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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"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
"The week long course provided by Law Preview allowed me a glimpse into the world of being a first year law student. I knew ahead of time who I needed to talk to, when to buy books, what resources to look for, EXACTLY what to expect from class, and how to approach exam preparation."
Douglas H., University of North Carolina School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview was very helpful. I heavily relied on Don’s advice concerning my study schedule, not sweating over a summer internship, and also exam tactics. It was also helpful having the overview of courses. Law Preview gave me an idea of what to expect and confidence . . . I think it was a perfect program. I was skeptical about spending $1,000 on it, but it turned out to be worth every penny."
Stephen W., New York Law School, Class of 2011
"It introduced me material and helped the learning curve on subjects before the first day of class started. It reduced the fear of not knowing the subject material and gave me the confidence knowing I had a plan from the very first day of classes."
Anonymous, Marquette University Law School, Class of 2022
"Thank you for making the difference between a good first year experience and a dreadful one. I knew what to expect in each of my classes and I had a very clear idea of the rigorous nature of the first year. I was prepared for the first day of class and so glad I was, because I was called on for the first case discussion of the year in my contracts class. The year was still exceptionally stressful, but I felt I had a strong advantage over others because of Law Preview. And because of my high grades, I have been awarded a full scholarship for next year. Thank you Law Preview! [Ranked #2 out of 44 part time students]"
Anonymous, Western State University College of Law, Class of 2014
"The study skills I learned from Law Preview left me feeling prepared during exam season and resulted in a higher GPA than I was expecting from my first semester."
Claire A., University of Richmond School of Law, Class of 2024
"The course allowed me to enter the semester with greater confidence in my preparation than I would have had otherwise."
Homer L., Georgetown University Law Center, 2022
"I was able to begin law school with a basic familiarity of many topics and of the particular vernacular used in law school. Unfortunately for many of my classmates they were tossed into the deep end and told to swim."
Anonymous, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2023
"I thought it did come in handy, I was prepared to understand what a brief was, and while I changed it a bit to suit my own style and the professors recommendations, I wasn’t completely in the dark like some people."
Luke W., UIC, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Class of 2012
"It was nice to have a preview of the cases that we would read as 1Ls. I had a good idea of what to expect as a first year student before classes started. Every advantage is needed to be successful. You MUST hit the ground running. There are people who have been paralegals, federal investigators, etc. in law school, who have experience others may lack. Law Preview was instrumental in not starting at a disadvantage."
Chris B., Rutgers University School of Law, Class of 2011
"Without Law Preview, I would have had no clue what to expect from my first semester. Instead, I felt a step ahead of all the other students. I had a plan of action to attack all the work, and I knew what the professors were looking for in classes. The price paid for Law Preview paid off. I ended up in the top ten percent of my class after the first semester with A’s in three out of my five classes."
Anonymous, University of Kansas School of Law, Class of 2011
"The techniques we learned were extremely helpful. During finals study time, everybody else was outlining; my outlines were finished as of the last class day so I was able to study and work on the hypos. I was even able to incorporate a ‘nugget’ section into my notes that came in very handy on the exams. Thanks for everything!"
Kate L., University of Denver College of Law, 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
"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 was very instrumental in enabling me to be successful in my first year of law school. Not only did the course help prepare me for the rigors of the 1L curriculum, but it gave me a level of confidence walking into my first law school class that many of my peers did not acquire until well into the semester. While nothing can completely prepare you for the amount of hard work that it will take to out perform many of the other success driven people that will be sitting next to you in your law school classes, Law Preview comes pretty close. I finished my first year of law school ranked #10 (Top 5%) in my class, and I just received an invitation to become a member of my school’s law review. There is no doubt in my mind that attending the Law Preview course was a significant factor in helping me to achieve these results. Law Preview’s exam taking strategies, success tactics, and course overviews were all invaluable aids to me throughout my 1L year."
Antonio A., Texas A&M University School of Law (formerly Texas Wesleyan University School of Law), Class of 2012
"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
"I felt comfortable with the course material and had a good idea about what the semester workload would look like thanks to the Barbri Law Preview."
