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.
"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
"Definitely took the edge away. Law Preview helps you to understand the substantive law, but that is not truly its purpose. I feel like it takes the anxiety and the struggle away from the first year of law school. [Ranked top 10% after first semester]."
Anonymous, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Class of 2012
"A year after completing the Law Preview program I am an articles-editor on my school’s Law Review, an extern with the enforcement branch of a federal agency, and sitting pretty with a GPA I’m too polite to share. I am confident that I wouldn’t have accomplished all of those things if it wasn’t for the instruction I received during my week of Law Preview."
Raimund S., American University, Washington College 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
"My experience at Law Preview proved to be invaluable as I navigated law school and started my professional career. I received incredible academic support, as well as professional development support. Law Preview definitely prepared me for my 1L year – it helped me excel in the classroom, allowed me to become a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and, in the end, enabled me to land an amazing 1L BigLaw job!"
Valy M., Columbia Law School, Class of 2022
"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
"Law Preview prepared me for what I would face in law school. It gave me confidence and relieved a great deal of stress before and during law school."
Anonymous, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Class of 2011
"I ended up ranked 3rd out of 209 students after my first semester 1L year. I am certain my class standing is due to Barbri’s Law Preview and 1L Mastery Materials. Ask anyone and they will tell you that first semester grades are crucial, and they are right. My grades have opened up so many job opportunities for me, and I could not have done it without Barbri."
Gabi E., University of Houston Law Center, Class of 2022
"The overview from Law Preview really helped me to get acquainted to law school quickly and start off strong. The sample schedule and pre-work gave me the confidence I needed. Because of my grades, I was able to land a summer associate position before school even started back up in the spring. I didn’t have to wait for the help of my school for a job and now I can relax going into the semester knowing I have a position secured."
Natalie W., Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Class of 2023
"I felt as best prepared as I possibly could have been for my first year. I knew what I needed to do to be successful and feel proud of my performance and efforts. It was helpful starting law school with an idea of how to read cases and knowing I needed to outline my courses well before exams. My school does not have rankings, but I know I am towards the top of my class."
Anonymous, CCity University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, Class of 2013
"The schedule and study techniques helped me get A’s in every class except one, and I felt more prepared than some of my classmates in their classes. I had the best grades of my academic career and made the dean’s list for the first time."
Steward L., Northern Illinois University College of Law, Class of 2023
"I can’t tell you how much I appreciated Law Preview. I was only accepted to Albany off the waitlist in early June 2009, and I wasn’t feeling too great about my prospects for success. Now, after having completed my 1L year, I’m proud to report that I ranked #19 out of 250 students. Beyond preparing me for the substantive classes, LP helped me gain confidence and avoid the potholes that challenge every 1L no matter where they go to school. I definitely feel that Law Preview also gave me a leg up on my classmates in a number of ways — whether it was briefing cases or putting together an effective study schedule — Law Preview removed a lot of the trial and error and I entered my first year with a plan of attack and that was without question a major factor in my success."
Joseph B., Albany Law School of Union University, Class of 2012 (transferred to George Washington University Law School)
"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
"I think it showed me not so much of the mechanical tools (briefing, etc) but more of a nice lay of the land, and some other useful tips to get a head start [ranked #10 out of 256 after first semester]."
Anonymous, Villanova University School of Law, Class of 2011
"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
"Law Preview definitely gave me a heads up on the outlining and legal research part of my school’s curriculum. I am so glad that I attended the legal research and writing day because it helped to cut down on the workload during the semester as I was already somewhat familiar with the process."
