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 was a great decision for me. I have been out of school for a few years and needed a jump start. The comprehensive program gave me the framework to start classes confident and prepared [ranked #1 out of 140]."
Anonymous, Western State University College of Law, Class of 2011
"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
"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
"Great preparation for what to expect and the level of effort required for As."
Courtney G., University of Colorado Law School, Class of 2024
"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 think Law Preview helped me most with preparation. I felt much more comfortable going into my first year with a few strategies, some basic comprehension and overall less anxiety about what I was about to face. I can’t say with certainty that it helped my GPA but I do think it helped me feel more confident going into exams and it definitely helped me stay on a schedule. The calendar provided to me was a godsend because I have a lot of trouble setting deadlines for myself and even if I didn’t stick exactly to the calendar I had constant reminders to keep me on track. [3.67 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Georgetown University Law Center, 2023
"As a recipient of a scholarship to attend Law Preview, I was so grateful to have this resource available to me before starting law school. Once I started classes, it was so great to recognize a case that had already been explained to me, and to be able to see the big picture from day one. Attending Law Preview also helped me to demystify so many of the new terms that come with starting law school, from “briefs” to “write-ons” and more. It made me feel more confident starting off, and allowed me to focus on the right parts of each daily class and each course as a whole. [3.7 GPA after first semester]."
Anonymous, University of Southern California School of Law, Class of 2023
"I’m not sure what my rank is. My school only ranks 1Ls at the end of the academic year. My grades after first semester were: A in Contracts, A in Crim Law and A- in Torts. The top 10% gets A’s and the next 15% get A-‘s. . . . I am very happy that I attended Law Preview for the following reasons: practice reading and briefing cases; having some briefs already written at the beginning of law school; knowing what some of the seminal cases are about in each subject area; getting it beaten into my head that I need to actually brief all the cases (which I did); doing the reading two days ahead so I never got behind, even if something came up; learning about reporter names, how to tell where a case is from, research strategies; having the confidence at the beginning of the semester that I knew what I was doing . . . Being in Law Preview was really exciting because it confirmed for me that I find the law interesting and that law school was the right decision for me. Also, having confidence at the beginning of the semester is a huge advantage. Even if by the end of the semester it seemed like everyone else was comfortable with the material, etc., I still think I benefited by being calmer/more confident right from the beginning."
Anonymous, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview expels the mystery that lies behind the first-year of law school. The program effectively highlights what it takes to navigate your first-year with success and confidence. LP revealed to me that success in law school depends greatly on your approach. The tips and tools that I gleaned through my time in this program were invaluable in that they gave me a how to navigate the first-year of law school that many of my peers were not as fortunate to have. I firmly believe that anyone who utilizes the LP approach and puts in the time and effort will find themselves at the top of their class and perhaps most importantly, find the law school experience to be enjoyable and satisfying."
Matthew G., Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 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
"Using the tools provided by the Law Preview course, I was able to attain a ranking in the top 25 students of my 145 student class. With the first semester under my belt, I hope to use what this summer course provided me with a more efficient way to climb to rank among the top 10 students in my class."
Jack H., University of Richmond School of Law, Class of 2022
"Law preview helped me get ahead of the game. I learned what to expect in the classroom and how to do the readings. This helped me prepare for the unexpected, which is the most stressful part of law school."
Anonymous, Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Class of 2022
"I did not come straight from undergrad. I spent the past 5.5 years as an Army Officer. Although school was a major adjustment, Law Preview’s introduction to the subject matter and tips for success were instrumental for me in developing a structure and study plan that led to success."
Patrick C., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2021
"I attended the Houston seminar at University of Houston in July 2010. I think the product you offer is excellent. Law Preview provided me with an advantage over my peers in a fair academic way. I would recommend taking the six day class to anyone entering law school. The class provided a foundation that allowed me to find clarity in the pile of case law assigned. The week before my Law Preview class, I read the entire prep book. I did not understand much of what I read, but I went though the exercise. I struggled to interpret the class discussions, but managed to stay focused. The six day work load was a serious grind, like a law school boot camp. While it may have been difficult, the course gave me exactly what I wanted out of it. It gave me a vision of what was to come. I was able to brace myself for impact and ride the turbulent wave through the first semester finish line. Even though preparation is key to success, hard work through out the semester is an essential element as well. My goal for this semester is to study more efficiently, to work smarter not harder. By finals in the fall, I was losing stamina. The work load started to wear me down and I may have wandered into the forest losing myself in the trees. In the end, I still managed to finish in a good place. This semester I have a new and improved game plan, but it is important to note that my original game plan came from Law Preview. Without this original game plan, I would have been lost in the trees from day one. Now, as my peers are wandering to a clearing, I am already crossing the field."
Lucas C., South Texas College of Law Houston, Class of 2013
"My school does not rank students, so I don’t know my percentile. But I am very pleased with my grades–almost all As. I know that Law Preview was particularly helpful in getting me into the right mindset from the very beginning. I already had a framework for each course, and it made it easier for me to see the big picture from day 1. This is where I feel I excelled past my classmates–my ability to understand the material thematically. I did not spend my first weeks struggling over minute, unnecessary details, or teaching myself the components of a brief, as others did."
Anonymous, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Class of 2011
"My experience with Law Preivew was instrumental in the achievements of my first semester. Without the study skills and insight it gave me I would not have received the only A+ in my Criminal Law class. I highly recommend taking this course it was very helpful in preparing me for law school."
