Law School Prep Group for Boston Area Forum

[ThePinkRanger]

Hi! I've started a prep group in the Boston area for those attending law school in the fall. I'll post the group description below. If you're interested in attending, PM me and I'll send you the website for how to find and meet us.

Are you planning to attend law school in Fall (or at some point)? Have you read countless stories about the terrors of 1L, about how you know nothing about how to think, and about how no matter how well you've done up until this point, you're bound to feel like a failure come September?

We may have the hardest year of our lives coming up, but that doesn't mean there's nothing we can do to prepare. Texts exist that introduce the fundamentals of legal reasoning, tools for thinking about ambiguous problems, and what you can prepare for (mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually) during the first year. In short, we may not be able to fully understand what we're up against, but we don't have to go in blind. I've started prepping on my own--and I have to say, these texts are pretty engaging and exciting. If someone wants to join, I'm happy for the company. We could also chit chat about the application process, selecting a school, financial aid, career goals, emotional concerns, etc.

Over the next few months, these are the books I will be reading, and some Amazon summary excerpts:

1L of a Ride - McClurg ("1L of a Ride provides a candid step-by-step roadmap to both academic and emotional success in law school's critical first year.")

The Legal Analyst - Farnsworth (Recommended as reading for entering students to U Chicago Law. "There are two kinds of knowledge law school teaches: legal rules on the one hand, and tools for thinking about legal problems on the other...Farnsworth brings together in one place all of the most powerful of those tools for thinking about law.")

Law 101 - Fienman ("Covers all the main subjects taught in the first year of law school...including constitutional law, the litigation process, and criminal, property, and contracts law....a clear and accessible introduction to the American legal system.")

Thinking Like A Lawyer - Schauer ("Primer on legal reasoning aimed at law students and upper-level undergraduates...covers such topics as rules, precedent, authority, analogical reasoning, the common law, statutory interpretation, legal realism, judicial opinions, legal facts, and burden of proof.")

Getting to Maybe - Fischl and Paul ("The book [describes] the difference between educational cultures that praise students for 'right answers,' and the law school culture that rewards nuanced analysis of ambiguous situations in which more than one approach may be correct.")

If anyone decides to join, I will select a text and an excerpt and we can come prepared to work through some of the problems and tools found therein. They aren't as straightforward as they might seem!

[Pulsar]

Oh geez totally unnecessary. Maybe read the first few chapters of "Getting to Maybe" and call it a day. Go do something relaxing/enjoyable/meaningful that has nothing to do with the law during your spare time.

[Clearly]

This is ridiculous and I'd highly recommend against it.

[Chevron Deference]

Just read Getting To Maybe, possibly get LEEWS.

If you really want to gun get Delaney's books.

[romothesavior]

Oh my god. Abort mission, this is a terrible idea.

[Hand]

This sounds fascinating. Can I skype in for it?

[pancakes3]

1) You're taking the professor, not the material and the material isn't that hard. So at best you're merely wasting your time and at worst you completely fuck up whatever takeaway your prof intended by going in with your slanted personal (probably incorrect) interpretation.

2) Reading exam-prep books for a test you're slated to take 11 months from now is again... at best a waste of your time and at worst irreparably tainting your otherwise net-0 interpretation. The advice about arguing forks, making a argument and counterargument, etc. really has no meaning unless you know the black letter law anyway.

So basically this is going to be a guaranteed waste of your time, and quite possibly going to fuck up your future grade.

[ChemEng1642]

Don't listen to the haters!

I'm not in Boston/also lazy but I hope you find people to join your group!

[chuckbass]

Don't listen to the haters!

I'm not in Boston/also lazy but I hope you find people to join your group!

So by don't listen to the haters, you mean don't listen to law students that have actually taken exams?

[pancakes3]

Fine then. Do whatever you want. Read Karl Llewellyn's Bramble Bush too though. In fact, read it first.

[Mal Reynolds]

Hi! I've started a prep group in the Boston area for those attending law school in the fall. I'll post the group description below. If you're interested in attending, PM me and I'll send you the website for how to find and meet us.

Are you planning to attend law school in Fall (or at some point)? Have you read countless stories about the terrors of 1L, about how you know nothing about how to think, and about how no matter how well you've done up until this point, you're bound to feel like a failure come September?

We may have the hardest year of our lives coming up, but that doesn't mean there's nothing we can do to prepare. Texts exist that introduce the fundamentals of legal reasoning, tools for thinking about ambiguous problems, and what you can prepare for (mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually) during the first year. In short, we may not be able to fully understand what we're up against, but we don't have to go in blind. I've started prepping on my own--and I have to say, these texts are pretty engaging and exciting. If someone wants to join, I'm happy for the company. We could also chit chat about the application process, selecting a school, financial aid, career goals, emotional concerns, etc.

Over the next few months, these are the books I will be reading, and some Amazon summary excerpts:

1L of a Ride - McClurg ("1L of a Ride provides a candid step-by-step roadmap to both academic and emotional success in law school's critical first year.")

