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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"It helped me understand the rigor and intensity of the environment. I came in with a strong sense of urgency which helped me stay on pace."
Anna H., University of Miami School of Law, Class of 2023
"Law Preview gave me the tools to exceed in my first semester, and heavily reduced my anxiety going into law school. From day one I felt like I had an edge that many other student did not, and received honors grades with a GPA of 3.33! I highly recommend this course to any 0L!"
Samantha J., Marquette University School of Law, Class of 2023
"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
"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
"Law Preview gave me a realistic idea of how much work would be required to achieve high grades in law school. I found the introduction to the first-year course work to be extremely beneficial and found myself ahead of some colleagues who did not experience Law Preview."
Carrie D., UIC, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Class of 2012
"I’m writing to thank you for the Law Preview course I took last summer. I was barely admitted into the school via wait list, and I had absolutely no studying skills before I attended Law Preview. Law Preview gave me an outstanding overview which helped me formed my study plans, so I knew exactly what to do, when to do them, and how to do them. What helped me the most was your lecture on the right attitude to go into law school with; I was able to maintain positive the entire semester even though at times it was frustrating and many things seemed to go wrong. Now I have an above 4.0 GPA: 2xA+,2xA, 1xA- after first semester, which puts me at about top 1-2%. Thanks again, couldn’t have done it without you."
Anonymous, South Texas College of Law Houston, Class of 2011
"I was often asked during the first few weeks where I’d worked in the law previously. I had literally no legal experience before BarBri Law Preview other than having read a couple of cases, not the ones we’d studied. But the Law Preview course both set me on the right footing for the year and gave me an overview of how the coursework would fit together. Finally, the practice outlining was invaluable."
Peter S., Northwestern University School of Law, 2022
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Looking back as I finish my 3L year, I wholeheartedly believe that Law Preview is the best antidote to the curse of assumed knowledge. Getting a primer on important doctrinal subjects in digestible but focused sessions—and being introduced to the Socratic method in a realistic but low-stakes environment—was exactly what I needed to prepare for my 1L year. Law Preview taught me concepts that soon become central to my life as a law student: how to brief, what an outline looks like, how to write an exam, and what a tort (disappointingly, not the dessert) is. And, as someone who had not known the ins and outs of law journals before Law Preview, I can confidently say that the program helped earn my spot on the Stanford Law Review. I honestly can’t imagine delving into my 1L year without having participated in the program.  Beyond the academic head start, Law Preview helped me build a strong professional network. I met other law students committed to success headed to my school and schools across the country. I got a taste of several different first-rate professors’ teaching styles. And I became a part of the larger Law Preview network: I finally had folks in my corner. If I had to boil it down, Law Preview helped me start out on the right foot. Law school is intimidating. Maybe you can’t change whether you were born into a family of lawyers or whether you’ve spent years working as a paralegal, but you can change how prepared you feel to start. The key to that, in my experience, is Law Preview. If starting over, I would choose Law Preview again every time.

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Kat G., Stanford Law School, Class of 2021
"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
"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
"I was prepared for the doctrinal exposure. I could see the forest for the trees and knew how to case brief. My class participation boosted my overall grades in part because I case brief consistently as instructed. Overall, very worthwhile experience for an educational journey where so much of the process is not explained by one’s school."
Anonymous, Brooklyn Law School, Class of 2023
"Your class helped me feel prepared for my first semester. Thanks a million"
Emmet P., UIC, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Class of 2013
"Law Preview helped give me a solid foundation for my first semester of law school. I felt prepared for not only how to take notes in class, but also how to create solid and comprehensive case briefs and outlines. Additionally, the suggested (and doable) daily/weekly schedule really helped me stay on top of my work and not feel completely overwhelmed by the course load. Overall, Law Preview helped me feel confident and in control of my first semester of law school!"
Anonymous, Suffolk University School of Law, Class of 2021
"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
"Great experience with Law Preview. Support material (online videos) after the course and continual study tips helped reinforce the material taught in the classroom. Highly recommend. Felt prepared for class discussions and received A-s in the two courses that were introduced in-depth at Law Preview."
