(Part 2) Top products from r/LawSchool

Hang in there dude(tte). My first piece of advice is to follow 3point1415987's piece of advice. But if you are dead-set on lawschool, and you don't need a bunch of internet strangers venting their personal anecdotes as to why it's not a good idea, then buckle down, take some more practice tests and go back fighting.

I've never been very studious, but I usually test pretty well (at least in standardized tests). But this is reddit, don't we all? I read the PowerScore series, which I HIGHLY recommend, did the questions in the book, took a practice test or two, and thought that I was ready for the LSAT. It might have been nerves, or maybe I just hadn't mastered the art of managing one's time, but I scored a 156. Ehh, not the end of the world, but with my GPA, that 156 wouldn't get me far (read: my gpa wasn't very hot).

I found a study partner (I don't want to say this is "good advice" but I was rather attracted to my study partner and believe that motivated me to study harder), we scheduled practice tests together, went over each others' scores and explained why and how we came to a particular answer one got right and the other wrong, and we did this for 2 months straight. Honestly, it was an overall positive experience. And as I'm sure you can imagine, otherwise this story would be shit, I did pretty well. I know it's generally not cool to reveal your LSAT if it's decent, but no one knows me, and this is meant to convey that improvement is possible for retakers: I got a 174. The first time is NOT necessarily indicative of the next. Once you get over the fact that the LSAT is a rather unique test, and it's ALL about practice over knowledge (it's not actually studying ANY knowledge) and you apply that to your study methods (take as many practice tests as you can, and find a way that makes it rewarding--I found a study partner with which I enjoyed spending time).

Good luck to you! I only wish I could have followed my advice to study for the bar :\

Writing a motion for continuance or a notice of appearance is usually what I would think of if somebody mentioned "form-based writing" in legal practice. Something like an appellate brief must conform to your local jurisdiction's rules of appellate procedure but it should be far from "form-based writing". Something like a brief may have to be more structured and use simpler grammatical forms than what you wrote as an English major, but any writer who is a good writer to start with can take an imposed limitation and turn it into a strength.

It might hurt to say exactly what you mean without nuance, or boring to stick to simple sentence structure and conventional legal vocabulary, but the best writers of all genres keep it simple. You never want your writing to distract too much from your content. Turn it into a tool for vitality and strength in your writing.

Stick to whatever structure your professors are telling you to use -- religiously. My school's legal writing program used this. Along the way to mastering it, you will become a better legal writer. Once you master that, you can deviate from it, but not before. In the mean time, for some inspiration and some ideas for how to make your writing pop without deviating too much from the form your professors expect, I would recommend Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation's Top Advocates.

I totally concur with OP, supplements are supplements, not replacements. Read the case book, then read the relevant chapter from the supplement to ensure you got everything you were supposed to get out of it. Once you are getting everything out of the casebook in the first pass, you can discard supplements entirely if you like.

Best supplements, in my opinion:

• Introduction to Civil Procedure by Richard Freer
  
  
• Understanding Contracts by Richard Ferriell
  
  
• Understanding Property by John Sprankling
  
  
• Constitutional Law by Erwin Chemerinsky
  
  
• Understanding Criminal Law by Joshua Dressler
  
  
• E&E for Torts
  
  You can quibble on some, but any law student worth his salt will recognize Dressler on crim and Chemerinsky on con law as the best. Freer on Civ Pro is very well recognized as well. I like the Understanding series for contracts and property because they are still succinct yet more in-depth than the E&E's. I like the E&E for torts because the Understanding book for that class isn't especially good.
  
  If you don't like any of the above, the respective E&E would be my second choice.

I took the class in the fall and had decent success. I can't remember the guy's name who wrote the supplement I used but I'll track it down and get back to you. I'm pretty sure the guy's name is zinnecker.

edit: I found it. he co-authored the Q and A book. This was super helpful for me because my exam was multiple choice.

You can probably find it somewhere but honestly just pay the money and buy the books.

http://www.amazon.com/10-Actual-Official-LSAT-PrepTests/dp/0986045519/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463626813&sr=8-1&keywords=lsat+practice+tests

Less than $20 and they're all printed out and easy to write on and take.

I was once in your position and fucked around with PDFs for a long time... and it's ok to an extent... but I think it's worth it to just fork over $15-20 and buy it. Law school is hundreds of thousands in tuition, living expenses, lost wages, and years of your life, if $15 improves your score even by 1 point and gives you a better chance at a good school or more scholarship money then it was worth it.

Okay first guy got it right but if I'm good at anything its working smarter not harder. DONT get Chemerinsky, amazon prime or get your ass to a book store that sells this go through it and understand the core of the cases, go watch the barbri lectures that are keyed to your semester, take fucking notes, you put your self in a corner so no fucking time to slack. Then go to the library or bookstore and get this And do EVERY SINGLE FUCKING QUESTION, the multiple choice took me like 4 hours to get through at a slow pace. and take 30 min for the essays, for efficiency sake do the multiple choice questions first. Good luck.... you'll fucking need it.