Beth P., William & Mary Law School, Class of 2021
"As someone who had been out of school for a while, Law Preview really set me up for success in fall of 1L. Having already been introduced to many of the topics we would discuss, I found it was much easier to understand and retain the material as it was introduced. The test taking and time management strategies also helped me minimize the exam stress at the end of the semester that plagued my classmates while still making it on the honor roll!"
Anonymous, Notre Dame Law School, Class of 2023
"They do not release rankings for the first semester only after the second. I do know that the curve falls around a 2.86 and I finished with around a 3.3 GPA. I think learning how classes were going to be and knowing what to do helped a lot."
Anonymous, Charleston School of Law, Class of 2011
"I signed up for Law Preview hoping it would arm me with the tools to be at or slightly above median at Duke. Instead, I finished the year with a 3.89 (#1 in my class) and landed EARLY interviews with EVERY top firm I was interested in. It was a great feeling to be recruited in May after 1L, and to have my pick of firms. Law Preview armed me with tools that put me at a huge advantage coming out of the gates. In particular, Law Preview taught me how to study efficiently — I had time for Netflix, friends, and daily workouts throughout the year because Law Preview taught me how to avoid wasting time. I performed better than people who were smarter and worked harder, and I stayed happy and fit throughout the year. I’m so grateful I signed up for the course, it was definitely a fantastic investment. Now that I am one year into practice at a top tier BigLaw firm, Don continues to be someone I can call on for advice and guidance. Thank you, thank you."
Tanya S. Duke University School of Law, Class of 2019
"Law Preview provided the tools so that I felt prepared on day one. I used the case briefing techniques on a daily basis."
Anonymous, Harvard Law School, Class of 2013
"Law preview gave me the tools and confidence I needed to hit the ground running when school began. It was just like you said, when I was outlining everyone else was still reading, when I was breaking my outline down to something I could internalize, everyone else was outlining. This left me time to take plenty of practice exams and bring my A game during exams. [Ranked #14 out of 150 students]."
Anonymous, Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark 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
"I wanted to follow up with you about a phone conversation we had a few months ago about my transfer options from Michigan State Law. I’ve been accepted at Tulane and William and Mary, and waitlisted at Georgetown–my final GPA from 1L was 3.8. I’m leaning toward William and Mary, and I wanted to thank you for the invaluable advice and confidence you gave me. I hardly anticipated the personal attention I received, but I am very grateful for it! Please feel free to include this as a testimonial in any of your company’s promotional materials: Law Preview rocks!"
Anonymous, Michigan State University Detroit College of Law, Class of 2013 (transferred to William & Mary Law School)
"The Law Preview was truly an outstanding introductory course. I would strongly recommend it to my friends. It provided me with all the basic knowledge that has proven essential for me to successfully handle the first year in law school. It has really saved me a lot of time because I was able to avoid the mistakes that I would have otherwise made. I was also very impressed by the high quality of the professors and the one-day preview classes for each course. It has made me much comfortable to go into a class knowing what to expect."
Wanli T., Duke University 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 gave me a more comfortable sense of what law school was going to be like. The lectures on how to prepare and what not to get caught up in and waste time with really kept me focused on the task at hand, which was getting good grades. I was in the top 16% of my class this first semester and at least some of that work has to be attributed from some of the stuff I gained from Law Preview. The exam taking strategies and writing skills helped as well."
Anonymous, St. John’s University School of Law, Class of 2011
"They do not put out class rank for the first semester but I got two As and and A- in my substantive classes and a B+ in Legal Writing and Research. Going by last year’s numbers, my 3.9 GPA puts me in the top 15% or better. Law Preview gave me a method of preparing for class that allowed me to make the most of lectures from the start. The tips about making use of the table of contents and starting to outline early were the most useful in retrospect. During the final reading period, I was able to focus on old tests and adjusting my finished outline to be more useful in the test scenario. I’m incredibly happy with the results."
Anonymous, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Class of 2012
"Law Preview was so helpful as I️ navigated my first year of law school, especially when it came time to prepare for finals. The videos and instructors synthesized complex doctrine and made the course material much more clear. I️ would recommend Law Preview and the BarBri 1L Mastery Courses to everyone!"
Anonymous, Yale Law School, Class of 2024
"Latham & Watkins’ genuine commitment to diversity, inclusion, and excellence has had a tremendous impact on both my academic and professional career. In 2019, Latham gave me a scholarship to attend Law Preview prior to entering Stanford Law School — a truly unique opportunity that gave me the foresight to succeed in my first year of law school. The program armed me with the key concepts of the first-year curriculum and taught me how to prepare for classes and exams early, efficiently, and effectively. Based on my academic achievements, not only was I invited to join the Stanford Law Review, but I also joined Latham as a 1L Summer Associate and received an offer to return next summer (as well as Latham’s 2L Diversity Scholarship). I will be forever grateful that Latham invested ~$1000 in my academic success prior to starting law school — their initial investment in me has paid dividends. Law Preview clearly had a significant impact on my success at Stanford Law School. If law school were karate, Don Macaulay would be the Mr. Miyagi of the legal community."
Daniel K., Stanford Law School, Class of 2023 (President of the Stanford Law Review)
"Law Preview definitely helped me in my first semester of 1L because before classes even started, I had a schedule set out to keep me on track and know when to read/brief for my classes and when to start outlining. Even though I was still very nervous, having my 1L checklist from BARBRI and the 12 steps to Academic Success handout kept me focused on my end goal to do well my first semester, which I did."
Anonymous, University of Maryland School of Law, Class of 2024