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.
"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
"Law Preview demystified the 1L experience and allowed me to approach my classes methodically and with confidence. After taking Law Preview, I was already familiar with briefing cases for class, taking effective notes, and most importantly, taking law school exams. While many of my classmates had to spend time figuring these things out, I was able to devote more time to studying. As a result of taking Law Preview, I ended up in the top one-third of my class at a top law school."
Angela N., Boston University School of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"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
"[Law Preview] gave me great confidence going into my exams [ranked #13 out of 231 students]."
Anonymous, Tulane University Law School, Class of 2011
"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
"It improved my preparation and gave me more overall understanding as a first-generation lawyer/student."
Aaron Y., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2022
"I attended the session at the University of Houston Law Center during the summer of 2010. I not only enjoyed the wonderful professors who participated in that session, but I feel that attending Law Preview greatly eased my transition from the working world into the world of a law student. No one among my family or friends is in the legal profession and the only knowledge of law school and the legal field was from television and movies. So after being accepted to law school I began to dread what I had gotten myself into. My Princeton Review LSAT course instructor recommended that I look into the Law Preview program. The program seemed like a God-send for my piece of mind, so I decided to register and give it a shot. The program was all I could have asked for and more. I still use some of the materials we were given during the session and almost all the cases we reviewed have been used during my first year classes. I recommend Law Preview to anyone I meet who is considering attending law school. Washington and Lee doesn’t issue class rank, but I earned a 3.51 GPA during the fall semester and feel even more confident now in the spring semester."
Joshua V., Washington and Lee University School of Law, Class of 2013
"Law Preview provided me with the confidence and routine necessary to succeed my first semester of law school. Prior to the first day of class, I was able to have set in place a reading and study schedule that kept me on top of my assignments. This allowed me to ensure I was learning the material over time and not waiting until the end of the semester to see if I had retained it along the way. Now, I find myself in a great position while applying for summer employment and have received interviews from my top firms."
Reaghan W., University of North Carolina School of Law, Class of 2023
"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
"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
"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
"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’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 believe Law Preview gave me that path and plan to attack 1L Fall."
Patrick D., Emory University School of Law, Class of 2022
"One of the greatest benefits of Law Preview was that it took away the anxiety of the unknown. It set you up for what class experience is like, how to read and brief cases, how to prepare for class, and how to take exams. I believe that the experience was very helpful and put me in the right mindset for the amount of work that was required and that understanding the process and big picture put me at an advantage in the first few weeks. . . . overall my GPA ended up as a 3.4 (placing me on the cusp of the top 10% of the class at a school with a forced median of 2.8)."
Anonymous, Chapman University 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
"Law Preview got me in the mindset to hit the ground running and keep the eye on the big picture."
Anonymous, Fordham University Law School, Class of 2024
"When I entered my first year of law school at The University of Florida School of Law, I was very happy with that opportunity. Although I was an ‘average’ student going in, I ended up doing very well — finishing in the top 2% of my 1L class. The success I enjoyed as a 1L at Florida allowed me to transfer to Harvard Law School, and that’s something that was certainly not an option I had prior to starting school. I definitely think that Law Preview was one of the reasons I did so well my first year. Law Preview gave me a process to follow and an understanding about how to study and absorb the material I’d be learning. In addition, the law professors who teach with Law Preview provided me with an overview of each of my 1L classes, so I had a good understanding about the material I’d cover throughout the year. Finally, learning how to take a law school exam and walk through Law Preview’s exam-taking strategies with a law professor from a top law school was a great opportunity and something that I truly appreciated; I was able to use these strategies many times throughout the first year of law school. I would recommend the Law Preview program to anyone — whether you are planning to go to a small regional school or a large national one. No matter what law school you attend, how well you do during your first year is going to dictate the job opportunities you’ll have in the end, which is why I think this program is really for anybody."
Mike P., University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law, Class of 2011 (transferred to Harvard Law School)
"Law Preview did a good job of hustling its students along the learning curve associated with the transition to the dense material that is law as well as the Socratic Method of teaching. This valuable experience allowed me to focus on the substantive issues in the course earlier than my counterparts."
Joseph L., Rutgers University School of Law, Class of 2013
"Definitely took the edge away. Law Preview helps you to understand the substantive law, but that is not truly its purpose. I feel like it takes the anxiety and the struggle away from the first year of law school. [Ranked top 10% after first semester]."
Anonymous, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Class of 2012
"I would definitely recommend Law Preview to any incoming 1L. I found the subject lessons to be extremely helpful and many of the cases in the Law Preview book were also in most of the school casebooks. I also benefited greatly from the advice Law Preview gives about how to brief, study, and manage time. The continuing emails I received from Don were also very helpful and encouraging. I believe the program is very worth taking. After my first semester I earned a 3.75/4.0 GPA."
Anna K., University of Miami School of Law, Class of 2013
"Before starting law school I had no idea what a case brief was or what to expect in law school. After taking the Law Preview course all of my anxieties were gone and I was confident that I could excel in law school. The recommended reading and outlining schedule helped me organize my time (which is one of the hardest things to master during your 1L year) and the e-mail reminders throughout the year gave me the guidance I needed to put my best foot forward in law school. Furthermore, the hornbooks I received from the program helped me master my 1L classes. My high grades from 1L year were undoubtedly influenced by my experience in the Law Preview course and I would definitely recommend that prospective law students take this course."
Camilla G., University of Pennsylvania Law School, Class of 2013
"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 helped me feel more confident beginning law school, making the transition much smoother [ranked #20 out of 200 after first semester]!"
Anonymous, University of Southern California Law School, Class of 2011
"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
"Law Preview taught me the habits that I used to succeed during my first semester of law school. Had it not been for the class, I would not have understood the importance of briefing cases, integrating my notes from class with my initial notes, and outlining, and how these practices impact performance on the final exam. Because I knew how imperative it was to discipline myself into practicing these strategies on a daily basis, I was able to stick to an efficient schedule that ultimately produced successful results."
Monica C. Georgetown University Law Center, Class of 2021
"Law Preview allowed me to get a head start during my first year of law school. It was extremely helpful during midterms and finals. All of the available study aids helped me get a better understanding of each course."
Maria H., Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, Class of 2022
"Law Preview allowed me to get a head start during my first year of law school. It was extremely helpful during midterms and finals. All of the available study aids helped me get a better understanding of each course. [3.93 GPA after first semester]."
Anonymous, Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, Class of 2020
"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