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 totally changed the trajectory of my 1L year. I felt as if I was light years ahead of my peers from Day 1 because I already knew the basics, and I had even already read, briefed, and discussed many of the cases covered in my classes. The time management, organization, and strategy tips were invaluable and I firmly believe that my first year of law school would have been ten times harder had I not had the privilege of attending a Law Preview course. In the end, I earned a very strong 1L GPA and a coveted journal spot."
Burgandi S., University of Virginia School of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"I didn’t really know what I was getting into during my summer before law school. I read blog posts about case briefs and torts class but everything seemed daunting. Law Preview was a significant reason why I was able to be in the top 1-15% of my class. I am extremely glad I enrolled and I would highly recommend it for incoming law students."
Anonymous, George Washington Univ. School of Law, Class of 2024
"I’m so glad I did the Law Preview course. I was coming into law school after years in the performance arts, and definitely felt out of my depth! This short course really helped me feel more prepared headed into 1L. It also helped me feel like I had a plan of action moving forward. Law school was definitely a very different experience compared to undergrad, and Law Preview provided support so that I knew how to make the most out of my first year right off the bat! [3.71 GPA after first semester]."
Anonymous, Georgetown University Law Center, 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
"It gave me an advantage in preparing for the rigors of law school. Getting practice briefing cases and more importantly reading cases helped me pick out the pertinent rules and reasoning that we were tested on at the conclusion of our classes. . . . The school lists 5% increments for rank and I fell between the 15% and 20%, qualifying for the Dean’s list with a 3.5 GPA."
Anonymous, DePaul University College 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
"I felt more confident starting in the fall and had a better understanding of the material as I progressed through the year. [Ranked top 10% after 1L year]."
Anonymous, American University, Washington College 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
"I think Law Preview helped me most with preparation. I felt much more comfortable going into my first year with a few strategies, some basic comprehension and overall less anxiety about what I was about to face. I can’t say with certainty that it helped my GPA but I do think it helped me feel more confident going into exams and it definitely helped me stay on a schedule. The calendar provided to me was a godsend because I have a lot of trouble setting deadlines for myself and even if I didn’t stick exactly to the calendar I had constant reminders to keep me on track. [3.67 GPA after the first semester]."
Anonymous, Georgetown University Law Center, 2023
"I thought it did come in handy, I was prepared to understand what a brief was, and while I changed it a bit to suit my own style and the professors recommendations, I wasn’t completely in the dark like some people."
Luke W., UIC, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Class of 2012
"Law Preview prepared me to treat law school like a full time job. It also gave me the knowledge that first year grades were the key to success for any one who wants to seek quality employment in the legal field."
Benjamin G., Fordham University School of Law, Class of 2013
"Law Preview helped me feel confident in class, and sure that I knew what I was in for. I do not think I could have achieved an A+ in my contracts class without the help of law preview. Because I knew how to prepare and study for law school before I arrived I was well prepared to take the final that was 100% of my grade."
Anonyomous, University of New Hampshire School of Law, 2022
"I felt as best prepared as I possibly could have been for my first year. I knew what I needed to do to be successful and feel proud of my performance and efforts. It was helpful starting law school with an idea of how to read cases and knowing I needed to outline my courses well before exams. My school does not have rankings, but I know I am towards the top of my class."
Anonymous, CCity University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, Class of 2013
"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
"Looking back after the conclusion of my 1L, I owe much, if not most, of my success to the skills and strategies I learned during Law Preview. The learning curve in law school is very steep, and Law Preview allowed me to enter school immediately prepared; knowing what I had to do to succeed. Following Law Preview’s steps throughout the year, I finished in the top 5% of my class, was admitted to my school’s Law Review and landed a summer associate position at one of the world’s most prestigious law firms. I can’t thank Law Preview enough and think it is an invaluable experience every incoming law student should take part in."
Terrence O., Boston College Law School, 2019
"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
"I got the most from experiencing different professors and from thinking about how I might personally go about analyzing the law. Even though I don’t do everything the way that Law Preview recommended, it was good to have a sense of where to begin. It was a worthwhile investment, even though I go to a school with no grades or rankings."
Anonymous, Northeastern University School of Law, Class of 2013
"The suggestions were really helpful about how to spend breaks and prepare for midterms and finals. The calendar was really useful to see how to spend my time. It was a good feeling to know walking in to school that I had seen some of the cases before and knew how to brief a case."
Jessica R., Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, Class of 2011
"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
"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
"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
"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 thought it was helpful to know in advance what to expect. I really followed the methods taught during Law Preview. I did case briefs for each case we read and did outlines well in advance. I felt like Don exaggerated a lot when he talked about the importance of 1L grades, but looking back, I don’t think it was an exaggeration at all. I excelled in the first year and that helped me to earn several 1L job offers, work as a research assistant for a Duke professor, get an invitation to join the Duke Law Journal, earn a scholarship, and lastly, secure a post-grad clerkship opportunity with a Federal Circuit Court judge in Washington, D.C."
Anonymous, Duke University School of Law, Class of 2022
"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
"Law Preview was an incredible resource that provided me with a real introduction to what law school would be like and what would be covered. I had a better understanding of the material because Law Preview provided a solid foundation for it and as a result, I finished my first semester of law school with excellent grades."
Rosa C., City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, Class of 2023
"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
"Hi Don, I just wanted to let you know I finished strong my first semester. Dean’s List, a 3.4 GPA — all A’s and B’s. Law Preview gave me the confidence I needed going in. I knew what to expect and had a huge advantage because of that. Than you so very much!"
Gayle B., Florida A&M University School of Law, Class of 2013
"I was in the New York Law Preview class last year, and I just wanted to say thank you. I received grades and my rank [#1] within the last month, and I am 100% sure that it was the methods and reassurance that I received from the program that helped me so significantly throughout the school year. Not only did I do extremely well in my first year, I also earned an opportunity to be a summer associate at King & Spalding — the firm that offered me a full-tuition scholarship for the program. I will forever sing the praises of this program."
Valecia B., Howard University School of Law, Class of 2017
"I can’t explain how much I believe this program helped me. Because of my experience at Law Preview, I came into my first term feeling comfortable with the material and hit the ground running. As I met more and more students, I realized that I was so much more ahead of them in terms of preparedness. I followed the schedule that the Law Preview suggested and I felt that its flow helped me to do my daily work, study on the weekends and to manage my time effectively. Many of my friends would come to me seeking advice or help with their briefs because they saw how streamlined my own process was. As the term went on I began to realize week after week how much the program really helped. And as I came into week ten I did not feel as stressed as most students. While they were spending late nights in the library trying to catch up and write their outlines; I was simply reviewing and developing strategies on how to attack my exams. I felt that the study tips and suggestions they gave at the Law Preview not only helped with learning content, but managing the stress of first term. Not that I wasn’t stressed, but I was substantially less freaked out/emotional than many other students. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in going to law school. To put it quite plain, I would call home and tell my parents all the time how thankful I was that I made the decision to attend the Law Preview. [Ranked 51 out of 325]."
Anonymous, Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Class of 2012