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 did a great job in preparing me for what each course was going to entail. They gave me some insight into what contracts really was, what a tort is, and how legal writing would be part of the curriculum. Attending Law Preview so close to the start of classes also got me mentally prepared to go back to an academic setting and be ready for readings and classrooms again. The materials from the case brief skeleton to the online multiple-choice to the year-long calendar were impactful for maintaining a good pace, briefing cases with speed, and preparing for finals."
Tai K., University of Southern California School of Law, 2022
"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
"Entering law school, I had been out of school for nine years. Law Preview eased me back into the classroom and gave me the tools necessary for success during my first semester of law school. The test-taking skills I learned during Law Preview were critical to me receiving the CALI award in Torts for my section. Thank you, Law Preview staff, for giving me the confidence and tools necessary to succeed during such a stressful time. I am especially thankful as a first-generation law student, woman of color, and mother. [3.99 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Howard University School of Law, Class of 2024
"Last summer I was fortunate to receive a Law Preview Scholarship. The experience was particularly useful to me as a first generation law student. The class introduced me not only to doctrinal material from the first-year curriculum but it also exposed me to the law school nuances no one had told me about, like the Socratic method, briefing cases, and accessing prior exams as study aids. The benefits of being a Law Preview alum are numerous. I am still in contact with some of the students I met during the class. I also have access to Barbri webinars, which provide information on useful skills for the first year of law school and beyond, and the Job Network, which grants access to many of the law firm partners BARBRI has."
Carla L., Harvard Law School, 2020
"I strongly believe my Law Preview experience allowed me to go into law school feeling familiar with the central topics of each doctrinal class. Having this feeling of familiarity, it allowed me to not stress. Not only that, I was able to manage my time extremely well due to the tips we learned during Law Preview. I took on other responsibilities during the first semester, but because I was able to balance them all in addition to school, I was able to finish the semester with Honors in all three of the fall doctrinal classes. Thank you, Law Preview!"
Anonymous, Northeastern University School of Law, 2021
"Law preview was definitely useful in that it stressed the rigors of the first semester to the point that I was prepared. By preparing me for what was to come, as well as setting out effective tips for study and work habits, I was able to to focus on the work itself by adopting what I had learned in Law Preview rather than waste time developing my own strategy. The schedule plan laid out by Law Preview allowed me to achieve academic success during my first semester."
Joshua V., New York Law School, Class of 2013
"Law Preview had an amazing impact on my education and social life – I felt prepared from the very beginning of the year and met my best friends during the week-long class. It covered every aspect of how law school is structured. How to strategically approach classes and exams, and how the legal job process works. While other new students were trying to figure out how to study and how to balance their time, I was already in a comfortable routine after Law Preview. As a true testament to the program’s efficacy, my friends and I (all former Law Preview students) obtained summer associate positions with various big law firms after our 1L year. This is usually very rare for first-year law students, but Law Preview enabled us to start strong and plan ahead for opportunities that other students didn’t even know about. I’m so glad I took Law Preview’s class."
Linda Q., Northwestern University School of Law, 2020
"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
"Law Preview certainly helped to prepare me for my 1L year not only by simulating the rigor of a law school classroom, but by providing tools and guidance throughout my first semester. With the support of LP, I was able to succeed in my first semester and receive a GPA of 3.78 which places me in the top 10% of my class! I am so grateful for this program and all the opportunities it has provided!"
Melissa F., Fordham University School of Law, Class of 2021
"Law Preview helped me feel comfortable going into school. I knew the tasks that were ahead of me and how best to handle them. I understood how to brief, how to organize a study schedule, and some of the basic premises of core courses that allowed me to be able to focus my studying and class preparation more efficiently. Furthermore, Law Preview simply provides students with confidence which, especially during the first semester, is lacking because no feedback is received (except in Legal Writing) until January. I do not know my current class rank because my school does not rank after the first semester, but I finished with a 3.69 and Law Preview played a large role in my first semester success."
Raymond G., New York Law School, Class of 2011
"It was absolutely worth it – it got me used to the Socratic method expected out of first semester, and the exam prep provided an invaluable insight into what to expect."
Anonymous, Seton Hall University School of Law, Class of 2022
"Because law school was somewhat of a last minute decision for me at the end of college, I had no idea what to expect. Law Preview completely changed that. Not only did it give me a little taste of what to expect substantively in classes like Torts and Contracts, but more importantly it geared me towards a year of very hard work and dedication. I can easily say that if it were not for Law Preview I probably would have entered law school with a similar attitude as college, but after taking the week of classes with Law Preview I had a much better idea of how many hours I would have to work a week, what the workload would look like, and what my timeline and goals should look like for the first semester, not to mention how to brief a case. I actually ended up using the Law Preview case brief outline for the entire year (and will continue to use it for the next two years) and felt that I was always extremely prepared for class. Overall, I think it was a great program and I am really glad I participated in it. [Ranked #13 out of 484 students at the end of 1L year]."
