Law School 411: Books & Films on Law & Law School

Beyond One L: Stories About Finding Meaning and Making a Difference in Law is inspired by Scott Turow's One L, the classic account of first-year law student's experience at Harvard Law School. With an introduction by Turow, Beyond One L explores first-, second-, and third-year experiences in the decades since One L was published. It then moves beyond law school to tell the stories of taking the bar, searching for judicial clerkships, practicing law, and leaving law practice to become a teacher or judge. Story authors include lawyer Gerry Spence; Above the Law editor David Lat; Andrew McGlurg, author of One L of a Ride; law professors Ian Ayres, Stephen Carter, Deborah Waire Post, and Adrienne Wing; and judges Marilyn Skoglund, Donn Kessler, and Michael Zimmerman. The stories are about the moments in life that were game-changers — ones that changed the course of the authors' careers or brought them extraordinary meaning.

With the aim of decreasing students' anxiety and increasing their chances of achieving academic success, What Every Law Student Really Needs to Know: An Introduction to the Study of Law prepares students to get through their first year of law school. As a valuable reference over an entire law school career, it will continue to contribute to students' academic success. With a friendly and informal writing style, this orientation to law school features: (1) Insight into how and why law school works the way it does; (2) Tools, techniques, and information for understanding first-year substantive law as fully as possible; (3) An overview of the American legal system and court structure; (4) A concise review of basic civics, including the structure of American government and sources of law; (5) Introductions to analytic tools and methods of reasoning; (6) Clear descriptions of basic legal concepts, such as standards of review and burdens of proof; (7) A look ahead at the goals of a legal education -- and the life, duties, and responsibilities of being a lawyer; (8) Exercises that allow students to independently test their understanding of the material in a particular section; (9) Visual aids that help students grasp and remember the material; (10) A short primer on American history and legal philosophy, as each is relevant to the study of law; (11) Provides a self-study resource that students may use as they need.

The first of its kind, this book offers a global overview of the first-year curriculum in a single volume. In short, available lessons, Get a Running Start covers all the major concepts taught in each of the courses most commonly offered in the first year of law school: criminal law, torts, civil procedure, constitutional law, property, and contracts. Each of the courses comprising this book is written by a specialist in the field who is a decorated teacher with years of experience in the classroom. In this volume, they have distilled that experience and expertise to produce the tool they wish they had when they first were thinking about and then actually began law school: a clear, concise introduction to the entire first-year curriculum. Get a Running Start is a valuable tool for first-year law students, giving them a running start on their law school careers and putting them in the best position to enter the profession. By reading through all the lessons for a course, first-year students will get a complete overview of each course early in the semester. As the semester goes forward, students can accelerate their learning and comprehension by reviewing individual lessons when preparing for class. As the semester comes to a close, the lessons in this book provide an invaluable framework for outlining and exam preparation.

A Short & Happy Guide to Being a Law Student is a must-read whenever worry or doubt creep in. In this volume you will find essential wisdom for the study of law and life. Learn from the unprecedented ten-time recipient of the Professor of the Year award how to be your best in and out of class, how to prepare for exams, how to succeed on exams, how to put your best foot forward in a job interview, how to find teachers to inspire you, what to do in classes that leave you uninspired, how to cope with stress and how to create value in everything you do.

26 lawyering skills, from Advocacy to Zealousness (A to Z), each tied to a famous film. The skill of advocacy -- The skill of balance -- The skill of compassion -- The skill of dependability -- The skill of empathy -- The skill of flexibility -- The skill of guidance -- The skill of honesty -- The skill of investigation -- The skill of judgment -- The skill of keen sense of timing -- The skill of loyalty -- The skill of marketing -- The skill of negotiation -- The skill of organization -- The skill of persuasion -- The skill of questioning -- The skill of responsibility -- The skill of sincerity -- The skill of tact -- The skill of universal etiquette -- The skill of versatility -- The skill of willpower -- The skill of x-ray vision -- The skill of yielding to authority -- The skill of zealousness

Law school can be intimidating for the older, non-traditional student, who is often grappling with children, mortgages, and other later life issues in addition to law school. This book provides advice from the author and dozens of current and former law students on dealing with the LSAT and GPAs, the law school application process, paying for law school, surviving first year and non-academic hurdles, all the while dealing with everyday demands of family living.

