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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"My school does not rank students, so I don’t know my percentile. But I am very pleased with my grades–almost all As. I know that Law Preview was particularly helpful in getting me into the right mindset from the very beginning. I already had a framework for each course, and it made it easier for me to see the big picture from day 1. This is where I feel I excelled past my classmates–my ability to understand the material thematically. I did not spend my first weeks struggling over minute, unnecessary details, or teaching myself the components of a brief, as others did."
Anonymous, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Class of 2011
"Law school is a lot about expectations. Many people enter law school thinking that this is undergrad part two, but it is much more than that. Law Preview helped me to understand the type of time and effort commitment that law school would require of me. My last semester in undergrad, I took one class on Monday nights and basically just hung out the rest of the time. Law Preview was a fantastic eye-opener to the reality that awaited me in law school and no doubt my success was greatly predicated on the preparation and advice Law Preview provided."
Conrad S., SMU Dedman School of Law, Class of 2013
"Law Preview was a great decision for me. I have been out of school for a few years and needed a jump start. The comprehensive program gave me the framework to start classes confident and prepared [ranked #1 out of 140]."
Anonymous, Western State University College of Law, Class of 2011
"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
"I can’t tell you how much I appreciated Law Preview. I was only accepted to Albany off the waitlist in early June 2009, and I wasn’t feeling too great about my prospects for success. Now, after having completed my 1L year, I’m proud to report that I ranked #19 out of 250 students. Beyond preparing me for the substantive classes, LP helped me gain confidence and avoid the potholes that challenge every 1L no matter where they go to school. I definitely feel that Law Preview also gave me a leg up on my classmates in a number of ways — whether it was briefing cases or putting together an effective study schedule — Law Preview removed a lot of the trial and error and I entered my first year with a plan of attack and that was without question a major factor in my success."
Joseph B., Albany Law School of Union University, Class of 2012 (transferred to George Washington University Law School)
"Law Preview was tremendous in helping me shoot out of the gate strong. From the first day I walked on campus I had a plan and a purpose thanks to LP. In addition to the organizational and structural advantages I had thanks to the schedule and preparation materials, I left LP with a sense of confidence. Law Preview really helped be demystify the law, in breaking it down into something practical and manageable. I also believe that the long hours during the program set my expectations for the amount of time and effort I needed to be successful, which led to a smooth and natural transition into the real thing. I would recommend this program to anyone who is entering law school, especially in this market where grades are EVERYTHING. [Ranked 5 out of 339]."
Anonymous, St. Mary’s University School of Law, Class of 2012 (transferred to SMU Dedman School of Law)
"It prepared me to know what to expect and how to manage the task load with a solid background and foundation to enhance my learning capabilities."
Barbara H., Northeastern University School of Law, 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
"Latham & Watkins’ genuine commitment to diversity, inclusion, and excellence has had a tremendous impact on both my academic and professional career. In 2019, Latham gave me a scholarship to attend Law Preview prior to entering Stanford Law School — a truly unique opportunity that gave me the foresight to succeed in my first year of law school. The program armed me with the key concepts of the first-year curriculum and taught me how to prepare for classes and exams early, efficiently, and effectively. Based on my academic achievements, not only was I invited to join the Stanford Law Review, but I also joined Latham as a 1L Summer Associate and received an offer to return next summer (as well as Latham’s 2L Diversity Scholarship). I will be forever grateful that Latham invested ~$1000 in my academic success prior to starting law school — their initial investment in me has paid dividends. Law Preview clearly had a significant impact on my success at Stanford Law School. If law school were karate, Don Macaulay would be the Mr. Miyagi of the legal community."
Daniel K., Stanford Law School, Class of 2023 (President of the Stanford Law Review)
"Your class helped me feel prepared for my first semester. Thanks a million"
Emmet P., UIC, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Class of 2013
"I went into my 1L year with my eyes wide open. I knew, like most students, that I needed to work really hard. However, I also knew how to read through a case book, how to prepare for class and how to pick out the most important stuff for my outline. I believe this helped me to use my study time effectively and this preparation paid big dividends. I ended up in the Top 5% of my 1L class and was invited onto the Houston Journal of International Law."
Jessie M., University of Houston Law Center, Class of 2022
"BARBRI’s Law Preview course was an amazing program! It was great to have an overview of each of the courses and major cases before classes started. I was terrified before starting law school that I wouldn’t do well, and I ended up ranking 1st in my section, 2nd in my class, and I transferred to Boston University School of Law! This program is definitely worth taking. The professors are amazing, and the exam preparation is extremely helpful! I recommended this course to everyone I knew starting law school."
Sophia O., Suffolk University School of Law (transferred to Boston Univ. School of Law), Class of 2022
"Law Preview let me know what to realistically expect from law school. It was shocking to hear the amount of time required to excel in law school. But after hearing from many professors during law preview, I knew what to expect from day 1 which helped me stay ahead and prevent me from getting behind."
Anonymous, American University, Washington College of Law, 2022
"I did not come straight from undergrad. I spent the past 5.5 years as an Army Officer. Although school was a major adjustment, Law Preview’s introduction to the subject matter and tips for success were instrumental for me in developing a structure and study plan that led to success."