Anonymous, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law
"The most important thing about Law Preview, and this was something Don mentioned in passing in one of the videos, is the preliminary exposure to the material. There is no way to learn all of a doctrinal class in one sitting or even one week. But being exposed to the materials before law school allows them to be more easily understood the second, third, and fourth time your professors say it, you read it, or practice it on an exam. This made the biggest difference because I was already able to connect different lessons from my classes before my classmates which made the big picture easy to understand and outlines easy to create. As a result, I got the third-highest grade in my contracts course and ended with an overall GPA well above median at my school. [3.63 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Duke University School of Law, Class of 2024
"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
"First and foremost, the law preview course gave me confidence. I followed the advise and schedule that was provided to the best of my ability, and I feel that it was the defining factor is my success. I received the highest grade on the memo that we wrote for the Research, Writing and Advocacy class, and the second highest grade in that class overall. I got all A’s and B’s in all of my classes. I used my notes from the Law Preview course on multiple occasions for clarification on various topics that we covered during the first semester. On that note, I feel that the instructors were amazing in their ability to convey so much information in such a concise and understandable way."
Anonymous, Ave Maria University School of Law, Class of 2012
"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 gave me confidence entering law school after 11 years of post-graduate work. I ended up in the top 25% of my class, and I couldn’t be happier with the skills Law Preview provided me."
Alex K., Emory University School of Law, Class of 2024
"Helped level expectations and prepare for the worst. It was challenging and law preview helped provide a basis for getting through it successfully."
Alyssa A., Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Class of 2024
"Law Preview provided me an outstanding overview of my 1L curriculum and allowed me to grasp the big picture of each course far earlier than I would have otherwise. The professors were really helpful and covered some of the most fundamental and hard to grasp topics in 1L courses, which I really appreciated when they came up the second time around and I was already well-prepared to deal with them. Thanks to Law Preview’s overview, from the moment that classes started I knew how to manage my time, which proved invaluable when reading period began and I was ready to invoke Law Preview’s exam preparation strategies right on schedule. By having a firm background on the basics, I was also able to make time to get a head start on the 1L summer job hunt, which allowed me to secure a position with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, my first choice job. I would definitely recommend this class to any incoming law student! Thank you for an outstanding class."
Corey B., Harvard Law School, Class of 2013
"Law preview provided me with the right mindset to approach day one of law school. I had an attack plan and knew what pitfalls to avoid because of the Law Preview course! [4.05 GPA after first semester]."
Anonymous, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Class of 2023
"Law Preview gave me a sense of comfort when going into my first semester of law school. I knew what to expect, I knew how to brief a case, and I knew how to succeed. The studying advice and timetable information helped me prepare for finals and gauge my own progress. I would recommend Law Preview to any incoming 1L. [3.91 GPA after first semester]."
Anonymous, University of Houston Law Center, Class of 2023
"I decided to take the Law Preview summer course because I came from an art background, had never taken a single political science class, and hadn’t scored as high as I would have liked on the LSAT. But I did everything Law Preview said and at the end of the semester I had earned a 4.0 and had scored the highest grade on my Criminal Law exam. Because of that, I got a scholarship that more than covered the cost of Law Preview. It’s the best kept secret and the best investment any entering law student could make toward launching their career."
Dawn H., Southwestern Law School, Class of 2012
"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
"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 gave me my first insights as to how my life would be as a law student. Because I was guided on the amount of studying and work I needed to execute, I could first focus on orientation. I felt prepared for taking tests and my study schedule was set before classes even started, so the only real worry I had was studying my course curriculum. I felt at ease entering law school and throughout my first semester. I finished my 1L year with a 3.66 GPA and a spot on the Hofstra Law Review and Moot Court Board."
Rebecca H., Hofstra University School of Law, Class of 2022
"My school only allows 5% of students in each course to receive an A+, which is about three students for my section. Thanks to Law Preview, I received an A+ in two courses. I was also told my Civil Procedure exam and Torts final paper were best in the class. I’m so grateful to the firm that gave me the scholarship to take the course and would recommend it to any incoming law student."
Sasha B., Northwestern University, Pritzker School of Law, Class of 2024