Law School Tutoring Forum

[rjh456]

Does anyone know whether law schools offer tutoring to 1L students? Maybe from upperclassmen? In all my time trolling this forum I've never seen anything about that...maybe it wouldn't even be helpful - I'm a 0L so I really don't know. But, it just seems surprising that there aren't tutoring resources at law schools when the first year curriculum is relatively similar for all law students...

[kaiser]

The material and the way it is conveyed doesn't lend itself to tutoring. Every professor is so different that you can't just take anyone who completed Contracts and have them tutor you. You would need someone who has a close familiarity with what your professor wants. Your classmates will be your best resource for "tutoring". Make a study group early on so that you guys can help each other out when you get confused. By learning from each other, you won't need tutoring from someone who isn't even in the class at the time.

[rjh456]

thanks for the response kaiser. i had a feeling that was the reason, but just wanted to make sure.

[CanadianWolf]

Try getting someone else's course outline.
A primary objective of law school is to teach law students how to teach themselves, thus tutoring might be a bit counter-productive.

[Arelikefoxes]

USC does have a tutoring program in which upperclassmen tutor 1Ls.

The material and the way it is conveyed doesn't lend itself to tutoring.

While this is true, the program at USC tends to focus less on the substantive law, and more on general law school test-taking strategy. Those skills are very important, and are not generally not well-addressed in the 1L curriculum. In terms of substantive help, the tutors generally are able to help students in the broad strokes (ie what is negligence?), but necessarily have to give deference to the individual professors. I found the program to be very useful, and I think many others in my class got a lot out of it as well. In nothing else, it is nice to interact with people who have been through the same process you are going through, and can help provide a bit of clarity and perspective.

[catdawg]

My law school had free tutoring from 2Ls and 3Ls who had previously been in the professor's class. They had to regularly meet with the professor and the service was free. Lots of people took advantage of this, not just people who were lost.

[TTH]

My law school had free tutoring from 2Ls and 3Ls who had previously been in the professor's class. They had to regularly meet with the professor and the service was free. Lots of people took advantage of this, not just people who were lost.

Out of curiosity, what was the motivation for the 2Ls and 3Ls doing this? I can't imagine spending my precious free time tutoring 1Ls.

[Arelikefoxes]

My law school had free tutoring from 2Ls and 3Ls who had previously been in the professor's class. They had to regularly meet with the professor and the service was free. Lots of people took advantage of this, not just people who were lost.

Out of curiosity, what was the motivation for the 2Ls and 3Ls doing this? I can't imagine spending my precious free time tutoring 1Ls.

$. Our service is "free" as well to the students who want to use it, but the school pays the tutors. There is a whole formal interview process the school goes through to make sure the tutors were good students, good at teaching, etc.

[random5483]

Many schools offer TA review sessions or other forms of "optional" help. Schools also generally force poor performing 1Ls to take special "academic skills/development/whatever" classes if they do badly the first semester.


I don't know much about either because I did most of my studying by myself. Some people use study groups and find them awesome. I always did better studying alone because otherwise I end up talking too much and getting side tracked. Whatever you do though, make sure you find two or three other capable students to discuss topics with every now and then. I did not have a "study group" but I did talk to a few section mates when I had questions or wanted to clarify something in my head.

[xyzbca]

I tutored 1L's at my school. The school reaches out to upper level students who did well in a given professor's course and asks them to tutor for that course. My school picked two tutors per 1L course offering. The trickiest situation is when one section is being taught by a new professor and there are no upper level students who have had the professor before.

Pay for tutoring was the same as any other student job. Certain rules are in place (I wasn't allowed to handout my outline). IMHO, saying this as somebody who attended the sessions as a 1L and then led them as a tutor, I don't think 1L's take advantage of the service.

ETA: Re: motivation? I wasn't motivated by the money (frankly, I made more in the vacation time I had to take off from work than what the school paid me). I like helping people and it was a neat way to meet 1L's that I wouldn't otherwise have contact with. I was somewhat honored just to be asked (the professor also had to approve of me as a tutor). One added benefit, I strengthened my relationship with the professor. Add in that I performed well in his class and I would feel comfortable asking this prof for a LOR, should the need arise.

[GouldGirl]

I worked with a law school tutor as a 0L over the summer and as a 1L for fall and spring semester. As a result my grades were high and I landed several offers during on campus interviews and I am not working this summer (I am a rising 3L) in BigLaw in LA. My tutor was a graduate of Boalt living in LA. Having had direct experience with my class, professors and their specific exams at USC my tutor was able to give me quite the head start on the material and by the end of summer I had even written a few practice exams. When i started 1L I understood the material with greater ease but most importantly I was able to review practice exams with my professors far in advance of my peers who were in many cases only beginning to outline the course I was already taking practice exams in. The problem is that finding someone who specializes in your specific 1L law school courses is difficult. My tutor only focused on schools in Northern and Southern CA. (i.e. USC, UCLA, Loyola, Hastings, Pepperdine).

[cinephile]

My law school had free tutoring from 2Ls and 3Ls who had previously been in the professor's class. They had to regularly meet with the professor and the service was free. Lots of people took advantage of this, not just people who were lost.

Out of curiosity, what was the motivation for the 2Ls and 3Ls doing this? I can't imagine spending my precious free time tutoring 1Ls.

We have a similar program. Part of the incentive was you can take the student out for lunch or coffee or whatever and the school pays for your meal. Why not take advantage of dinner or whatever on the school's dime?

[truevines]

I wonder whether there's tutoring services for BigLaw associates on writing briefs, conducting trials, DDR, preparing term sheets, negotiation, and rain-making.

[alicrimson]

We have tutoring at my school. It's put on by the law review and upperclassmen who did well in the class tutor. I was in charge of our tutoring program this past year, and most people really liked it. I also tutored Torts and Civil Procedure. I think with tutoring, if your school offers it, that the quality depends on how much time the tutor puts into it and whether they communicate with the professor.

I went to tutoring my first year and found it very helpful for some courses. The material is okay from a substantive point, but if you get someone who made charts or easier way to lay things, they'll help you. Also, the tutors tend to be the type who took tons of practice exams that were graded by the profs. The insight into what the prof is looking for can be extremely helpful.