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’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
"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
"The schedule and study techniques helped me get A’s in every class except one, and I felt more prepared than some of my classmates in their classes. I had the best grades of my academic career and made the dean’s list for the first time."
Steward L., Northern Illinois University College of Law, Class of 2023
"I went into law school knowing how to brief cases, knowing the language of the law and knowing the subject matter that was being presented. That was all extremely beneficial to me; however, the best thing about Law Preview is that I met my best friend and a familiar face in my law school section. He and I have helped each other through the semester, formed a study group with other students and relied on our Law Preview materials to help along the way. I was thankful for the experience and the people I met."
Beka P., SMU Dedman School of Law, Class of 2011
"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
"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
"The overview from Law Preview really helped me to get acquainted to law school quickly and start off strong. The sample schedule and pre-work gave me the confidence I needed. Because of my grades, I was able to land a summer associate position before school even started back up in the spring. I didn’t have to wait for the help of my school for a job and now I can relax going into the semester knowing I have a position secured."
Natalie W., Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Class of 2023
"I thank Law Preview for setting me up for success! It gave me the perfect preview for what my schedule would be, in terms of reading, briefing, etc. for the semester and prepared me to my best! I went in knowing how to brief which was my greatest asset! I ranked number 7 out of my class of 271 with a 3.93 GPA and made Dean’s List. None of that would have been possible without my week of Law Preview!"
Anonymous, UIC John Marshall Law School, Chicago, 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 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
"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
"Law Preview gave me a strategy to attack a semester that was very different from anything I had previously been exposed to. I found myself repeatedly going back to Law Preview study tactic notes, using the Barbri 1L Mastery videos, and practicing essays to review key strategies and prepare. If you follow the calendar and recommendations from this course, you will succeed."
Anonymous, New York University School of Law, Class of 2022
"I know that the skills Law Preview taught me made my first semester of law school successful and manageable. As you are well aware, law school is a unique and stressful environment, a mystery to those who have not experienced it. Law Preview demystified it for me. As a result, I knew how much time I should spend studying and when, what I should focus on, and how I should balance my classwork with other obligations. I did not have to waste precious hours acquiring this knowledge by trial and error. Additionally, Law Preview’s engaging professors introduced me to the substantive material I would encounter in my courses and made me excited about what I would learn in law school. Through its courses Law Preview gives incoming law students the tools they need to succeed in their first year and beyond."
Frances K., Mitchell Hamline School of Law (formerly William Mitchell College of Law), Class of 2013
"I think it showed me not so much of the mechanical tools (briefing, etc) but more of a nice lay of the land, and some other useful tips to get a head start [ranked #10 out of 256 after first semester]."
Anonymous, Villanova University School of Law, Class of 2011
"I would absolutely suggest Law Preview to any student about to enter law school, especially if you are looking to end your 1L year at the top of your class. When all of my classmates were confused on how to study for class, prepare outlines, or write exam answers, Law Preview was my guide. I felt comfortable and prepared going into exam time, and without Law Preview, I know this could NOT have been possible. Law Preview gave me a huge advantage over other students in my class. Further, I was able to have in-depth analysis and discussions with professors about our case material since I had already encountered it during Law Preview. I owe my successful 1L year, and a shot at transferring to a top-25 law school, to Don and the distinguished professors at the program. Law Preview is the best preparation any student could do before entering law school. Thank you!!! [Ranked #4 out of 126 students after the 1L year]."
Anonymous, Northern Illinois University College of Law, Class of 2013
"Law Preview helped ease the anxiety of not knowing what to expect. The overview for each class gave me a point of reference and helped me see the big picture from the start. Don gave us a great strategy to use academically but also mentally in how to approach the first year."
Valeria S., South Texas College of Law, Class of 2023
"It was great. Definitely helped first semester. But it’s a two part game. I’ll let you know how this all went after second semester."
Anonymous, University of Maine School of Law, Class of 2022
"I thought I came in with substantially less nerves about case briefing than many of my classmates. This made the adjustment to law school far easier than I anticipated [3.77 GPA after fall semester]."
Anonymous, Vanderbilt University School of Law, 2022
"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
"Law Preview gave me an idea of how fast paced classes and school in general were going to be. Once you fall behind in the readings you just cannot catch up. I took a lot of notes while in Law Preview (pages upon pages upon pages). I wrote down stuff that didn’t even make any sense at the time. And before all of my finals I went back and read through that stuff. It certainly helped."
Anonymous, SMU Dedman School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview gave me a basic understanding of what to expect in each of my classes. Law Preview helped me realize that I was going to have to work hard for my grades, but also helped me realize that if I did I would be at the top of my class. Most importantly Law Preview gave me a heads up on how to prepare for final exams. I felt like I knew what to expect from day one. It was all a matter of keeping on top of everything and practicing like Law Preview taught me."
Ezra K., Texas Tech University School of Law, Class of 2011
"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
"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
"My school does not provide student rankings until the end of the first year. However, my current GPA (with 4 of 5 grades reported) is a 3.78/4.00. Law Preview certainly helped me achieve sucess in my first semester of law school. Probably the biggest benefit for me was that it made me feel comfortable with the material right from the start. It helped me keep my fears to a minimum and so I was able to learn and participate in class right from the start. Many of the cases we covered in Law Preview were cases that we covered in my classes. Having previous exposure to these cases made the transition a lot easier for me. While overall, the substantive law that I learned at Law Preview did not give me an edge, I was able to pick up what my professors were discussing more easily because it was not the first time that I had seen the material. It is an expensive program, but I think that it is worth it."
Melissa C., Roger Williams University School of Law, Class of 2013
"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
"I was selected to receive the Latham & Watkins Law Preview Scholarship last summer. The scholarship allowed me to participate in Law Preview, which would become my single most effective preparation for law school. Law Preview provided me with resources that helped me achieve success in my academic and career goals. Today, I am one of seven students selected to join Cornell Law School’s first-year clinic. I am also one of Latham & Watkins’ 1L Diversity Scholars. This summer, I will be doing my 1L internship with Latham & Watkins and Facebook. And I know these opportunities will enable me to do things in life that my parents nor I could ever have dreamed of."
Don I, Cornell Law School, Class of 2023
"I can’t thank Law Preview enough for helping me conquer my first year! I know that I would not have been as successful as I was had it not been for my week at Law Preview. The material, the professors, the lectures were identical to everything I encountered my first year. Law Preview set me up for success. I was able to finish in the Top 15% of my 1L class, earn a spot on Law Review, and land my judicial internship. That wouldn’t have been possible without Law Preview!"
Allison C., Suffolk University School of Law, Class of 2021
"Law preview gave a nice introduction to the rigors of law school. Students can ease their anxiety by gaining a clearer picture of what will be required of them on a daily basis."
Anonymous, University of Michigan Law School, 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 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