Christina O., University of Texas Law School, Class of 2022
"Law Preview provided me with the valuable insight to the demands of the first semester of law school. Also, one of the cases covered during the program turned out to be the same one I got called on to address during my day on the ‘hot seat.’ Because of my previous exposure, I was able to make it through the questioning and pressure of being called on to discuss a case with the professor. I would strongly recommend the program to anyone entering into their first year of law school!"
Anonymous, John Marshall Law School – Atlanta, Class of 2012
"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
"I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed LP – not only was it educational, but it also really excited me even more for 1L. I read both Law School Confidential and 1L of a Ride but nothing matches the information you relayed throughout your success tactic lectures. The course-by-course lectures with each professor made me all the more comfortable with previously foreign subjects. I feel highly equipped to crush my 1L year – so thank you!! I’m sure you receive similar messages all the time, but I thought I’d share my 2 cents because this made my life so much easier."
Anonymous, Hofstra University School of Law, Class of 2024
"Law Preview helped me tremendously with adjusting to the challenges of a first-year law school curriculum. Getting a head start on my studies helped me to get into the right frame of mind and gave me a clear competitive advantage. As a first-generation professional from an underrepresented minority group, getting a preview like that was immensely useful in navigating my first year. I could not have succeeded the way I did without BARBRI Law Preview."
Wellington M., Yale Law School, Class of 2022
"Law Preview gave me a head start on the competition [ranked #4 out of 85 students]."
Anonymous, Michigan State University Detroit College of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview boosted my confidence going into my 1L year. By the time the first day of classes rolled around, I felt like I already had a big picture idea of each core subject. At the end of 1L, I was invited to serve as an Editor of the Yale Law Journal and as a Submissions Editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation."
Kristin S. Yale Law School, Class of 2022
"Law Preview on demand was a great choice for me as an evening law student working full time. I wasn’t able to take off for a week of in-person Law Preview, but I could fit On-Demand into my schedule. Law Preview helped me go into my first year of law school with confidence by teaching the basics of the core 1L subjects, case briefing, and what to expect from my professors. I even spoke with Don Macaulay over the phone and he helped me figure out how to structure my study schedule around work and other commitments for the first semester. All of this preparation helped me come out of my first semester with an A average. Overall, I couldn’t be happier that I decided on Law Preview!"
Samantha K., University of Maryland School of Law, Class of 2022
"Helped me understand what i was in for, what was expected of me, how to best outline and when to start in the semester so I got it done early. [3.68 GPA after first semester]."
Anonymous, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Yeshiva University, Class of 2023
"It was fabulous, and really realistic about how much was needed for certain placements in class rank. If I followed their advice to the letter I think I could have made the top percent."
Taylor B., Boston College Law School, Class of 2012
"Law Preview prepared me to excel in my first semester. I have my undergraduate degree in nursing. Nursing school and law school are nothing alike. Had I not completed the Law Preview course I know I would have spent the first 8 to 10 weeks figuring out what was going on and trying to understand what the professors were talking about. Knowing in advance what a case brief was, how to complete one, how to immediately begin outlining each of my classes, and other basics of how material is presented in law school helped me tremendously. I felt much more confident in myself and my grades were definitely higher than what they would have been without Law Preview."
Natalia S., Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"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
"The Law Preview course was one of the most helpful resources I could have asked for in starting this journey. As I took Law Preview over the summer, I thought the content was very helpful in introducing me to law school culture, managing my expectations of timing and capacity, and encouraging me to complete all outstanding to-dos prior to starting. However, I had assumed my Orientation at UChicago would be somewhat duplicative to the course. I was surprised and subsequently so grateful when I realized Law Preview’s orientation was eons ahead of that UChicago’s orientation and was on an entirely different playing field. I’m on Week 4 of classes and I could not say enough how much Law Preview has been a game changer. I am briefing all my cases, using the strict schedule to ensure I feel balanced, and continuing to rely on BARBRI resources to supplement outlining and class prep. Somehow, I’m also finding time to connect with professors during and outside office hours, utilize university resources and attempt virtual networking with classmates. I was prepared to walk into law school feeling a little like I was punching above my weight, but Law Preview has left me feeling empowered and like I have a leg up on most of my classmates."
Kristen P., University of Chicago Law School, Class of 2023