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Law School Confidential (Revised Edition): A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience: By Students, for Students

Law School Confidential (Revised Edition): A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience: By Students, for Students

List Price: $17.95
Your Price: $12.21
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent but $$ off.
Review: I agree with all the reviews and found the book to be worth its weight in gold. The only errors I found were in his quotes of what things cost, e.g., LSAT Prep Courses. For a book only two years old the courses have more than doubled from the prices he gives. Yes things change with time but surprised that they were that much different.

If you are considering law school or are in law school this book should be in your possession 24 hours a day.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: good read
Review: I read this book before starting last fall, and it was more informative than say Scott Turow's ONE-L which is a scary narrative of harvard Law 25 years ago, Miller does a better job telling you exactly what to expect and do before and while in Law school.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Get it ASAP if thinking about law school
Review: I read samples of just about every book under the topic of law schools, and this was by far the most relevent to today's law school atmosphere. It covers just about every topic imaginable regarding applying to, choosing, and doing well in law school. And is a quick read in the process. While I have not yet attended law school, this book helped me get into the school of my choice with its advice on wait-lists and how to stand out on one so you can get in. Without this book, I might not be going to the school of my choice. It is well worth the read for anyone seriously considering or already applying to law school.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best guide in preparation for law school and beyond!
Review: I cannot wait to begin law school thanks to Robert Miller's book! I feel prepared for all the joys as well as the hurdles that law school presents due to the in-depth chapters that range from taking the LSAT to obtaining the associate position. Miller discusses study tactics that are a sure-fire way of achieving success in law school and putting the student ahead of the competition. He gives a thorough analysis of things to do before arriving on campus, law school etiquette, a study schedule for the four classes to conquer per semester, examination formats, first semester performance evaluation, applying for the summer associateships, judicial clerkships, or public interest positions, competing for a seat on the law review, strategies to the bar exam, etc. Thanks to Miller, I feel very confident about my success in law school.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solid, Tailored to Undergrads going to Top Tier
Review: OK, I have not gone to law school yet, although I am in the process. The book reads very well, it is concise to its points, and he "tells it like he sees it." The last one can be problematic if you do not see it the same way but that's the tac the author took. As others have said, it seems to be tailored to those going to a Top 15 school, from the city life that all 15 invariably have to the pressures which may/may not be specific to them.

The other downside is that he, and apparently all of the co-contributors, are unmarried and went straight from undergrad. I am married and nearly 8 yrs out and I think the only mention of "my path" is a blurb at the beginning. This is a terrible disservice considering nearly half of entering law students are coming from the workforce and many are married. A lot of the advice can be borderline nonsensical if you fall out of the carefully laid boundaries that he established at the beginning.

That being said, this can be an invaluable tool in evaluating whether you think law school is right for you and if you are ready for the Commitment -- as the author so rightfully put it. It will lead you from the "dawning of the idea" phase right through to placement. If you want to know what the next 4 years of your life will be like, start here.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: fantastic guide!
Review: This guide to law school is extremely readable and practical. Miller provides advice on everything from study methods to social etiquette. Many of the best portions of this guide have been treated in other reviews on this site, but I'll elaborate on a few which I found very helpful: the section on briefing cases using many colors is great. This method is designed for quick recall of facts, even under the pressure of in-class Socratic questioning. Also helpful is the section on using "case maps" and "bullet outlines." These frameworks are a logical way to view, respectively, the relationships between cases and the general principles of a legal area. I loved the section on how to study if you're behind on reading or outlining. Miller has a keen sense for how to make the best use of a short time frame to achieve at least decent results. Finally, Miller's method for choosing among law firm employment offers is methodical and concerned with a broad array of factors, both economic and lifestyle-related.

I am entering law school this fall, and feel significantly better prepared after having read this book. I highly recommend Miller's guide to anyone considering law school.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The only book you need.
Review: If you have or have not decided about law school, this is the only book you need. If you haven't decided, you will get all the necessary information you need to make the right choice. If you have decided, this is a book that you should carry with you from the application process to your law school graduation. You actually get a sense that the author wants you to succeed and has compiled every bit of necessary information to help you make that possible.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mah-velous!
Review: What a fantastic book. As others have noted, this book is much better than Planet Law School (PLS) by Atticus Falcon. Don't get me wrong -- Atticus Falcon is a great guy with often great advice, especially when he used to write for LawPreview.com, but his book is simply too negative. Law school, though difficult, is *not* *that* *bad*. Plus, all the nuggets worth keeping in PLS can also be found in this book, but with much more realism and much more optimism (the two need not be mutually exclusive). And don't miscount optimism; oftentimes it's your attitude that will carry you through. So whereas PLS teaches you to use what I'll term "cutthroat/guerrilla tactics" in law school to succeed, Law School Confidential (LSC) teaches you how to succeed the old fashioned way -- through hard work, commitment, discipline, etc. -- and gives you the details to map out the road before you so that you know where to focus your hard work, commitment, discipline, etc.)