The Legal Analyst - Farnsworth (Recommended as reading for entering students to U Chicago Law. "There are two kinds of knowledge law school teaches: legal rules on the one hand, and tools for thinking about legal problems on the other...Farnsworth brings together in one place all of the most powerful of those tools for thinking about law.")

Law 101 - Fienman ("Covers all the main subjects taught in the first year of law school...including constitutional law, the litigation process, and criminal, property, and contracts law....a clear and accessible introduction to the American legal system.")

Thinking Like A Lawyer - Schauer ("Primer on legal reasoning aimed at law students and upper-level undergraduates...covers such topics as rules, precedent, authority, analogical reasoning, the common law, statutory interpretation, legal realism, judicial opinions, legal facts, and burden of proof.")

Getting to Maybe - Fischl and Paul ("The book [describes] the difference between educational cultures that praise students for 'right answers,' and the law school culture that rewards nuanced analysis of ambiguous situations in which more than one approach may be correct.")

If anyone decides to join, I will select a text and an excerpt and we can come prepared to work through some of the problems and tools found therein. They aren't as straightforward as they might seem!

QFP

[ChemEng1642]

Don't listen to the haters!

I'm not in Boston/also lazy but I hope you find people to join your group!

So by don't listen to the haters, you mean don't listen to law students that have actually taken exams?

Haha I meant "haters" in more of an endearing/joke-y way (if that makes any sense). OP do what you want is the main message.

I was just surprised by all the negativity for an idea that's not the worst (prepping by reading a million books might be, but getting together to discuss application process, financial aid, alleviate general worries, network etc. is not). OP is probably nervous about law school and is reaching out to other who feel the same way. I don't see the harm in that. Granted reading books and learning the "wrong way" (i.e not the way your professors want) might hurt but I don't think the material absorption is going to be sufficient enough to matter.

[tyrant_flycatcher]

ffs do whatever u want OP -- if that'll make you feel ready, go 4 it

ITT a bunch of people tell OP to stay away from the law during 0L summer . . . even tho i bet all of them pulled biglaw hours on TLS the summer before they started 1L

good luck op

[Mal Reynolds]

ffs do whatever u want OP -- if that'll make you feel ready, go 4 it

ITT a bunch of people tell OP to stay away from the law during 0L summer . . . even tho i bet all of them pulled biglaw hours on TLS the summer before they started 1L

good luck op

I pulled biglaw hours on the golf course the summer before 1L.

[chuckbass]

Don't listen to the haters!

I'm not in Boston/also lazy but I hope you find people to join your group!

So by don't listen to the haters, you mean don't listen to law students that have actually taken exams?

Haha I meant "haters" in more of an endearing/joke-y way (if that makes any sense). OP do what you want is the main message.

I was just surprised by all the negativity for an idea that's not the worst (prepping by reading a million books might be, but getting together to discuss application process, financial aid, alleviate general worries, network etc. is not). OP is probably nervous about law school and is reaching out to other who feel the same way. I don't see the harm in that. Granted reading books and learning the "wrong way" (i.e not the way your professors want) might hurt but I don't think the material absorption is going to be sufficient enough to matter.

Out of what I said, "haters" was irrelevant. What I'm getting at is that the people that are telling OP no are all law students, and maybe you guys should think about that.

[pancakes3]

ffs do whatever u want OP -- if that'll make you feel ready, go 4 it

ITT a bunch of people tell OP to stay away from the law during 0L summer . . . even tho i bet all of them pulled biglaw hours on TLS the summer before they started 1L

good luck op

I pulled biglaw hours on the golf course the summer before 1L.

Or you could have just read about it. It's not too late, you can still fix your game. Let me find you some Amazon summary excerpts.

[ChemEng1642]

Don't listen to the haters!

I'm not in Boston/also lazy but I hope you find people to join your group!

So by don't listen to the haters, you mean don't listen to law students that have actually taken exams?

Haha I meant "haters" in more of an endearing/joke-y way (if that makes any sense). OP do what you want is the main message.

I was just surprised by all the negativity for an idea that's not the worst (prepping by reading a million books might be, but getting together to discuss application process, financial aid, alleviate general worries, network etc. is not). OP is probably nervous about law school and is reaching out to other who feel the same way. I don't see the harm in that. Granted reading books and learning the "wrong way" (i.e not the way your professors want) might hurt but I don't think the material absorption is going to be sufficient enough to matter.

Out of what I said, "haters" was irrelevant. What I'm getting at is that the people that are telling OP no are all law students, and maybe you guys should think about that.

That's fine but being a law student doesn't automatically qualify you to shutdown someone's idea. Only one of the five law students that responded (initially) gave a reason why this was such a terrible idea. Everyone else pretty much said "LOL THAT'S STUPID DON'T DO IT".

[BigZuck]

I think common sense dictates whether this is a stupid idea or not