Chelsea W., University of Virginia School of Law, Class of 2013
"I’m not sure of my final class rank, but my GPA is 3.73. I’m so pleased with the outcome, and I feel Law Preview had a huge impact on my accomplishments. I knew exactly what to expect and when to expect it. The practice at case briefing was particularly valuable and having an opportunity to experience the Socratic method helped tremendously when I was called to perform for the FIRST case on the FIRST day of Contracts. Finally, having an overview of all the classes gave me great confidence that I would not get lost during the first semester. I referred back to my Preview notes as I was preparing for midterms and finals for extra pearls that helped me to excel on exams. All the Instructors at your course were OUTSTANDING. And what a pleasure to be taught by Professor Farnsworth himself! Thanks so much. I would take the course again in a heartbeat."
Anonymous, Western State University College of Law, Class of 2013
"Law Preview was helpful in that I found out how law school worked before I got to law school, so that it wasn’t all completely new. Like pretty much all law students, I was overwhelmed when classes started, but I feel like I would have been much more so without Law Preview."
Anonymous, Duke University School of Law, Class of 2013
"I am a part-time student and ranked #5 of 96 students. The tools Law Preview provided me with did help get me off the ground running. As I stood on top of my outlines throughout the semester, other students were just beginning their outlines the week before midterms, and then did not touch them again until review week while I was taking past exams. The emails throughout the semester were also very helpful, they certainly kept me focused! So far, Law Preview has been worth the money spent. Thanks!"
Anonymous, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Class of 2013
"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
"It certainly worked well for my GPA! [3.72 GPA after the first semester]"
Anonymous, American University, Washington College of Law, 2023
"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 know that the skills Law Preview taught me made my first semester of law school successful and manageable. As you are well aware, law school is a unique and stressful environment, a mystery to those who have not experienced it. Law Preview demystified it for me. As a result, I knew how much time I should spend studying and when, what I should focus on, and how I should balance my classwork with other obligations. I did not have to waste precious hours acquiring this knowledge by trial and error. Additionally, Law Preview’s engaging professors introduced me to the substantive material I would encounter in my courses and made me excited about what I would learn in law school. Through its courses Law Preview gives incoming law students the tools they need to succeed in their first year and beyond."
Frances K., Mitchell Hamline School of Law (formerly William Mitchell College of Law), Class of 2013
"Law Preview gave me an idea of how fast paced classes and school in general were going to be. Once you fall behind in the readings you just cannot catch up. I took a lot of notes while in Law Preview (pages upon pages upon pages). I wrote down stuff that didn’t even make any sense at the time. And before all of my finals I went back and read through that stuff. It certainly helped."
Anonymous, SMU Dedman School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview provides the most comprehensive, interactive, and entertaining way to prepare for the challenges of law school. As someone with a non-traditional educational background, I was nervous about law school and its high expectations. Thanks to LP’s holistic training, I finished in the top 10% of my class for the fall semester. LP’s charismatic and knowledgeable instructors, all experienced professors, will give you step-by-step approaches to excel in coursework, time management, anxiety reduction, and exam success. They will map out for you how to analyze difficult cases, translate classroom discussions into exam preparation, and most importantly, make you a more articulate legal thinker, which will permeate all your law school endeavors. LP will simulate all elements of law school, so when you start classes, you will feel ready to go. I continually referred to my notes from the LP sessions throughout the fall semester and found comfort in seeing LP’s predictions about law school play out. The benefits of LP continue post-program, as I spoke to Don several times during the semester to fine-tune my study habits and outlining skills. LP gave me clear and concise methods to thrive, and I highly recommend the program!"
Nicholas G., Fordham University School of Law, Class of 2023
"Law Preview took away the learning curve of the first few weeks of law school. When other classmates were struggling to adjust to learning via cases and figuring out what details in a case were important to the class itself, I had already gained these skills through my week of Law Preview. Law school doesn’t teach you how to learn the material, but Law Preview did."
Lewis S., Drexel University School of Law, 2021
"It gave me an advantage in preparing for the rigors of law school. Getting practice briefing cases and more importantly reading cases helped me pick out the pertinent rules and reasoning that we were tested on at the conclusion of our classes. . . . The school lists 5% increments for rank and I fell between the 15% and 20%, qualifying for the Dean’s list with a 3.5 GPA."
