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 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
"It was good coming into law school with an idea of what to expect. Aside from being familiar with some of the substantive material covered in class first semester, it was helpful knowing what to expect from the law school experience. There were multiple occasions during the semester when I found myself looking back on the notes I had taken at law preview for clarification on different things. All in all Law Preview was a great experience [ranked #25 out of 144 after first semester]."
Anonymous, Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law, Class of 2011
"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 [Law Preview] program allowed me to start law school with a game plan. It helped me to set a weekly schedule, stay disciplined and gain a leg up on my fellow students. I had been out of school for a while before going back to law school, and the Law Preview helped me refresh old, and gain new study skills. We are not ranked after our first semester, but I ended with a 3.81 GPA."
Nicole G., University of Miami School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview gave me the techniques that have allowed me to be successful my first year."
Anonymous, SMU Dedman School of Law, Class of 2021
"Law Preview definitely gave me a heads up on the outlining and legal research part of my school’s curriculum. I am so glad that I attended the legal research and writing day because it helped to cut down on the workload during the semester as I was already somewhat familiar with the process."
Chelsea W., University of Virginia School of Law, Class of 2013
"I am a 1L at UCI Law, I was a student in Law Preview for the online session last year. Guess what? First-semester 1L grades finally posted, and I got a 3.93!!! I really think my time in the Law Preview course was integral to my success. Thanks again for creating such a unique program!"
Patrick R., University of California, Irvine School of Law, Class of 2022
"As I have just gotten back my last grade from my fall exams, I wanted to share with you my deep appreciation for Law Preview. I succeeded this past semester even more then I could have ever imagined: A+ in Torts, A in Crim, A+ on my Property midterm, A+ on my Civ Pro midterm, and an A on both my Legal Writing memos. I remember you mentioned in one of the sessions that we should reach out to you halfway through the year with success stories, so I wanted to do that and to say a HUGE thank you to you and to this awesome program you’ve put together! I can confidently say that I would not have been in this position without seeing the forest through Law Preview. It was such a helpful tool for me that I know put me several steps ahead of my classmates. So thank you so much, and I only hope to continue my success this upcoming semester as well!"
Tal E., Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, 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
"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
"As someone who had been out of school for over 4 years before starting law school, Law Preview was a great mental exercise to get me back into the swing of being a student. More importantly, it gave me a sneak peak on what my 1L readings would look like, and gave me early practice of case-briefing. In addition, I didn’t have any family members who attended law school, and not too many friends either; Barbri resources helped answer questions that I had about 1L, or gave me the footing to figure out which questions to ask in the first place. [3.65 GPA after first semester]"
Anonymous, Boston College Law School, 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
"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
"Law preview helped me hit the ground running with regards to my study schedule and outlining. It also gave me an edge on what to look for when reading a case. I finished my first semester with a 3.628 and an A in our 4 credit Torts class!"
Anonymous, Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Class of 2019
"I really feel like I was more prepared than anyone else in my class. This definitely gave me an edge. After the first year I did so well, I’ll be attending Washington University in St. Louis in the Fall! Thank you Law Preview! =) [Ranked #1 out of 63 students]."
Jonathan S., University of Akron School of Law, Class of 2013 (transferred to Washington University School of Law)
"I honestly believe that without Law Preview, I would not have finished my 1L year in the Top 6% of my class. I was able to hit the ground running while most of my classmates were just trying to not be overwhelmed. The head start Law Preview provides allowed me to earn the highest grade in two classes and a spot on my school’s Law Review."
Caleb T., New England School of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"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 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
"It helped me feel more confident and prepared in starting that that feeling helped me stay a step ahead throughout. After Thanksgiving my peers were freaking out and I kept with my plan of slow and steady. I was really pleased with my performance the first semester. After first semester, I know a few things that I will be changing for the second semester. However, a large percentage of the successful skills I employed first semester, I learned at Law Preview."
