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 helped introduce me to the subjects that I later encountered during my 1L Fall. The transition to law school was much easier because I had that early exposure to the material."
Anonymous, Yale Law School, Class of 2022
"Law Preview really helped me to understand how to take notes in class and study for finals, which was very different from my undergraduate study methods. As a first-generation student, I had no idea how law school worked or what kinds of things I should get involved in, so Law Preview was immensely helpful."
Anonymous, Yale Law School, Class of 2023
"I am not ranked because I have yet to meet the credit hour threshold for being ranked (I am a part-time student). However, in 3 classes, I’ve managed to secure an A- in legal research and writing, an A- in civil procedure, and a B+ in contracts, amounting to a 3.556 GPA. The most important aspect I could say that I learned from Law Preview is how to brief and to ALWAYS brief your cases. . . . [T]he general discussions about law school (studying strategies, time management, success strategies, etc.) were invaluable."
Robert W., Charleston School of Law, Class of 2011
"Law Preview played an important part in preparing me for my first year of law school. Every Professor and instructor at Law Preview provided insights on the little things that law students should do in order to succeed. Additionally, each Law Preview professor instilled confidence and gave me reassurance that I was doing the right things in order to be prepared come exam time. Law Preview is not just a one week course, but a program that helps each of its students get through their entire first year. With all the tools Law Preview provided, I was able to not only learn the complex material more easily, but also found time to enjoy my first year. No doubt, Law Preview gave me the information and confidence to enter law school knowing I would succeed. [Ranked top 1%-15% after 1L year]."
Anonymous, George Washington University Law School, Class of 2013
"I believe Law Preview gave me that path and plan to attack 1L Fall."
Patrick D., Emory University School of Law, Class of 2022
"The combination of the overviews from law professors preeminent in their fields and honest, practical insights into surviving the first year from recent, successful law school graduates cannot be beaten! . . . I would recommend this program to anyone beginning preparations for law school. When the first semester is underway and you have an immediate grasp of the case method, depth of understanding of your course material, and are effectively managing your time (and your life as a 1L), you’ll be glad you took Law Preview. I’m glad I did."
Jason O., Yale Law School, Class of 2003
"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 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 prepared me for the realities of rigorous first semester. [Ranked 32 out of 147]."
Anonymous, Wake Forest University School of Law, Class of 2012
"It gave me the confidence to approach each class with an open mind and a solid foundation to start with."
Darryl B., New York Law School, Class of 2022
"Law Preview provided a terrific framework for approaching 1L with time-tested study and exam techniques. Don’s particular words, “don’t get outworked,” are part of my daily mantra. I have been laser-focused on my studies and doing everything that I can using the tips and techniques from Law Preview to achieve top marks. Overall, Law Preview cuts through the fat and provides the most essential tips and roadmap for success in 1L and beyond."
Anonymous, Georgetown University Law Center, Class of 2024
"I signed up for Law Preview hoping it would arm me with the tools to be at or slightly above median at Duke. Instead, I finished the year with a 3.89 (#1 in my class) and landed EARLY interviews with EVERY top firm I was interested in. It was a great feeling to be recruited in May after 1L, and to have my pick of firms. Law Preview armed me with tools that put me at a huge advantage coming out of the gates. In particular, Law Preview taught me how to study efficiently — I had time for Netflix, friends, and daily workouts throughout the year because Law Preview taught me how to avoid wasting time. I performed better than people who were smarter and worked harder, and I stayed happy and fit throughout the year. I’m so grateful I signed up for the course, it was definitely a fantastic investment. Now that I am one year into practice at a top tier BigLaw firm, Don continues to be someone I can call on for advice and guidance. Thank you, thank you."
Tanya S. Duke University School of Law, Class of 2019
"I was prepared for the first few weeks of classes and I know what to expect from class. The biggest advantage was that I knew how to outline. The study guides recommended by Law Preview are truly the best ones and I used them a lot. Don Macaulay is wonderful! He is so helpful even after the course is over!"
Anonymous, Duquesne University School of Law, Class of 2012
"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
"I was prepared for the doctrinal exposure. I could see the forest for the trees and knew how to case brief. My class participation boosted my overall grades in part because I case brief consistently as instructed. Overall, very worthwhile experience for an educational journey where so much of the process is not explained by one’s school."
Anonymous, Brooklyn Law School, Class of 2023
"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 helped decrease the nerousness about starting law school because it gave me a good idea of what to expect and how to cope with certain pressures inherent to it."
Anonymous, University of Texas School of Law, Class of 2012
"Law Preview helped me know early on what would be required of me all semester. It provided a familiarity of the subject matter, and gave me important tips on how to approach outlining and studying for exams. I was one of few students who began preparing early, and taking practice tests early, and taking them in to the professors for help, and it really paid off in my final grades."
Tanvi P., DePaul University College of Law, Class of 2011
"After a personal crisis during the middle of finals, my grades still came back the way I wanted them to because Law Preview had me studying throughout the semester, so I already had the knowledge I needed, and the loss of some study time did not cripple me."
Anonymous, Dickinson School of Law , Class of 2022
"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
"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
"By the time I got into classes I already knew how to read an analyze cases. I also knew the basic concepts so I was able to get up to speed about the intricacies introduced in class much faster. Other people struggled with the more complicated concepts, but I had already gone over them once in Law Preview and the second time just helped my clarify my understanding. Learning to brief the cases before starting was helpful because I did not need to spend an inordinate amount of time on each case. I knew what I needed to extract from the cases and had a template in which to place the information. Law preview helps you hit the ground running in your first year."
Anonymous, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Class of 2011
"Very helpful and gave me a much needed head start"
Anonymous, Syracuse University College of Law, Class of 2021
"It was nice to have a preview of the cases that we would read as 1Ls. I had a good idea of what to expect as a first year student before classes started. Every advantage is needed to be successful. You MUST hit the ground running. There are people who have been paralegals, federal investigators, etc. in law school, who have experience others may lack. Law Preview was instrumental in not starting at a disadvantage."
Chris B., Rutgers University School 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
"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
"The week long course provided by Law Preview allowed me a glimpse into the world of being a first year law student. I knew ahead of time who I needed to talk to, when to buy books, what resources to look for, EXACTLY what to expect from class, and how to approach exam preparation."
Douglas H., University of North Carolina School 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
"Law Preview really helped me to find grounding and my bearings before starting law school. My first semester was far more challenging than anything else I have ever done, so knowing what was coming helped me greatly, and having earned a 4.0 has already set up up with great opportunities and a lot less stress! Thank you, Law Preview!"
Anonymous, Northwestern University School of Law, Class of 2021
"Law Preview boosted my confidence going into my 1L year. By the time the first day of classes rolled around, I felt like I already had a big picture idea of each core subject. At the end of 1L, I was invited to serve as an Editor of the Yale Law Journal and as a Submissions Editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation."
Kristin S. Yale Law School, Class of 2022