How to Get into Law School

Rating:
Summary: "How to Get into Law School" by Susan Estrich
Review: Passion. That's the single best word I can think of to describe what comes through when you read Susan Estrich's book, "How to Get into Law School."

Most books about getting into law school try to give you some sort of an assessment of whether or not you should go, what to expect if you do go, etc. They run down the list for you, a list which you can probably find somewhere online. But it's all so, I don't know, so... so uninspired. There's no sense of the personality behind the book.

Not so with Estrich's book. After reading it, you feel like you know who the author is, where she's coming from, why she cared enough to write yet another one of these law school books. Admittedly, this might be a minus to some (more subjective, perhaps), but I appreciate this sort of perspective. For me such an approach is so tremendously insightful and helpful. It's like being able to meet a member of the adcomm face-to-face rather than simply reading what's on the law school website. You get that little extra "something, something" when you talk to a real, live person.

Of course, I'm not saying that this book is merely inspirational and nothing more. Though inspiration is important, particularly in a field that seems to be top-heavy with "unhappy, unhealthy, and unethical" lawyers (it's a wonderful encouragement to know that at least one lawyer is so optimistic, and optimistic for good reason, about the future of the law at a time when others aren't), inspiration without substance would be of little value to prospective law students. There is much good advice, too, and some advice you won't likely get elsewhere. For instance, how to possibly receive an interview even if a school does not technically offer one. Or whom and how to ask for your letters of recommendation (not what you may think).

Still, I have to be honest -- personally speaking, I did find more succor in her sheer encouragement and optimism than I did in her actual advice. Again, not that it was bad advice by any means whatsoever, but what I mean is that, in my opinion, the real strength of the book is in its presentation and style and energy.

In addition, the book is indeed passionate, but it's not exhaustive. True, the book is divided into two sections, the first about getting into law school and the second about what you need to know to succeed in and after law school. (Again, solid, encouraging stuff written by a woman who's been an insider all her legal life.) But it doesn't ever really "dig in," I don't think. First, Estrich's book is entitled "How to Get into Law School," but that's only half the book, so I don't believe it's entirely fair to title the book that way. And although the advice is generally good, and on occasion great, there are also a few too many times, unfortunately, where I get the sense that she's glossing over relevant bits and pieces of the admissions process. For a book which is exhaustive, which gets into the nitty gritty, nuts 'n bolts details about the entire admissions process, I'd recommend Richard Montauk's "How to Get Into a Top Law School" (which by the way I found better in admissions advice than Rebecca Greene's "Law School for Dummies" and Robert Miller's "Law School Confidential," though the two would still be worth getting if you have the extra money and time to read). Estrich's book would make a great complement alongside Montauk's book, but I wouldn't want it to be my sole purchase on the topic.

One other, smaller negative (although maybe only for me or people like me). There is a lot of name-dropping, which for me got a little old after a while. Obviously she's had a wonderful life, rubbing elbows with many "celebrities" within the legal field: Justice John Paul Stevens (JD, Northwestern); Stanford Law School's Dean of Admissions, Kathleen Sullivan (JD, Harvard); Ann Coulter (JD, University of Michigan); Fox News' Greta Van Susteren (JD, Georgetown); and so on. Now, I don't begrudge her her wonderful experiences, which in fact is what gave her the fire in her belly and (more importantly for us) the insider's scoop to the admissions process and legal field. But not all of us will have those sorts of opportunities, as much as we wish we could. So it's great how she's telling us about all these people and so on, but at times it comes across more as "bragging rights" or what not than as serving the purpose of helping her readers benefit from this information. Not always, but on occasion, and for me, enough times that it's mildly irritating.

On the whole, however, the book is a terrific panacea for those who are in the dumps about the entire admissions process and legal field (it's so competitive, so focused on the LSAT and GPA, will I ever get in anywhere, is there any point to why I'm even doing this, etc.). Indeed passion and inspiration and encouragement oftentimes count for as much as all the other stuff when pursuing a goal, and I for one am glad, and in fact come away more spirited and more enthusiastic, about my chosen field after having read her book.