Law Preview reviews

Our alums explain how Law Preview has helped thousands of incoming 1Ls become top law students

Our students thrive

Since 1998, BARBRI Law Preview has been helping students find success in law schools across the country. Consistently, they attribute their law school success to Law Preview and the important difference it made for them during their first year and beyond.

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"My Law Preview experienced allowed me to in general be ahead of everyone else in school. I was able to brief cases and outline a lot sooner than most of my classmates which left me a lot of time during finals to concentrate on studying instead of creating study aids, such as outlines. I also learned how to write an exam from law preview, so I was able to feel confident taking practice exams and my actual exams knowing that I wrote an exam the way my law school professors wanted me to."
Gabriela S., Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Class of 2013
"I honestly believe that without Law Preview, I would not have finished my 1L year in the Top 6% of my class. I was able to hit the ground running while most of my classmates were just trying to not be overwhelmed. The head start Law Preview provides allowed me to earn the highest grade in two classes and a spot on my school’s Law Review."
Caleb T., New England School of Law, Class of 2022
"Provided a honest assessment of the work required to succeed. Made it easier to acclimate to law school. Calendar helped provide structure. Learned how to read and brief quicker. Courses were more familiar and easier to understand."
Paul T., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2023
"First, a note about my rank: University of Michigan does not rank its students. I do know, however, that our classes are curved around a mean of 3.19, which means that 50% of students get higher than that GPA overall. Also, I’ve heard that a 3.4 represents the lower limit of the 25th percentile. After my first year at UM Law, I have a 3.75 GPA. I went in with an LSAT that put me in the lowest quartile, and now I have a GPA that puts me maybe in the top 10% of the class! At the beginning of the year, my goal was to get a 3.2, and I have exceeded that by far. I believe that part of the reason for my success was indeed the Law Preview program. By taking Law Preview, I was able to get a solid base for all the substantive material that I was to learn in class. In at least every one of my first year courses, I read cases that I read in Law Preview. For example, in Torts during my first semester at law school, I think the first 3 cases we read I had read in Law Preview. That gave me a huge advantage in class because while doing my reading, I knew what to look for and what nuances were important. Also, I was able to participate confidently in those classes. Also, procedurally, Law Preview helped me tremendously. I knew how to brief cases before the first day of class so when I was engaging in my reading, I could really focus on the material. My classmates at this time were still struggling with their cases briefs. Also, I closely followed the suggested schedule that Law Preview gave us and kicked into high gear at the appropriate moments. I was able to finish my outlines by the last day of class and was able to use our entire study period brushing up on material, using my study aids, and taking practice tests. Again, at this time my classmates were barely finishing their outlines and maybe taking one practice test. I believe both the substantive and procedural information I learned from Law Preview was monumental to my success in my first year of law school and enabled me to achieve much more than I had expected. Thank you!"
Anonymous, University of Michigan Law School, Class of 2011
"The calendar was incredibly helpful and disturbingly accurate. The study schedule was useful in that it was an extreme to shoot for that kept me the right amount of ahead on my work. Reading some of the major cases before starting the class got me in the perfect mindset for reading. It was a head start that was greatly appreciated. The different perspectives on those cases provided by the professors also gave me some insightful ideas that I totally passed off as my own thoughts in class."
John O., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2022
"Law Preview helped me create a plan to manage my time and stay on top of my work load. I especially thought that Law Preview’s recommendation of outlining each Sunday was particularly helpful and not something I would have thought of."
Anonymous, Rutgers University School of Law, Class of 2013
"Perfect score on my Criminal Law midterm, 4th highest grade on Contracts final, second highest grade on my torts midterm, other grades not yet released."
Shreya S., Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law, Class of 2022
"I felt that it prepared me to know what was coming at me in the fall semester. I had a good understanding of the timelines and the dates that I needed to schedule for myself in order to be successful in my first semester."
Anonymous, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, Class of 2021
"Law Preview gave me the perspective I needed to hit the ground running and reach my goals. While my classmates were still trying to figure out what was happening, I was well into my outlines. At the end of the semester I knew how to use the outlines to write excellent exams because I knew what to expect."
Janet L., University of North Carolina School of Law, Class of 2021
"I felt more comfortable speaking up in class, and more confident in some of the harder issues in classes. For example, the Rule Against Perpetuities in Property – since I already had been over it with Law Preview, I felt a lot more confident about answering problems in class."
