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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"Law Preview is both a wake-up call and a road map to success in your first year of law school. I received personal attention and exposure to many of the fundamental concepts of my 1L courses. Law Preview not only prepared me to excel, it also gave me the confidence to face an otherwise daunting first year. I finished my first year in the top 10% of my class and will transfer to a higher ranked law school in the fall. Thank you, Law Preview! [Ranked #20 out of 269 students]."
Anonymous, Michigan State University Detroit College of Law, Class of 2013
"Law Preview helped give me tools and confidence I needed to achieve my much higher than average GPA. Without the study tools and habits, I would not have done as well as a student returning to school after six years in a journalism career."
Catherine A., Florida State University College of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"As someone who had been out of school for many years prior to entering law school, Law Preview helped me feel ready on day one. The instruction on reading and briefing cases allowed me to focus on the material when classes began. I returned to the outlines, lectures and other 1L Mastery materials throughout the semester. [3.91 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, University of Minnesota Law School, Class of 2024
"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
"Law Preview was a great experience that certainly helped me excel in my first semester. My law school does not rank students but I am thrilled (and surprised!) to report I got an A in two out of my three classes – an honor that only goes to the top 5-10% of the class. Law Preview helped me achieve such success by introducing me to the core, fundamental doctrines and important cases that frequently appeared on my final exams."
Anonymous, Columbia University Law School, Class of 2011
"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 felt more prepared than many of my fellow students in the importance of outlining, keeping up with classwork daily, and how to manage my time. I also felt as if the test-taking skills I learned through Law Preview made a substantial impact on my performance on law school tests. While nothing can fully prepare you for the academic rigor and of law school, Law Preview definitely assisted in making my first semester of law school more manageable, less stressful, and gave me the confidence I needed to face the competition amongst my peers and the challenges that law school brought."
Amy D., Liberty University School of Law, Class of 2012
"Law Preview was tremendous in helping me shoot out of the gate strong. From the first day I walked on campus I had a plan and a purpose thanks to LP. In addition to the organizational and structural advantages I had thanks to the schedule and preparation materials, I left LP with a sense of confidence. Law Preview really helped be demystify the law, in breaking it down into something practical and manageable. I also believe that the long hours during the program set my expectations for the amount of time and effort I needed to be successful, which led to a smooth and natural transition into the real thing. I would recommend this program to anyone who is entering law school, especially in this market where grades are EVERYTHING. [Ranked 5 out of 339]."
Anonymous, St. Mary’s University School of Law, Class of 2012 (transferred to SMU Dedman School of Law)
"Law Preview prepared me for each step of the first year experience. I was never left in the dark about what I should be doing or what to expect. Most importantly it gave me confidence that I needed to succeed. I believe others lost valuable time doubting their abilities."
William F., Duquesne University School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview did a great job in preparing me for what each course was going to entail. They gave me some insight into what contracts really was, what a tort is, and how legal writing would be part of the curriculum. Attending Law Preview so close to the start of classes also got me mentally prepared to go back to an academic setting and be ready for readings and classrooms again. The materials from the case brief skeleton to the online multiple-choice to the year-long calendar were impactful for maintaining a good pace, briefing cases with speed, and preparing for finals."
Tai K., University of Southern California School of Law, 2022
"Rutgers doesnt rank [after first semester]. Based on my GPA, I’m probably top 15%. Law Preview helped give an overview of the substantive areas, sampling of the Socratic method, practical advice about how to approach law school, especially the study calendar."
David E., Rutgers University School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview made all the difference for me. As a first generation law student, I wasn’t sure what to expect in law school. Law Preview took away all that fear and set me up for success – I earned a 3.93 GPA during my 1L year!"
Josh V., University of Texas School of Law, Class of 2022 (transferred to Harvard Law School)
"Law Preview really helped ease the transition into law school. Less confusion. I felt like a 2L compared to several of my fellow students."
Francis M., Boston College Law School, Class of 2013
"There’s nothing better than having a solid organizational structure in place so that you begin law school knowing what you will need to do to achieve your personal goals. That’s what Law Preview provided for me – allowing me to finish in the Top 15% of my class and earning me a spot on the Wisconsin Law Review."
Arie F., University of Wisconsin School of Law, Class of 2022
"Law Preview was an incredible resource that provided me with a real introduction to what law school would be like and what would be covered. I had a better understanding of the material because Law Preview provided a solid foundation for it and as a result, I finished my first semester of law school with excellent grades."
Rosa C., City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, Class of 2023
"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
"It drilled into me the fact that grades are the most important thing the first semester–otherwise, I would have been lured into all kinds of activities that were advertised by the school. I’m so glad I didn’t–truly, grades are the only things employers seem to care about when it comes to the first semester. I also appreciated Don Macaulay’s lectures–they were super entertaining and all the study skills he shared came in very handy to me. I have a young child, so I didn’t quite ever do 12 hours a day, but I probably did study 8-10 hours every day because Don scared me into believing I wouldn’t be successful without spending those kinds of hours. And he was right! [4.3 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Santa Clara University School of Law, Class of 2023
"Thanks to Law Preview, I started 1L year with an effective study schedule and knew how to prepare for class and final exams. In the end, it paid off and I finished in the top 5% of my class."