Having said all that, I apologize: this is not a review of PLS but of LSC. LSC is divided into four main parts with several chapters under each part: (1) Everything you need to know and prepare before applying to law school and then actually applying to law school; (2) Everything you need to know and do during the critical 1L year; (3) Everything you need to know and do during 2L; (4) Everything you need to know and do during 3L and beyond.

In Part 1, although I found it to be the weakest of the four parts (since most of the information is either common sense or you can find it in other sources such as the online column "Advice for the Lawlorn" by Ann Israel), there is nevertheless an extremely insightful, lengthy interview with a lady who was the Dean of Admissions at several top law schools and now currently at UPenn, who has 18+ years of experience in law school admissions. This interview lets you in on some great "behind the scenes" stuff. It also has stuff about whether or not you should go to law school, LSAT preparation, applying for financial aid (FAFSA), how to choose schools, etc. Like I said, the common sense or better-done-elsewhere stuff.

In Part 2, the hi-lights are a general outline of law school, recommendations for what to buy and what not to buy (outlines, etc.), study tips, general etiquette, how to act/react in class (the dreaded Socratic forum), and of course what to do and how to get that first summer associate, clerkship, or public position. There's a whole lot of stuff I'm leaving out but, well, that's why these are hi-lights... But Part 2 really does provide a solid foundation even though I probably made it sound like a laundry list or something.

In Part 3, the hi-lights are how to select a "major" or career focus (Business/Corporate, Family, Intellectual Property, International, blah blah blah), what to know and do for the upcoming 2L summer (note: the 2L summer job is usually the one that leads to your first "job," so this is important), interviewing strategy and etiquette, law review or journal membership, moot court, and a really in-depth coverage of judicial clerkships.

Finally, in Part 4, the hi-lights are what to do during the third year, job prospects (including what to do if you didn't get any offers), and preparation for the bar exam as well as closing thoughts.

LSC was for the most part written by Robert Miller, but also has contributions from nine other law-school-students-now-lawyers. I think it's important to know who the author(s) is(are) because, well, let's face it -- a book will stand or fall depending on whether or not the author "practices what he preaches." But rest assured; Robert Miller does indeed "practice what he preaches -- he has been quite successful himself. He was a UPenn grad, clerked at the US District Court level (that's *quite* high, just below the scholary Appellate and of course the Supreme Court itself), was not only the senior editor of UPenn's Law Review but also wrote an article for it, and now works at a good firm in New Hampshire. Also, he graduated from UPenn in '98 so all the info. you're getting is quite recent (in fact, the book wasn't even published until '00).

Also, before the book begins, it gives you a nice, brief summary of each of the other nine contributors' lives (one short paragraph or so for each person plus a B&W photograph of each person), what led them to the law, would they do it again if they had a second chance, etc. This is interesting insomuch as reading about how other people became lawyers is inspirational (well, in a modest way), and helps you to see if you can identify your life, thoughts, motivations, etc. with them as well.

However, if there's any drawback it's that it gravitates towards those who attend a top 25 or so law school. What I mean is that Robert Miller (plus the majority of the other contributors) graduated from "top" law schools, and thus wrote the book with that readership in mind. But who would write or expect anything less? It's a book that expects you to do the utmost possible to become a good lawyer, nothing more, nothing less.

I honestly can't praise the book enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: This is hands-down the best book on law school that I have read, much better than either Planet Law School or Slaying the Law School Dragon. I plan to keep this book close at hand during my three years of law school, as Mr. Miller competently advises students through each step of the way. Now all he needs to do is write "Large Law Firm Confidential," and we'll all be set!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Law School Prep Guide
Review: I read several pre-law prep books and this was by far the best one. I followed the advice given in this book religiously and I did very well my first semester. Moreoever, my fellow 1Ls who did what was recommended by the school did not do so well. Bottom line, you have to outline from the beginning and traditional case briefing is a waste of time. This book tells you the skills that you need to do well on law school. It also describes some of the common mistakes made by 1Ls.

Book brief, outline your classes and rely on study aids (of course go to class and do your reading) and you'll do fine.


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