Amanda J., Drexel University College of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview really helped me in regards to exams. I had a hard semester, but when it came to exams, I followed the procedure set forth by Law Preview. I was able to out-perform my classmates by a considerable degree. My law school does not provide us our rank unless we request it, and I am still waiting for it, but judging from my grades, I am ranked highly."
Anonymous, Texas A&M University School of Law (formerly Texas Wesleyan University School of Law), Class of 2011
"Law Preview provided me with a huge advantage over my colleagues. I felt comfortable from day 1 briefing cases and had a lot more familiarity with law school exams as well as the subject matter of the courses."
Katie G., Northern Illinois University College of Law, Class of 2022
"I got the most from experiencing different professors and from thinking about how I might personally go about analyzing the law. Even though I don’t do everything the way that Law Preview recommended, it was good to have a sense of where to begin. It was a worthwhile investment, even though I go to a school with no grades or rankings."
Anonymous, Northeastern University School of Law, Class of 2013
"Law Preview does exactly as it’s name purports: it is a preview of law school. I found that the stimulated class sessions mirrored my actual law school classes. For me, attending Law Preview helped to reduce my anxiety and apprehension of the first week of classes and what to expect. Because many schools do not teach you how to brief cases or compose an outline, I felt at ease while completing my first homework assignments because I had already learned those skills at Law Preview. I highly recommend Law Preview for incoming 1L students."
Anonymous, University of Chicago Law School, Class of 2013
"Law Preview gave me an edge my first semester of law school that I would not have had otherwise."
Michael R., Villanova University School of Law, Class of 2011
"BARBRI Law Preview was invaluable in helping me understand what I needed to do to succeed in law school and gave me a good overview of the 1L topics. Also, thanks to Barbri’s online resources throughout the semester, I was able to better understand some of the more confusing aspects of my classes. [3.9 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, University of Texas School of Law, Class of 2023
"The study schedule set out was exactly what I needed, and something nobody else was doing. By finishing the reading early, I was able to better prepare my outlines well in advance of exams. Knowing how to brief on day one put me on the fast track to the top of my class. I am the recipient of the Highest Grade distinction in Law Skills, and received A, A, B+, B+."
Madelaine K., University of Richmond School of Law, Class of 2011
"I just wanted to thank you guys for the program – as an evening student I was already extremely nervous to tackle classes on top of everything else in life, but I went into my first year focused, ready to analyze and brief cases in a way that I wouldn’t have figured out on my own until halfway through the year. A good chunk of cases we read was stuff we’d already covered during the program! Following that great calendar that was sent out to us, I outlined early and was taking practice tests when everyone else was just starting to prepare to outline . . . and now at the end of my first year, I’ve got a 4.09 GPA and I’m ranked first in my class. You turned a difficult journey into a smooth one and I wanted to thank you!"
Anonymous, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Class of 2011
"I’m so glad I did the Law Preview course. I was coming into law school after years in the performance arts, and definitely felt out of my depth! This short course really helped me feel more prepared headed into 1L. It also helped me feel like I had a plan of action moving forward. Law school was definitely a very different experience compared to undergrad, and Law Preview provided support so that I knew how to make the most out of my first year right off the bat! [3.71 GPA after first semester]."
Anonymous, Georgetown University Law Center, Class of 2024
"Law Preview really helped to acclimatize me to law school and put me on the right track to performing very well on my first-semester law school exams. [4.0 GPA after the first semester]"
Anonymous, New York University School of Law, Class of 2024
"I thought it was helpful to know in advance what to expect. I really followed the methods taught during Law Preview. I did case briefs for each case we read and did outlines well in advance. I felt like Don exaggerated a lot when he talked about the importance of 1L grades, but looking back, I don’t think it was an exaggeration at all. I excelled in the first year and that helped me to earn several 1L job offers, work as a research assistant for a Duke professor, get an invitation to join the Duke Law Journal, earn a scholarship, and lastly, secure a post-grad clerkship opportunity with a Federal Circuit Court judge in Washington, D.C."
Anonymous, Duke University School of Law, Class of 2022
"I was prepared for the first few weeks of classes and I know what to expect from class. The biggest advantage was that I knew how to outline. The study guides recommended by Law Preview are truly the best ones and I used them a lot. Don Macaulay is wonderful! He is so helpful even after the course is over!"