Elizabeth P., University of Texas School of Law, Class of 2013
"I had been out of school for 15 years, so LP gave me a good look at what I would be facing as well as techniques for studying and keeping up that I had lost since being out of school. The classes gave me an understanding of each course as whole, which helped a great deal in keeping a big picture in mind once I started law school. I managed to keep my head above the minutae, which is very easy to get lost in. The professors I was lucky enough to get at my LP week were phenomenal and it was so great to be introduced to the law by people who clearly loved what they did. It was not easy. It was one of the most intellectually challenging experiences I’ve ever had, but it made my entry into law school almost seamless and even as I am entering my 2nd semester, I am ever grateful I took it."
Petal H., New York Law School, Class of 2013
"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)
"Since I just received my grades from the first semester yesterday, I do not know what I’m ranked yet, but I did get 3 As and 1 A-!! Law Preview definitely made a huge impression on my law school experience. The most important thing I took out of it was how much Don stressed to us that the 1st year matters the most. I always had that in the back of my mind at all times and that is what kept me going and striving to succeed. While everyone around me I felt complained about how hard it was and basically wanted to give up, I just kept remembering what Don said every day that once you get through the 1st year, the rest is easy! It also made me not want to settle for anything less than a 4.0 and so that’s what I worked toward and I’m extremely pleased that I have no regrets about the effort I put in because I did everything I could have possibly done. . . . I also benefitted from Law Preview in that it stressed the importance of taking note of the things professors said in class that other students would think were trivial because those actually can matter the most and always find their way on the exam. For example, my torts professor mentioned one small detail in class that a certain case (that we were required to look up on our own time) might be on the exam, and I was SO happy i took the time to do that because the facts and issue in that case were EXACTLY the same on the exam and worth 20 essay pts! I really liked all the professors that came and lectured at law preview as well. My favorite was Jody Kraus who taught us Contracts because although he was intimidating at first, that definitely prepared me for some of the professors I had last semester! (I also really appreciated Don telling us to make sure we were well-prepared for that lecture!) Whenever I was called on to recite in class I just kept thinking how Jody told us that even if you’re not sure what you’re talking about, SOUND confident, and that helped a lot. . . . I also really found the schedule Law Preview laid out for us very helpful because I think a lot of people go into law school not knowing what the average time commitment is and I just kept thinking 9 hrs a day and would try to aim for that! In the beginning of school, I was trying to do my homework for class the night before and then I realized that on the schedule we were given it said to do the assignments 2 nights in advance and that definitely was helpful!! Much less stressful that way. . . . More than anything, thank you Law Preview for being my motivation to strive for a 4.0 and constantly remind myself how important the first year grades are!"
Chirstina G., Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Class of 2012
"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
"I think Law Preview helped me most by simply improving my confidence as I entered my 1L year. Granted, we learned a lot within a week’s time, but there was still PLENTY to learn once arriving at school. Where many students were frazzled just getting an idea of what law school was going to take, I had calendars and attack plans to govern how I organized my semester. Therefore, I was able to concentrate on the substantive material while many students were concentrating on how to attack the semester."
Chelsea G., Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Class of 2013
"I think Law Preview really helped give a foundation to what was going on. First semester was a little overwhelming, but it would have been a lot more so if LP hadn’t warmed me up to briefing, some of the material, research, and what to expect."
Jared M., University of Nevada Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law, Class of 2011
"It introduced me material and helped the learning curve on subjects before the first day of class started. It reduced the fear of not knowing the subject material and gave me the confidence knowing I had a plan from the very first day of classes."
Anonymous, Marquette University Law School, 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)
"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 was a great experience that certainly helped me excel in my first semester. My law school does not rank students but I am thrilled (and surprised!) to report I got an A in two out of my three classes – an honor that only goes to the top 5-10% of the class. Law Preview helped me achieve such success by introducing me to the core, fundamental doctrines and important cases that frequently appeared on my final exams."
Anonymous, Columbia University Law School, Class of 2011