Patrick C., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2021
"While I do not know my class rank because UVa does not release such data, I do have a 3.73 (3 As and a B because I was sick and totally bombed 1 question)– at UVa only 10% of each class can have an A or A- so I am confident that I am in the top 10% of my class. Law preview taught me three important things that I largely credit my success to. First, to continue my pattern of hard and consistent work throughout the semester. I never missed a class or did not brief a case. I was always caught up (if not ahead) in the reading. By staying a little ahead, I was able to start studying during Thanksgiving Break, which brings me to my second Law Preview lesson: practice exams! I got in touch with students from other schools and also tapped UVa’s old exam database. I took at least 10 practice exams in each subject. This is a step that my friends did not do– or if they did look at practice exams, that was all the did (literally just LOOK at them!) — and their grades show that they failed to adequately prepare. Finally, Law Preview’s outlining strategy made getting ready for finals so easy because I had already been editing and digesting my notes throughout the whole semester. While I had excellent study habits coming into law school, Law Preview reminded me to keep them up and gave me the tools to start using my habits from day one, without having to wait to figure out the mundane details of law school."
Anonymous, University of Virginia School of Law, Class of 2012
"Law Preview helped me stay focused on exams. It was definitely true that much of each class is spent talking about policy, theory, and cases, but when it comes right down to it all that matters for exams is the black letter law (and how to apply it). Thanks to Law Preview, I understood that and I don’t think a lot of my classmates did."
Joseph W., University of Toledo College of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview provided an opportunity to get a helpful sneak peak of the substantive issues that were covered throughout the semester. The background information helped get me into the mindset of the topic areas in a way that I would not have gotten without the instruction. Additionally, I used the organizational strategies offered in the course to varying degrees throughout the semester. I particularly liked that the advice was still flexible enough that I could adapt it to my own method of working and studying."
Anonymous, American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"From where I am now, it’s hard to believe I ever hesitated to do Law Preview. Because of Law Preview, I walked into my fall classes feeling familiar with the language, basic concepts, and general framework of each subject. As a result, I felt more confident about participating in class and believe I distinguished myself from day one. Aside from exposure to the material, I finished Law Preview with a concrete sense of what I needed to do on a daily and weekly basis to stay on track throughout the semester. Once on campus, I heard a lot of conflicting advice about how to prepare for class, when to start outlining, and how to approach exam prep.  While different things work for different people, I found a lot of this advice to be reactionary, not proactive, and that much of it just came too late. Law Preview will help you get your mind right and internalize a game plan well before you start orientation. While many of my classmates are now trying to figure out what went wrong with first semester grades and how they can catch up in the spring, I’m able to focus on maintaining my performance and making small adjustments to my system, which takes some of the pressure off of an already stressful time. I would not have approached my first semester of law school the way I did were it not for what I learned through Law Preview. Do yourself a favor and invest in yourself and in Law Preview, the sooner the better. [3.78 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Fordham University School of Law, Class of 2024
"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 the first semester]."
Anonymous, University of Caliornia Hastings College of the Law, Class of 2023
"Law Preview got me ready to hit the ground running. Prior to taking Law Preview, I did not know how to do law school. In the course, I learned the methods I need to use everyday to be successful. I heard many people say they wasted time doing useless things first semester, thanks to Law Preview I avoided this."
Madison L., Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, 2022
"From the very first day of class I felt ahead of the learning curve as far as preparation and study habits goes. The tips from Law Preview were very helpful in establishing a good base for finals preparation and it really showed when exam period came around."
Louis S., Texas A&M University School of Law (formerly Texas Wesleyan University School of Law), Class of 2011
"Law Preview has given me a firm foundation as to how I should approach my classes to do well. After attending LP, I was able to formulate an attack plan for law school such that when school actually started, I felt better prepared."
Anonymous, University of Chicago Law School, Class of 2022
"Law preview gave me the tools and confidence I needed to hit the ground running when school began. It was just like you said, when I was outlining everyone else was still reading, when I was breaking my outline down to something I could internalize, everyone else was outlining. This left me time to take plenty of practice exams and bring my A game during exams. [Ranked #14 out of 150 students]."
Anonymous, Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School, Class of 2013
"Law Preview gave me the tools to succeed from the start. Walking in your first day knowing the material, knowing how to brief, and knowing how to handle the Socratic method is the greatest advantage you could ever give yourself."
Clark D., Campbell University School of Law, Class of 2021
"I was able to get right into briefing cases without having to figure out if I was doing it right or not. I was able to follow along in class because my brief was set up perfectly. Almost all of the cases learned in the class were used during my first semester and it was just a refresher to read them again instead of having to learn them for the first time. Coming into finals week I was more prepared then most other students and I knew exactly what I had to do. [Ranked 20 out of 138.]"
Anonymous, Widener University School of Law, Class of 2012
"Law Preview (LP) gave me the confidence I needed to handle the pressure of the first semester of law school. Using LP’s schedule and techniques for reading and briefing cases made the workload completely managable and the weekly review sessions were critical to retaining the knowledge accumulated throughout the semester."
Anonymous, University of Oklahoma College of Law, Class of 2011
"As the first in my family to attend law school and having grown up with no exposure to the legal world, Law Preview provided the perfect introduction into the start of my legal studies. The combination of classes, workshops, and materials equipped me with the knowledge and proper mindset I needed to begin my first year of law school with confidence and ease. I was able to begin the semester feeling reassured and familiar with the structure and pace. I truly owe the success of my first semester to the headstart this program gave me, and I cannot recommend Law Preview enough for any student about to begin their 1L year! [3.91 GPA and ranked #2 after the first semester]."
Anonymous, University of Houston Law Center, Class of 2023
"Law Preview really gave me a head start on the subject matter as well as some helpful advice on how to navigate law school. Being not only a first-generation law student, but also a first-generation college student, I have often had to figure out higher education on my own. Having the Law Preview experience before beginning my first semester gave me peace of mind and showed me what to look out for in my 1L year and what things I needed to prioritize. This definitely got me off on the right foot and led me to achieve a 4.0 GPA my first semester."
Jared G., American University, Washington College of Law. 2019
"If I hadn’t taken this course I would have been absolutely railroaded by my classes."
Matt E., Stanford Law School, Class of 2021