is here- in plain English. The authors have written a short and sweet book that is easier, quicker and a lot more helpful than books out there that are twice as long. The examples on briefing and outlining are wonderful and you can refer to them throughout your first couple of months of study. Don't waste any more time- you already have enough to do- just buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Clear and concise
Review: This book gives you a great overview of the very basics of what law students will need to learn quickly and will not be taught. Get this book to have an understanding of what type of things you will be studying, how to write briefs, and how to outline and study for exams. Also gives you the basics of citations, what you need to know, and what not to worry about... A must read for new law students who want to ease their anxiety!
Rating:
Summary: Clear and concise
Review: This book gives you a great overview of the very basics of what law students will need to learn quickly and will not be taught. Get this book to have an understanding of what type of things you will be studying, how to write briefs, and how to outline and study for exams. Also gives you the basics of citations, what you need to know, and what not to worry about... A must read for new law students who want to ease their anxiety!
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for law school
Review: This book should be required reading for every first year law student. It contains the advice needed to succeed in law school's most important year.The steps to success are clear; a disciplined law student will easily be able to implement them.
Rating:
Summary: What to study and what to skip
Review: This book teaches you what you need to focus on in your first year of law school, but even better, it points out all the things you should ignore. For example, the author recommends using electronic databases to cross-reference topics for legal research and warns how counter-productive it is to wander through a legal library without first using the databases to narrow your search. The subjects are thoroughly covered and at the end of each chapter there is a "Dicta" column that sums up all the things that rookies waste time trying to learn.
It's a heck of a value and a good guide for your first year preparations.
Rating: 
Summary: great book for first year law students
Review: This is an excellent book for first year law students. My friends have all borrowed it to read. It has great tips on exam writing and writing briefs. The only problem was it has an American flavour to it and I am in a Canadian law school.
| 