Anonymous, Duquesne University School of Law, Class of 2012
"Law Preview provided me with invaluable insight and helpful tools for tackling the rigors of 1L. The program gave me a level of confidence which allowed me to hit the ground running as I embarked on my law school experience. There is no doubt in my mind that Law Preview was instrumental in enabling me to finish my 1L year in the top 10% of my class and being invited to join the Law Review. Don, thank you for an outstanding course!"
Paul G., Boston College Law School, 2020
"Law Preview really helped me to understand how to take notes in class and study for finals, which was very different from my undergraduate study methods. As a first-generation student, I had no idea how law school worked or what kinds of things I should get involved in, so Law Preview was immensely helpful."
Anonymous, Yale Law School, Class of 2023
"It definitely gave me a plan of action. I felt like I definitely had an upper hand on how to study, and I knew that I couldn’t cut corners and expect to end up on top. I feel like it was an invaluable part of helping me be successful and landing in the top 10% which was my goal."
Anonymous, University of South Carolina School of Law, Class of 2013
"I was really pleased with how Law Preview prepped me for my first semester! I knew exactly what I needed to do to prepare for classes, what to focus on in taking class notes, and how I should prepare for exams. While my peers struggled and floundered in the first few months trying to figure out how to read a case or write a brief, I was confident that I knew what to look for and it made it much easier to get more out of class from the very start and finish the semester strong. Also, the schedule suggested in terms of outline preparation really worked for me and gave me enough time to complete the outlines, consolidate them, and use them on practice tests. This familiarity with my outline in a test-like setting made all the difference in the world."
Anonymous, Georgetown University Law Center, Class of 2011
"Helped prepare me in a way that I didn’t even know I needed. There’s no way to be 100% prepared for law school, but Barbri gets you as close as you can possible get."
Anonymous, Temple University School of Law, Class of 2022
"Law Preview was a great way to get ahead of the curve and understand the basics before arriving for my first day of classes. It was especially helpful in understanding how to prepare for class and participate in class discussions as to get the most out of class. I am very proud of the grades I achieved as a result of my hard work in Law Preview and throughout the fall semester. I would recommend Law Preview to all incoming 1Ls!"
Shelby H., University of California, Hastings College of Law, Class of 2024
"Law Preview had a tremendous impact on the start of my 1L year. Like many, my undergrad degree is in the hard sciences, and I came straight through from undergrad. Law Preview provided me the background in course material and gave me the intro to legal language that I had never been exposed to before. This was extremely important to ensure a strong foundation of understanding in the very beginning of law school. Moreover, the course provided realistic expectations of workload and prepared me for 12-14hr workdays. In the end, the hard work definitely paid off – earning me a 3.8 1L GPA, designation as a GW Scholar, an invitation to serve as a research assistant to two law professors, and a spot on the George Washington Law Review."
Allyson C., George Washington University Law School, Class of 2020
"First, Law Preview basically demystified law school. I know a lot of students who came in and were just spinning their wheels the first month or two. Even worse, they were reverting back to their college mentality of there’s always tomorrow. I knew from the summer that tomorrow was something that you had to be ready for. In fact, I usually prepared for tomorrow’s tomorrow. Law Preview really got me thinking about how to plan and how to prepare for the endgame, exams. Without the focus, I don’t think I would have done as well as I did. Starting from the first day I had a schedule I kept to fairly strictly when I started, but then I let loose a little as I found out what my strengths and weaknesses were (work well in the morning – good to take a break in the afternoon – need some time off before bed). Law Preview helped me sort out the hours and figure out how to make it so that it would be a realistic schedule so I wouldn’t burn out come November. I saw a lot of people do the opposite – skirt the stuff in September/October and then end up way behind with no time to review OR prepare properly for exams. This is a little less of a direct effect, but it also gave me some confidence in terms of being willing to make mistakes. I remember during the summer session I offered an answer to a question posed by the Contracts professor and I was dead wrong (he was nice about it). Although it was somewhat humiliating at the time, the experience prepared me to be willing to accept my errors and learn from them – it was the fact I thought through the question AND could see what was wrong with my logic that mattered more. I’m not afraid to raise my hand in class and offer an answer to a difficult question because it will either affirm my knowledge or help me understand my mistakes. It is far better to blush in class than to panic on the exam or explain to a prospective employer why you received a C in Contracts. I guess you could say Law Preview made me a little bolder."
Christopher L., Suffolk University Law School, Class of 2013