Megan S., University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law, Class of 2021
"Law Preview gave me the jump start I needed so that i didn’t wasted time trying to figure out law school. I walked into class the first day and was miles ahead of my classmates. I was focused on learning from the first moment, not worrying about how to brief a case or wonder what was important. The supplements provided in class also gave me the boost I needed to supplement the text book. Thanks Law Preview! The BEST money I’ve spent on my education =) I’ll recommend you to ALL future law students!"
Ashleigh K., Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Class of 2011
"Law Preview taught me to engage the law in the text, rather than just sorting through it to find answers for the Socratic method. Overall I enjoyed and benefited from your program–all of the advice was spot on."
Anonymous, University of Cincinnati College of Law, Class of 2012
"It helped me prepare for the law school experience and familiarize myself with the curriculum."
Anonymous, University of Southern California School of Law, Class of 2022
"As a student with a media arts background, I was apprehensive about starting law school. I tried to read some cases on my own and become familiar with the terms of art in the legal profession, but nothing could prepare me as well as Law Preview did! I completed some of the recommended additional readings, took the on demand course in the weeks before law school, and felt prepared to dive in with my case briefs and confidently answering questions in class. My first semester was abundantly challenging as it was; I would hate to think how difficult it would have been without the foundation I obtained during Law Preview."
Anonymous, Gonzaga University School of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"Since I just received my grades from the first semester yesterday, I do not know what I’m ranked yet, but I did get 3 As and 1 A-!! Law Preview definitely made a huge impression on my law school experience. The most important thing I took out of it was how much Don stressed to us that the 1st year matters the most. I always had that in the back of my mind at all times and that is what kept me going and striving to succeed. While everyone around me I felt complained about how hard it was and basically wanted to give up, I just kept remembering what Don said every day that once you get through the 1st year, the rest is easy! It also made me not want to settle for anything less than a 4.0 and so that’s what I worked toward and I’m extremely pleased that I have no regrets about the effort I put in because I did everything I could have possibly done. . . . I also benefitted from Law Preview in that it stressed the importance of taking note of the things professors said in class that other students would think were trivial because those actually can matter the most and always find their way on the exam. For example, my torts professor mentioned one small detail in class that a certain case (that we were required to look up on our own time) might be on the exam, and I was SO happy i took the time to do that because the facts and issue in that case were EXACTLY the same on the exam and worth 20 essay pts! I really liked all the professors that came and lectured at law preview as well. My favorite was Jody Kraus who taught us Contracts because although he was intimidating at first, that definitely prepared me for some of the professors I had last semester! (I also really appreciated Don telling us to make sure we were well-prepared for that lecture!) Whenever I was called on to recite in class I just kept thinking how Jody told us that even if you’re not sure what you’re talking about, SOUND confident, and that helped a lot. . . . I also really found the schedule Law Preview laid out for us very helpful because I think a lot of people go into law school not knowing what the average time commitment is and I just kept thinking 9 hrs a day and would try to aim for that! In the beginning of school, I was trying to do my homework for class the night before and then I realized that on the schedule we were given it said to do the assignments 2 nights in advance and that definitely was helpful!! Much less stressful that way. . . . More than anything, thank you Law Preview for being my motivation to strive for a 4.0 and constantly remind myself how important the first year grades are!"
Chirstina G., Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Class of 2012
"It helped me learn how to approach and brief cases for their maximum educational value, while building confidence in my abilities to be a successful law student."
Erin F., Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Class of 2011
"When I entered my first year of law school at The University of Florida School of Law, I was very happy with that opportunity. Although I was an ‘average’ student going in, I ended up doing very well — finishing in the top 2% of my 1L class. The success I enjoyed as a 1L at Florida allowed me to transfer to Harvard Law School, and that’s something that was certainly not an option I had prior to starting school. I definitely think that Law Preview was one of the reasons I did so well my first year. Law Preview gave me a process to follow and an understanding about how to study and absorb the material I’d be learning. In addition, the law professors who teach with Law Preview provided me with an overview of each of my 1L classes, so I had a good understanding about the material I’d cover throughout the year. Finally, learning how to take a law school exam and walk through Law Preview’s exam-taking strategies with a law professor from a top law school was a great opportunity and something that I truly appreciated; I was able to use these strategies many times throughout the first year of law school. I would recommend the Law Preview program to anyone — whether you are planning to go to a small regional school or a large national one. No matter what law school you attend, how well you do during your first year is going to dictate the job opportunities you’ll have in the end, which is why I think this program is really for anybody."
Mike P., University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law, Class of 2011 (transferred to Harvard Law School)
"I didn’t really know what I was getting into during my summer before law school. I read blog posts about case briefs and torts class but everything seemed daunting. Law Preview was a significant reason why I was able to be in the top 1-15% of my class. I am extremely glad I enrolled and I would highly recommend it for incoming law students."
Anonymous, George Washington Univ. School of Law, Class of 2024
"Practice, practice, and MORE practice. I am four years removed from getting my undergraduate degree. Law Preview immersed me back into the “student mindset” that I needed in order to do my best this semester. You have to be open and willing to learn about yourself in order to effectively use Law Preview. Take heed to the timing suggestions, practice, and outline early. Your grades will reflect the hard-work. Remember, law school is marathon not a sprint. Law Preview gives you that refresh of water between each lap."
Adrieene Brown, University of Florida College of Law, Class of 2022
"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