Barbri here. It's hard to really know because stress level in the actual exam was so much higher, but I felt like they were easier.

I got a book called The Multistate Goat which has several hundred actual licensed MBE questions from NCBE. I did these as a supplement to Barbri and it was big confidence booster because they felt easier than a lot of Barbri questions.

This might not be exactly what you're looking for, but I found the Glannon guides helpful for a more interactive study aid. They have sections explaining the legal concepts followed by multiple choice questions with detailed explanations of which answer is right. I haven't actually used the Con ones yet (although I'm planning to before my exam), but I found them really useful for other subjects because they engage my brain more than just reading something. There's two for Con - one dealing with Governmental Structure and Powers and one for Individual Rights.

I found it much harder. As others have said, it's a ridiculous amount of work to keep up with - think hundreds of pages a reading a week. I did well in UG, and this 1L year has been a kick in the teeth. I knew going in that it would be hard - spent time lurking here and on other forums - but it's a whole different level.

The traditional saying is that in undergrad, professors expect you to know the facts and regurgitate them on exams. In law school, knowing the facts (in this case, the law itself) isn't enough to get a decent grade. You have to be able to apply the facts/law + analyze in order to get a decent grade. On an exam, probably 25% of the grade is based on knowing the law. The rest is your analysis of the facts that the professor presents in an exam, and how the law applies to the facts. To get a better idea, go here and take a look at the "Torts" sample exam questions and answers.

Course-load wise - don't think that because you took 18 credit hours in UG that you can do the same in LS and not die. I took 13 credits first semester, and it was much more work than an 18 credit semester.

1L year - you should not under any circumstances work. I took a 6 hour a week student job helping in one of the clinics, and it's been a giant pain in the ass. Take loans - you are competing against every other person in your class so don't shoot yourself in the foot by wasting hours a week working. Keep your living expenses under control to keep borrowing down.

I'd suggest reading 1L of a Ride to get a better idea. Your school's library probably has it. Check out /r/lawschooladmissions and /r/lsat for test prep. If you're looking at applying for Fall 2018 that ship has sailed. If you're thinking about Fall 2019, you should start studying now for the LSAT and plan to take it in September (and again in November if you decide you want to retake).

Great answer. Read some Hemingway. Short direct sentences.
"For sale, baby shoes, never worn."

Get Volokh's book on legal writing. It won't make you quicker, but might increase your confidence.

https://www.amazon.com/Academic-Legal-Writing-andGetting-University/dp/1599417502

Short answer: Freer

Long answer: Listen to the Richard Freer tapes before the relevant class and then again after and actually outline/take notes on the tapes. You likely have free access to the law school legends one through your school; the barbri 1L package also has videos of him which are what I used and my understanding is it's pretty much the same as the tapes. https://www.amazon.com/Civil-Procedure-School-Legends-Audio/dp/0314199780

1L of a Ride is what I'd recommend, but in reality - nothing is going to be out there that's truly going to help you. It's a learning curve right the beginning for how to read the cases, and then you'll develop your own strategies. The rest of the tips are just fluff that apply to going back to school for any program.

He might be referring to https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Analysis-Contracts-University-Textbook/dp/1587781972

I found it to be pretty helpful in explaining general concepts. Also, he discusses some cases in there that will probably appear in your casebook. In those instances, I found it extraordinarily helpful.

Study for the October LSAT. Kill it. Apply as soon as your score comes out (if not before).

Make sure your recommendations are great. These matter more than people think. Make sure your personal statement is great. This matters more than people think.

As far as studying the LSAT, probably get the Powerscore Logical Reasoning Bible and the Powerscore Logical Games Bible to study from. Also get a bunch of preptests. If your score plateaus for a while and you can't seem to get past it, hire a tutor. Starting at a 167 means its unlikely you will need to take a course.

Point made by Guberman and Making Your Case helped a lot for me, personally.

The trick at my school is to find out what the professor's expectations are and produce product that's as close as possible to it. I think some of my classmates try too hard to be lawyers, law review editors, or judges. Good luck!

This is all I read, easy read and gives you a good idea of the process.

Everyone else recommends Volkoh, but I barely cracked the cover though.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1490943498/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_RMRzzbA5C0GP7
Get this book. Its cheaper and has the opes that the NCBEX sells. You're saving yourself 100 dollars by doing this as well. The explanations are hit or miss sometimes, but they are good enough for you to get a general understanding. Also, these are the types of questions you will see on the exam. EDIT: The caveat is some of the questions will look familiar if you have done Emmanuel and bar prep questions.

