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I've read quite a few posts on TLS that law school is a lot of reading. I can understand that it's not just like reading the daily news. In hopes to get a head start, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on reading materials? Like Wall Street Journal or NewYorker? I want to start getting into some more dense reading to prep myself. Honestly, I love to read, but I'm the slower reader and want to work on one of my weaknesses now before fall.

Economist is what everyone says around here... its decent and interesting imo

wardy007 wrote:I've read quite a few posts on TLS that law school is a lot of reading. I can understand that it's not just like reading the daily news. In hopes to get a head start, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on reading materials? Like Wall Street Journal or NewYorker? I want to start getting into some more dense reading to prep myself. Honestly, I love to read, but I'm the slower reader and want to work on one of my weaknesses now before fall.

http://www.yourbabycanread.com/

I just bought "one L" by Scott Turow.. Plan on reading it over the break and have only heard good things, although it's not along the same lines of the economist

You're gonna want to go ahead and buy all your school's first year casebooks (new, this is important, they must be new) and just pick random cases to read. This will both allow you to preview the type of "dense" law reading and it will enable you actually learn the law. Thus ensuring a finish in the top of your class!

Seriously, maybe the WSJ? Or just relax, you'll be fine.

I recently had a friend (1L at CLS) recommend brushing up on formal logic. Waste of time, or worth it?

Buy some supplements or hornbooks and work your way through them before law school. That'll be a lot more useful than reading random articles just for the sake of increasing your reading comprehension ability.

nightman09 wrote:I recently had a friend (1L at CLS) recommend brushing up on formal logic. Waste of time, or worth it?

Waste of time.

You should brush up on the landmark SCOTUS decisions

Nothing. You'll read enough in law school.

Charles Barkley wrote:Nothing. You'll read enough in law school.

lol. i have heard from friends that it "ruined reading" for them for a while after they graduated..

I'm reading 1L of a ride and the news. That is all.

hoopsguy6 wrote:Buy some supplements or hornbooks and work your way through them before law school. That'll be a lot more useful than reading random articles just for the sake of increasing your reading comprehension ability.

Could someone explain what these hornbooks are and which/from where an 0L might purchase?

Thanks@

I bought and am reading examples and explanations: torts, contracts, constitutional etc.
crazy?
Even so, it's not detrimental in any way, right?

2Serious4Numbers wrote:I just bought "one L" by Scott Turow.. Plan on reading it over the break and have only heard good things, although it's not along the same lines of the economist

That book made me want to hunt him down and punch him in his whiny face.

s0ph1e2007 wrote:I bought and am reading examples and explanations: torts, contracts, constitutional etc.
crazy?
Even so, it's not detrimental in any way, right?

It's crazy, and you could be loading yourself up with stuff the professor will never touch on.





OP, and everyone else - if you enjoy reading, just read something you enjoy. I highly recommend the Game Of Thrones or Harry Bosch series.

About midway through the semester, read Getting To Maybe.

do not read anything in preparation for law school with the hope that the reading will ultimately aid you in getting better grades. waste of time. read if you want to. if not, just relax. you'll get the hang of it.

as to hornbooks/supplements. if you feel like you don't understand the material, buy the e&e. they are easy reads and have good examples to test your knowledge. but they're expensive and generally not worth it if you feel good about the subject. definitely buy the siegels books b/c the stuff you see on exam day will probably be most comparable to the practice questions in those books. and for civ pro, buy the freer supplement. it is solid gold.

Doesn't everyone always say to read "Getting to Maybe"?

Also, what about Chemerinsky's "Constitutional Law"? I was gonna get that just for the hell of it really. I've got 8 months off.

2011Law wrote:Doesn't everyone always say to read "Getting to Maybe"?

There's probably a reason for that.

However, it will make much more sense midway through the semester than before you start.

s0ph1e2007 wrote:I bought and am reading examples and explanations: torts, contracts, constitutional etc.
crazy?
Even so, it's not detrimental in any way, right?

it's not crazy, but it is foolish. there are much better things to do w/ your time. learning the BLL will be helpful in the month before your exam. but in the meantime it's MUCH (can't emphasize this enough) more beneficial to get to know how your prof thinks. also, as another poster mentioned, you might waste your time reading stuff you don't even need to know. example- in torts, we spent maybe a day on trespass to chattels, and we didn't even cover defamation. but we spent over a week on contribution/comparative fault. this was a judgment call on the part of the prof. there is a ton of material on defamation in some of those supplements, and i never had to waste my time looking at it.

plus, trust me, you think you understand what you're reading, but you probably don't. no offense intended. it's just hard to get. wait for school and struggle with everyone else. you'll be better for it on exam day.

I recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Job-Novel-C ... 0060590270

Really fun read. Sympathetic protagonist, quirky but not-over-complicated plot, interesting characters. Good prep for law school.

Atlas Shrugged

ahduth wrote:I recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Job-Novel-C ... 0060590270

Really fun read. Sympathetic protagonist, quirky but not-over-complicated plot, interesting characters. Good prep for law school.

Anything by Moore is worth it. He's awesome.

I have the same question as OP. One person told me that learning to speed read would be helpful in law school. I downloaded a speed reading software program and have seen dramatic improvements in my speed.

amonynous_ivdinidual wrote:do not read anything in preparation for law school with the hope that the reading will ultimately aid you in getting better grades. waste of time. read if you want to. if not, just relax. you'll get the hang of it.

This is a joke right?

if you think it's a joke, you're a 0L. i will say it again- learn the material the way YOUR PROFESSOR TEACHES IT. that is how you get good grades. BLL is part of it. but your understanding of the BLL will be woefully limited prior to law school. reading big heavy books will not get you better prepared for it. in all honesty. just relax. speed reading? i guess maybe that's helpful, but once you get the hang of reading cases you won't find yourself agonizing over every last word. 90 pct of decisions you read will be dross. 10 pct will be important.