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.
"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 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
"Law Preview provided me with the proper guidance to navigate my first semester. I never fell behind in the readings, writing assignments, or outlining. The schedule that was provided ensured me built-in study time that had a great impact on my study habits and final exam studying."
Alejandra A., New England School of Law, Class of 2024
"Law Preview totally changed the trajectory of my 1L year. I felt as if I was light years ahead of my peers from Day 1 because I already knew the basics, and I had even already read, briefed, and discussed many of the cases covered in my classes. The time management, organization, and strategy tips were invaluable and I firmly believe that my first year of law school would have been ten times harder had I not had the privilege of attending a Law Preview course. In the end, I earned a very strong 1L GPA and a coveted journal spot."
Burgandi S., University of Virginia School of Law, Class of 2022
"Hi Don – I hope you are well and apologies that we haven’t touched base in so long! You may remember giving me quite an impactful pep talk before I began my 1L year at Stanford last year; you also put me in touch with Daniel K., who has since become a friend of mine (and my “boss” on Stanford Law Review, actually!). With your and Law Preview’s help, I had a pretty strong year! More Hs than Ps on my transcript, and a job offer with Latham & Watkins DC for next summer."
Anonymous, Stanford Law School, Class of 2023
"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
"I am so glad I did Law Preview because I was pretty prepared when most of the other first year students were very nervous in the first few weeks of the semester. I also adhered to most of the things that were recommended by Law Preview (I followed the calendar schedule of when to start outlining, reviewing my flashcards, etc). [Ranked 14 out of 217]."
Anonymous, Syracuse University College of Law, Class of 2012
"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
"The best thing I got out of Law Preview was the practical advice. Part of being successful in any situation is strategy – learning how to maneuver within the circumstances. Law Preview was a great strategy resource. Law School is a foreign world, and knowing what to expect before you ever get there is a huge asset. Most people are totally baffled and have no idea what to do, but I felt a little more confident and had a game plan when I went in. I also really appreciated having some idea of how to approach my exams during the first semester. I got A’s in all my substantive classes, including the high grade in Contracts that was 15% above the second highest score. Thanks for everything! [Ranked #5 out of 266 after first semester]."
Anonymous, University of Houston Law Center, Class of 2013
"Starting law school is a daunting task especially when they barrage you with enormous amount of new information. Law Preview was like CliffNotes for law school. It helped me to set my bearing and rest in the fact that unlike so many of my classmates, law school classes were not the first time I heard the new terms like promissory estoppel. Having a head start definitely put me at an advantage. I would definitely recommend it to any rising 1Ls."
Yon S., SMU Dedman School of Law, Class of 2011
"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
"Law Preview was completely responsible for my ability to hit the ground running fall semester of my 1L year. I knew how to brief a case, how to approach outlining, and what to expect from exams. Armed with my study calendar, I jumped into my first year nervous but prepared. I think my 4.28 GPA was significantly helped by attending Law Preview and utilizing the tools it gave me. Shout-out to Don Macaulay, an MVP mentor who provides pre- and post-Law Preview guidance throughout your 1L year and beyond."
Susan P., Pepperdine University School of Law, Class of 2023 (transferred to Harvard Law School)
"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
"The calendar was incredibly helpful and disturbingly accurate. The study schedule was useful in that it was an extreme to shoot for that kept me the right amount of ahead on my work. Reading some of the major cases before starting the class got me in the perfect mindset for reading. It was a head start that was greatly appreciated. The different perspectives on those cases provided by the professors also gave me some insightful ideas that I totally passed off as my own thoughts in class."
John O., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2022
"Law Preview helped give me the tools I needed to succeed the first semester with much less stress than most of my classmates. I knew so much about the processes and procedures of law school before going in which gave me confidence and peace. I didn’t have to spend valuable time learning how to brief or read cases. Admittedly, I didn’t end up following the reading or study schedule exactly and still did very well! [3.79 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Chicago-Kent College of Law—Illinois Institute of Technology, Class of 2024
"Law Preview provided me with an overview of how 1st year grades impact future employment and suggested strategies and techniques that helped me perform at my individual best. The substantive overview of 1st year courses provided invaluable context on what to expect prior to arriving in class. I referenced my notes from Law Preview frequently to remind myself of big picture concepts."
Josh H., Belmont University School of Law, 2019
"The first semester in law school picks up pretty quickly. Law Preview helped me to be prepared in regards to outlining and case briefing. I feel that this left me less overwhelmed than others."
Derya L., Fordham University School of Law, Class of 2021
"Law Preview gave me critical early exposure to law school concepts and exam strategies that gave me an edge in my first semester of law school."
Reagan L, University of Houston Law Center, 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
"I was in the New York Law Preview class last year, and I just wanted to say thank you. I received grades and my rank [#1] within the last month, and I am 100% sure that it was the methods and reassurance that I received from the program that helped me so significantly throughout the school year. Not only did I do extremely well in my first year, I also earned an opportunity to be a summer associate at King & Spalding — the firm that offered me a full-tuition scholarship for the program. I will forever sing the praises of this program."
Valecia B., Howard University School of Law, Class of 2017
"Law Preview impacted my study schedule and the daily hours I committed to each day – this was the biggest impact. I understood the dedication I needed to give and held myself to that high standard. Additionally, my GPA was the highest I ever achieved in a single undergrad semester, I attribute this to Law Preview’s frank and direct teaching on how to dedicate myself to achieve success."
Mary M., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 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
"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 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
"The program placed a lot of the important legal concepts and doctrines in my mind early in the semester. This helped shape and sharpen my thinking for my first year courses."
Jeffrey F., George Mason University School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview played an important part in preparing me for my first year of law school. Every Professor and instructor at Law Preview provided insights on the little things that law students should do in order to succeed. Additionally, each Law Preview professor instilled confidence and gave me reassurance that I was doing the right things in order to be prepared come exam time. Law Preview is not just a one week course, but a program that helps each of its students get through their entire first year. With all the tools Law Preview provided, I was able to not only learn the complex material more easily, but also found time to enjoy my first year. No doubt, Law Preview gave me the information and confidence to enter law school knowing I would succeed. [Ranked top 1%-15% after 1L year]."
Anonymous, George Washington University Law School, Class of 2013
"By the time I got into classes I already knew how to read an analyze cases. I also knew the basic concepts so I was able to get up to speed about the intricacies introduced in class much faster. Other people struggled with the more complicated concepts, but I had already gone over them once in Law Preview and the second time just helped my clarify my understanding. Learning to brief the cases before starting was helpful because I did not need to spend an inordinate amount of time on each case. I knew what I needed to extract from the cases and had a template in which to place the information. Law preview helps you hit the ground running in your first year."
Anonymous, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Class of 2011
"It was nice to have some of the fundamental cases under my belt for each class. The rigor of the class also helped prepare me for the workload I faced when I arrived at law school."
Anonymous, William & Mary Law School, Class of 2013
"1L year is like flying a plane, blindfolded. Law Preview gives you much needed guidance to help you succeed. There is no magic wand to help you ace all your exams. But, Law Preview points you in the right direction, and if you put in the work, you’ll be happy with your results."
Anonymous, George Mason University School of Law, 2021
"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)