Anonymous, New York Law School, Class of 2013
"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
"Law Preview was super helpful for me in getting a sense of large doctrinal concepts that will be covered in law school. It provided a great launchpad for me and I ended up scoring in the top 15% of my section after my 1L fall."
Anonymous, Georgetown University Law Center, 2022
"I am not ranked because I have yet to meet the credit hour threshold for being ranked (I am a part-time student). However, in 3 classes, I’ve managed to secure an A- in legal research and writing, an A- in civil procedure, and a B+ in contracts, amounting to a 3.556 GPA. The most important aspect I could say that I learned from Law Preview is how to brief and to ALWAYS brief your cases. . . . [T]he general discussions about law school (studying strategies, time management, success strategies, etc.) were invaluable."
Robert W., Charleston School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview helped a lot. Wish I would have taken it even more seriously [3.77 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Washington University School of Law (St. Louis), Class of 2023
"Law Preview gave me the ultimate ‘heads up’ that I needed for law school. Don and all of the distinguished Professors tell you what nobody else will. During orientation and for several weeks after the semester began, it seemed everyone was running around without much of a clue of what was going on. Because of Law Preview, I already knew what I needed to do in order to focus solely on the important aspects of my courses. Law Preview pays off through every aspect of the first semester, and even beyond. I had my outlines complete by the time others were just learning how to get the most out of briefing a case. A small number of the students in my section even began to withdraw from classes during this time. Law Preview emphasizes methods that will help you stick through attrition. After the exams, many of the students were very worried about the grades they received. This was clearly the first time the others encountered receiving what they considered such low grades. Law Preview discusses this, so I was already prepared. . . . Law Preview clearly gives you the tools needed to cut through the confusion. They get down to brass tacks by clearly illustrating what we did and did not need to worry about."
Daniel S., Mitchell Hamline School of Law (formerly William Mitchell College of Law), Class of 2012
"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
"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
"Law Preview helped in that it made me realize how much work law school would be. It helped me to mentally adjust and prepare to the rigorous workload and the mental thinking."
Anonymous, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Class of 2011
"I felt I was definitely more prepared at the beginning of the semester when a lot of people wondered what a case brief was and what IRAC stood for whereas I could focus on the substantive courses because Law Preview taught me how to approach briefing and exam taking. The exam-taking strategies and advice from the professors were especially helpful. It’s like I knew what it took to get an ‘A. Thank you [ranked #15 out of 166 after first semester]."
Anonymous, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview laid the foundation for my study routine. Coupled with Barbri Mastery, I tried to adhere as closely as possible to Don’s schedule for reading, briefing, etc. Demystifying 1L was immensely helpful and I encountered many of the cases I read during Law Preview. It goes without saying that reading cases in advance is tremendously beneficial. Moreover, having a concrete process for briefing allowed me to hit the ground running for the first semester."
Anonymous, Georgetown University Law Center, Class of 2024
"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
"Law Preview gave me the confidence to know that hard work could pay off in law school. During the first semester, law students often hear the cliche, “Study smarter, not harder.” Unfortunately, nobody really tells us what that means. Law Preview gave an actual playbook to success. If a student follows Don’s schedule and stays consistent during their first semester, they will succeed. The first semester of law school will test your abilities as a student both mentally and emotionally. Therefore, gaining the knowledge and confidence to know what success in law school requires makes taking the class worth it."
John C., University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"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. Thanks!!"
Anonymous, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, Class of 2022
"Practice, practice, and MORE practice. I am four years removed from getting my undergraduate degree. Law Preview immersed me back into the “student mindset” that I needed in order to do my best this semester. You have to be open and willing to learn about yourself in order to effectively use Law Preview. Take heed to the timing suggestions, practice, and outline early. Your grades will reflect the hard-work. Remember, law school is marathon not a sprint. Law Preview gives you that refresh of water between each lap."
Adrieene Brown, University of Florida College of Law, Class of 2022
"Law Preview helped give me tools and confidence I needed to achieve my much higher than average GPA. Without the study tools and habits, I would not have done as well as a student returning to school after six years in a journalism career."
Catherine A., Florida State University College of Law, Class of 2022
"Law Preview was worth every penny. The lectures get you thinking about the important concepts, expose you to new terminology, and cover some of the cases you are likely to see in your 1L courses. It gave me a lot of confidence to have all this knowledge before classes even began. Thanks in part to my week at Law Preview, I did well enough my 1L year to transfer to Yale and to get a summer job and an offer of permanent employment from a law firm in Manhattan."
Anonymous, University of Michigan Law School, Class of 2011 (transferred to Yale Law School)
"I attended the Law Preview session in Austin. I was just writing to let you know how I did the first semester. I attend the University of Houston Law Center, and I received all A’s my first semester and am ranked #1 out of 266 students. Law Preview gave me the right mindset entering into law school, and I feel the class was a big part of my success. Not only did it help me succeed grades wise, but the class also gave me a sense of excitement to attend U of H, as there were 3 professors from the school who lectured at Law Preview, and I enjoyed all three!"
Shaun C., University of Houston Law Center, Class of 2013