Anonymous, DePaul University College of Law, Class of 2012
"My undergrad grades were mediocre and I had graduated a few years ago, so law school was very intimidating. Law Preview was great way introduction with valuable, practical advice; my first semester grades far exceeded my hopes."
Andrew Y., Georgetown University Law Center, Class of 2013
"Law Preview played a large part in my success during my first year. The program benefited me in several ways. It provided an accurate experience of what law school classes are like. For me, this was extremely helpful. My background is in science and I had been out of school for seven years before going back to law school. I was also unsure about how good of a fit law school would be for me, so Law Preview was a way for me try it out before quitting my job and taking on student loan debt. Law school is a stressful experience, and any way you can find to reduce that stress gives you an advantage. Some people in my class were overwhelmed and felt lost after the first week of school because they didn’t know how to read or brief cases. The reading assignments and case briefs I did for Law Preview helped me hit the ground running when school started and gave me an advantage over a lot of my classmates. Most importantly, it gave me confidence that law school was a good fit for me, which helped me fully commit to it. One of the keys to success in law school is finding a work schedule that allows you to complete your assigned readings and start preparing early for finals. The most beneficial part of Law Preview for me was that it provided a proven schedule for managing the heavy workload. I would have been lost without this schedule. It helped me stay on track throughout the semester and gave me an idea of when I needed to start my outlines for each class. Some people in my class waited until November or later to start their outlines. You can’t do that in law school. There is just too much information to process. Closely following the schedule Law Preview provided gave me significantly more time to prepare for finals than many of my classmates. This advantage was crucial in helping me excel in my classes. The post-program support provided by Law Preview also helped me to stay on track. Throughout the first semester, Don sent emails reminding alumni where we should be in terms of preparation and provided tips for succeeding on law school exams. Again, law school is all about finding ways to gain an advantage and these tips definitely helped. The thing that impressed me most, though, was that Don made himself available to alumni by email or phone after the program ended. During the first semester, I emailed Don about 6 weeks before finals starting to make sure I wasn’t too far behind on my preparation. He suggested we schedule a time to talk on the phone and we ended up speaking for 20 minutes about where I was and what I needed to do. He also convinced me to use the Law-in-a-Flash flashcards to prepare for my exams. I was concerned about the cost, but he assured me they were worthwhile. He was right. They were great and helped me excel at spotting issues on my exams. This type of individual feedback and support that Don provided is simply not available in law school. Having access to it gave me a definite advantage in preparing for finals. . . . Law school is expensive and you might be concerned about adding to that cost by signing up for Law Preview. I completely understand and had the same concerns. Ultimately, I chose to look at Law Preview as an investment, and it has really paid off for me. My law school doesn’t post individual class rankings, but I finished significantly above the class average first semester and did even better second semester. I owe a lot of my success to the preparation and support I received from Law Preview. For most people, attending law school is a $100k-180k investment. You wouldn’t invest that much money in the stock market without doing research and preparation to increase your odds of success. Law Preview is a proven way to increase your of odds of achieving a significant return on your investment in law school by earning high grades during your crucial 1L year. Given the current legal job market, you need to give yourself every advantage you can."
Anonymous, Notre Dame Law School, Class of 2011
"Law Preview was great for two reasons. First, the classes were a good way to get my feet wet. There was enough content that I did not feel blind walking into any of my classes, but not so much that I felt I would not remember it. The overview style was perfect because it pierced the veil of the opaquely named Property, Contracts, and Torts. Second, and more importantly, the scheduled approach to the semester and the exam-taking techniques were highly effective. I wasted no time in trying to figure out what my approach would be. My grades were just a validation that it worked and that I should repeat exactly what I did last semester, which was exactly what Law Preview spelled out. I am very grateful that I am not in a position where my approach last semester did not work and I am left trying out another untested approach. This is, of course, thanks to Law Preview."
Thomas G., Washington University School of Law (St. Louis), Class of 2023