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"How to Excel in Law School"

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"The Complete Law School Companion: How to Excel at America's Most Demanding Post-Graduate Curriculum" by Jeff Deaver, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1992. ISBN0-471-55491-X, SC 206/229 pages. Appendices I - Intro. Legal Sys. & II - Glossary Terms with Index 3 pgs. No Illustrations. This Revised & Updated edition (1984 - 1992) is a singularly attractive & informative reading for those interested in the core curriculum, types of study materials and teaching methodologies found in law schools. It is a well-rounded and well-written syllabus written by a cum laude law school graduate who is also a published writer of novels. Deaver provides a succinct explanation of necessary study habits, types of work assignments and obstacles one may expect to encounter in choosing law as a career. Special emphasis is given on steps to maximize performance on law school tests and the bar exam, using test examples and answers which follow a specific format and covers I Short Answer, II Issues Presented, III Analysis (Rule of Law, Applicable Facts, Conclusion), IV Other Considerations and V Conclusion. The author utilizes the LCM or Legal Concept Management as outline for learning this material. Two Appendices are especially informative, i.e. the Introduction to the American Legal System, a federalist system of laws prescribed by both federal and state government, and a concise review of how laws come to pass and appear on the books, i.e., the categories of Procedural (how to redress) and Substantive (what one's rights are) Laws. A distinction between Criminal and Civil Laws and brief review of the court system (tri-level) into Federal District & Specialty Courts, Geographic or Circuit Courts (Appellate), and the Supreme Court is outlined. Overall, this is a good read - for the targeted audience of enrolled law students, it is, perhaps, somewhat dated on finer points of law school and bar exam examination taking as some scoring methodology has changed and computer programming is paramount. It contains an excellent overview on "Law Review" and helpful tips on finding law clerkship or related jobs before graduation. finis

This book is now extremely outdated, but has a few useful things

Customer Rating:

I just finished my first year at a top ten law school. I didn't read this book or The Law School Companion in full before school started, but I read through parts of it during the year and over winter break. Overall it does help with giving you hints if you are utterly clueless on what to expect, but it is very outdated and there are far more useful books out there. One that I prefer is called Introduction to the Study and Practice of Law in a Nutshell (based off the Nutshell series which is very helpful and used by practicing lawyers). I would recommend Law School Companion but I think that book will tend to scare you too much and be counter-productive. I wish I had gone into law school having read the nutshell book, but the truth is that you will figure everything out once you are there and there is no reason to read a pre-law book unless you are in really in a panic. If you do choose to buy this book BUY IT USED. I had a copy I put into recycling because the used copies are selling for so little.

Very helpful book

Customer Rating:

As a first year law student with no idea what to expect, this book was extremely helpful. I purchased it the summer before my first semester, and imagine how excited I was when my legal writing teacher recommended this book over all law school aides. This book explains a great deal about law school, including what to expect in general, how to write briefs, and effective outlining methods. I would highly recommend this purchase!

A friendly, but realistic, guide to law school

Customer Rating:

Deaver's book is a good, light read. The main, primary focus of the book is to: (1) introduce you to an outlining system to prepare for your exams (and to help you study for them) and (2) to give you a brief, but reasonably thorough review of your entire law school experience, from the pros and cons of law review to how to write a good scholarly paper. Note the short page length--only about 200 pages. Thus, the book doesn't cover *everything* about law school, but it is a very good start. In addition to law school itself, it has some good overviews and tips about job prospects, the legal profession, summer opportunities, etc. It also has a brief overview of the LSAT and application process, although these areas are really not that informative to be worthy of publication (the main point of the book is, as I said, the outlining system and a rough overview of the law school experience itself--which this book does very well). It is written in an easy, casual manner and the author can be funny at times, too. All in all, a good, light, easy read about how to best study for law school classes.

Law School

Customer Rating:

This was an excellent book; I am still working on my undergraduate degree planning on attending law school. I know people who are attorneys and I have received there feedback but this book was so much more in depth and precise. I am doing a lot of research on what to expect during law school and how to get into a high tier institution. This book tells it all from admissions to class selection to internships. Law school confidential is a must read if you are planning towards law school.