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.
"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
"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 drilled into me the fact that grades are the most important thing the first semester–otherwise, I would have been lured into all kinds of activities that were advertised by the school. I’m so glad I didn’t–truly, grades are the only things employers seem to care about when it comes to the first semester. I also appreciated Don Macaulay’s lectures–they were super entertaining and all the study skills he shared came in very handy to me. I have a young child, so I didn’t quite ever do 12 hours a day, but I probably did study 8-10 hours every day because Don scared me into believing I wouldn’t be successful without spending those kinds of hours. And he was right! [4.3 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Santa Clara University School of Law, Class of 2023
"Wow! What a great investment! Law Preview put me ahead of the game from the very beginning. It helped show me what law school is really about and helped to settle my nerves. I was able to hit the ground running on day one while others were wondering what was going on. I highly recommend Law Preview for anyone. The Law Preview instructors were amazing! It was worth every penny!"
Joseph V., Faulkner University – Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, Class of 2012
"The experience allowed me to start my 1L year with more direction and confidence."
Anonymous, Cornell University Law School, Class of 2023
"If I hadn’t taken this course I would have been absolutely railroaded by my classes."
Matt E., Stanford Law School, Class of 2021
"Taking Law Preview not only gave me a great introduction to the basic first year law courses, it also gave me a realistic perspective of the kind of work that is required to finish in the top 10% of my class. I was able to land a job with a large firm after my first year and am currently preparing myself for a very successful career in law."
Kevin K., University of Akron School of Law, Class of 2011
"I was able to achieve a 3.9 GPA during my first semester, and I was even asked to serve as a TA by one of my professors. I believe that my Law Preview course definitely contributed to my academic success so far, and I plan to continue applying Law Preview strategies for the rest of my law school career. I think the most important thing that helped me was being consistent about working hard throughout the semester. Law Preview’s email reminders and tips throughout the fall semester really helped keep me on track."
Anonymous, Columbia University Law School, 2019
"Law Preview was awesome! I learned how to prepare for class, study for exams, and take exams. The semester calendar was invaluable."
Anonymous, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview prepared me to excel in my first semester. I have my undergraduate degree in nursing. Nursing school and law school are nothing alike. Had I not completed the Law Preview course I know I would have spent the first 8 to 10 weeks figuring out what was going on and trying to understand what the professors were talking about. Knowing in advance what a case brief was, how to complete one, how to immediately begin outlining each of my classes, and other basics of how material is presented in law school helped me tremendously. I felt much more confident in myself and my grades were definitely higher than what they would have been without Law Preview."
Natalia S., Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Class of 2022
"Law Preview prepared me to hit the ground running on Day 1 of law school and score in the top 10% of my class for the first semester. I am thankful that my school secured vouchers for 1L students, and I think every school should do the same."
Patrick R., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2023
"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
"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 entirely credit Law Preview with my success this semester. I came into the week-long class with no idea of what law school really was and more importantly for my GPA, what law professors really wanted. Law Preview gave me a road map of how to succeed. I closely followed their advice and have two A’s and an A- to show for it. Next semester, I plan to continue my regimen from the fall while also signing up for the online exam review through Law Preview. I really can’t say enough good things about this program and I’ve been encouraging all my law school bound friends to sign up."
Emily W., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Yeshiva University, Class of 2013
"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 and eliminated many of my pre-law school anxiety, exposed me to several cases we studied, and gave me an overview of subjects that allowed me to start with a big picture understanding. [Ranked 6 out of 223]."
Anonymous, Oklahoma City University School of Law, Class of 2012
"It gave me a more comfortable sense of what law school was going to be like. The lectures on how to prepare and what not to get caught up in and waste time with really kept me focused on the task at hand, which was getting good grades. I was in the top 16% of my class this first semester and at least some of that work has to be attributed from some of the stuff I gained from Law Preview. The exam taking strategies and writing skills helped as well."
Anonymous, St. John’s University School of Law, Class of 2011
"Great overview of the subject matter covered. Also instilled in me an internal clock/checklist so that I had a sense of where I needed to be–in terms of final exam preparation– during the course of the semester."
Anonymous, Notre Dame Law School, Class of 2012
"My Law Preview experienced allowed me to in general be ahead of everyone else in school. I was able to brief cases and outline a lot sooner than most of my classmates which left me a lot of time during finals to concentrate on studying instead of creating study aids, such as outlines. I also learned how to write an exam from law preview, so I was able to feel confident taking practice exams and my actual exams knowing that I wrote an exam the way my law school professors wanted me to."
Gabriela S., Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Class of 2013
"I felt that it prepared me to know what was coming at me in the fall semester. I had a good understanding of the timelines and the dates that I needed to schedule for myself in order to be successful in my first semester."
Anonymous, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, Class of 2021
"Law Preview really helped put into perspective what the first semester of law school would be like. The substantive overview of each core first year class really prevented me from feeling lost or overwhelmed, the study calendar helped me know when and how to study, and the materials on exam writing are absolutely invaluable. Law Preview is the difference between drowning and succeeding your first semester."
Amelia D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Class of 2012
"Law Preview gave me both an introduction and an overview of all my first year courses that proved a strong foundation for the success I achieved."
David P., Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Class of 2021
"Law Preview gave me everything I needed to succeed academically during 1L and throughout law school. Because of this academic foundation, I was able to work in large firms both 1L and 2L summer (which led to post-graduate employment), and interview for judicial clerkships. The legal research and writing aspect of Law Preview helped me to become a journal board member and to publish an article. It was also amazing to have a network of other Law Preview students to connect with at the early stages. Looking back, my law school experience gave me everything I could have hoped for personally and professionally and it’s all thanks to Law Preview. Thank you Don for creating this amazing program!"
Jo G., Washington University School of Law, Class of 2021
"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
"Helped me understand what i was in for, what was expected of me, how to best outline and when to start in the semester so I got it done early. [3.68 GPA after first semester]."
Anonymous, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Yeshiva University, Class of 2023
"I was out of school for several years before returning to law school. Law Preview helped me get back into the student mindset and helped prepare me for what to expect in the law school classroom."
Anonymous, Yale Law School, Class of 2012
"Law Preview really prepared me for the the rigors of my first semester of law school. Not only was I presented with an excellent overview of the main topics covered during my first year, I was also presented with a realistic view of the workload and what it would truly take to be a successful 1L student. Law Preview really reduced the anxiety I had about law school and I feel that the class enabled me to maintain a cool head during the more stressful points in my fall semester. I attribute much of my successful first semester to this class."
Meredith G., Seton Hall University School of Law, Class of 2021
"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
"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
"Most importantly, Law Preview helped me understand what to expect. This, I think, is the most helpful part of Law Preview. As LP alums, we had a head start in having seen and heard terms that our classmates didn’t. We had the benefit of knowing not only what a case brief was, for example, but how to write one up."
Jonathan W., New York Law School, Class of 2011