Just skim some hornbooks. Here's a cheap Contracts one that you can read through in a couple sittings and will give you enough background to make sense of whatever outline you're winging it with -- it's what I used when I was in your position as a 1L with respect to contracts: https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Analysis-Contracts-University-Textbook/dp/1587781972

Step 1: Get off reddit.

Step 2: Buy this with overnight shipping

Step 3: ???

Step 4: Do reasonably well on the exam

Much better than ICW: https://masteringthebluebook.com/ and https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Mastering-Bluebook-Students-Practitioners/dp/1594603650

Understanding and Mastering the Bluebook and masteringthebluebook.com

The book breaks down some of the bluebook rules, helpful for the 1L bluebook exam and the website gives you a bunch of practice drills if you buy a subscription.

The only way to deal with the RAP is graphically. You can't answer it by thinking about it like a puzzle. It's sort of the real-life version of a LSAT logic game.

What you do is watch this video on how to draw a graphical representation of the times involved and conveyances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLTDCqR2mts

If you need to learn estates, pick up https://www.amazon.com/Students-Guide-Estates-Future-Interests/dp/1422498743

This is my favorite pre-law school book. It doesn't try to teach you note or exam taking, but is a primer for the sort of reasoning you'll be doing in your classes.

Conclusion,
Rule,
Rule Explanation,
Application,
Conclusion

Within that, in addressing elements, you will probably have mini versions of:

Issue,
Rule,
Application,
Conclusion

That should be your default structure. As for actual headings, it depends on the memo.

For Predictive I used:

Question Presented;
Brief Answer;
Facts;
Discussion (This is the meat of the memo, that utilizes the above structures);
Conclusion

For Persuasive:

Introduction;
Statement of Facts;
Legal Standard;
Argument (HUGE, think headings and subheadings each with its own CRREAC or IRAC);
Conclusion

I would also strongly recommend Point Made. My school really stresses legal writing and clinical work so all of our legal writing professors are tenured.

Inside Administrative Law: What Matters and Why (Inside (Wolters Kluwer)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/073557961X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_IzE4kUHledzxH

I tabbed my bluebook ahead of time and bought a book that explains the bluebook in plain english

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1422498743/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I used this for my Property class.

https://www.amazon.com/Questions-Answers-Judge-Bruce-Markell/dp/1422483460/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DMZ9ACCZCNYVP6YKSPTG

Look out for some of the newer rules on multi-state transactions and DR name requirements on financing statements.

I used this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/073557961X

https://www.amazon.com/Multistate-Goat-Essential-Practice-Questions/dp/1490943498
This one. Anybody have any info on this book???

https://www.amazon.com/BestBookStand-Actto-BST-09-adjustable-Portable/dp/B005IV6U0U/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=BOOK+HOLDER&qid=1565617153&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Get a cheap book stand. I use this one with the plastic arms removed

http://www.amazon.com/Academic-Legal-Writing-andGetting-University/dp/1599417502

Have you checked out Siegel's outlines yet? https://www.amazon.com/Siegels-Constitutional-Law-Essay-Choice/dp/1454809256

BOAT BOOK

The Examples and Explanations series. [Examples and Explanations] (https://www.amazon.com/Law-Torts-Examples-Explanations-4th/dp/0735588740/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536629513&sr=1-2&keywords=examples+and+explanations+torts)

There's a book on almost every law school subject.

Intro

Audiobook series on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Logical-Reasoning-Bible-Comprehensive/dp/0980178258/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b these things. Kaplan the one LSAT prep group I would avoid, using them actually brought my practice scores down, but powerscore helped me a lot, especially on the logic games, but I guess everybody's different.

I’d make sure to do every practice question in the Glannon Guide


Edit: and thoroughly read the explanations regardless of whether I answered the question right or wrong, in addition to normal studying

You might want to try /r/LSAT or /r/lawschooladmissions for this. Most of the people over here are already in law school.

But as far as studying for the LSAT, I think the most effective thing is to buy the PowerScore books and just do practice test after practice test from the LSAC. The LSAC sells books of ten LSATs (like this one) that you should be practicing on. The LSAT is incredibly repetitive as far as skills it tests, so it is likely to be a much better use of your time to just buy some basic books then take lots of tests. Unfortunately, all too often LSAT courses move at painfully slow paces that won't be as efficient as reviewing just the issues you're missing on tests you've taken.

Supplements aren't essential, but they can be one of many tools you use. I rely heavily on supplements and have done very well in law school. Here are the one's I used for those courses:

Civil Procedure: The Glannon Guide and the E&E (also by Glannon).

Criminal Law: Understanding Criminal Law by Dressler.

Property: Understanding Property by Sprankling and Siegel's Property.