This updated version of a 1997 classic is a great introduction for law school. Just as the title indicates, Ms. Nygren focuses on “starting off right” in first year class preparation and exam taking skills. She tries to provide students the tools they need to be prepared from the very first day of law school. She reviews the basics of the court system, the trial and appellate process and basic legal terms. This will raise the student’s comfort level during those critical first days. She also helps students learn how to read cases in casebooks and how to take law school exams.

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On the verge of graduating from college and with no idea what to do with his life, Jim decided to apply to law school. After an initial burst of elation at finally getting in, he soon discovered that law school was going to be nothing like he had ever experienced before. Homework, exams, and grades are just the tip of the iceberg as the author deals with all of the uncertainty, stress, depression, weight gain, loss of friends, romantic awkwardness, and emotional breakdowns that come rushing into his life. You are invited to follow along through the eyes of The Jim Report, a series of humorous e-mails Jim wrote to his family and friends while attending law school. You will also read about his epic court battle against a traffic ticket, taking an innocent ski trip that goes horribly wrong, saving a panicked law student from dropping her class, bantering with a United States Supreme Court Justice, meeting the next President, and shoving a piece of metal up his foot.

In this book, three 2010 law school graduates offer a completely candid student perspective on every aspect of law school, from classmates to bar review, and outlines to studying abroad. This account is a true story of how law school really works, from the ground up.

This book demystifies law school and the process of studying the law. Rather than just describing the various necessary study skills including case briefing, taking notes in class, and preparing exam outlines the book shows how these skills are interrelated and how an incoming student can practice them before coming to law school, making the transition from prospective to actual law student easier and as painless as possible. Written in an informal and conversational tone, Coming to Law School shows incoming law students the benefits of coming to law school armed with strong study skills already in place and guides them through the process of getting ready for school with examples and exercises to clarify the points it raises. The book also contains information about many practical issues, including the law school process, how to do well in a summer job, and taking the bar exam. Although this is not a book about the law, it is designed to be a book that will help all law students get the most out of law school.

Movie Therapy for Law Students surveys about 35 legal movies, focusing on the substantive areas of law and legal issues that movies raise. Includes legal movie trivia, internet links to resources for law students and exam study tips. This book is a fun legal study aid or law school prep text. It is geared toward law students, but it is entertaining for all movie buffs or law buffs, in general.

Kimes, a former litigator, tells the story of her law school days at Columbia University in the mid-nineties. She includes tales from the law school classroom, from summer clerk work in law firms, and from her days preparing for the bar exam.

The Harvard Law Class of ’64 was 513 strong, but only 15 of the graduates were women. The author was one of the 15. This book describes legal education in the sixties and the specific discrimination that women who braved the male bastion faced.

The author predicates this work on three essential legal questions: Is there a law? Has it been violated? What is the remedy? Students learn to think “like a lawyer” by looking at these three questions in different legal contexts.

Enjoy this classic tale of the novelist's first year at Harvard Law School. You can feel his anxiety and relief as you read about his experiences in the classroom and in his study group. If you only have time for one first person tale, this is probably it.

A legal classic, The Bramble Bush is Prof. Llewellyn's introduction to law and law school. Through it he teaches students how to read cases, how to prepare for class, and how justice in the real world relates to the law. It is based on lectures he gave to his first year law students almost 100 years ago at Columbia University.

The Guide to Belonging in Law School is the only book of its kind and should be required summer reading before law school. It accomplishes two discrete goals. First, it requires readers to engage in an authentic, rigorous, mini-law school semester involving reading, studying, five Socratic classes (through the connected website), exam preparation, and exam writing. Second, the book provides a foundation for students from marginalized groups to recognize and manage both subtle and explicit barriers that can impede their progress. Law schools should recommend this book to every incoming law student, especially those from groups underrepresented in the profession. Professor McClain is a nationally-recognized expert on inclusiveness and minority student achievement in law school.