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My cousin has offered to donate all of his law school textbooks to me, and I'm thinking about reading most/all of them before I start in the fall. I may not go to the same school he went to, so is this a good idea or am I wasting my time?

Wasting your time. By the time your first semester exams begin, you will have forgotten everything that happened in the first month of law school, better yet, the summer before law school.

You will have enough time when law school begins to figure everything out. The only prep I would suggest is somewhat going through exam tips. You will not fully know what they're talking about, but at least you'll get your feet wet.

Waste of time. The law changes constantly. What you'd read now will be totally different one or more years from now.

I know that its hard to believe, but it REALLY wont help you at all.

HTH

MrKappus wrote:Waste of time. The law changes constantly. What you'd read now will be totally different one or more years from now.

You're right that it's a total waste of time but this has to be the worst reason you can present.

RVP11 wrote:

MrKappus wrote:Waste of time. The law changes constantly. What you'd read now will be totally different one or more years from now.

You're right that it's a total waste of time but this has to be the worst reason you can present.

I was being sarcastic. That would indeed be a very stupid reason not to pre-study.

RVP11 wrote:

MrKappus wrote:Waste of time. The law changes constantly. What you'd read now will be totally different one or more years from now.

You're right that it's a total waste of time but this has to be the worst reason you can present.

+1, wtf kind of reason is that

Teoeo wrote:

RVP11 wrote:

MrKappus wrote:Waste of time. The law changes constantly. What you'd read now will be totally different one or more years from now.

You're right that it's a total waste of time but this has to be the worst reason you can present.

+1, wtf kind of reason is that

Yea he must be a racist. Oh wait, I was being sarcastic

Not a good idea at all. The mindless mass of kids who think they are getting ahead will try and do it anyway. Don't fall into that trap. Seriously. There are a bunch of things you can and should do prior to law school. I'll let you do some searching through the forums to find out what they are. But I'll tell you now that studying for law school is not one of them.

Let me add that I have a job that has me sitting on my ass doing nothing for most of the time. I figured I'd get some law school prep in during that time

well-hello-there wrote:http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=141126

ty

URMdan wrote:Let me add that I have a job that has me sitting on my ass doing nothing for most of the time. I figured I'd get some law school prep in during that time

Again, there are many ways in which you can use that time productively to get a leg up. But you are going down the wrong path if you think reading those books will help you. You would be blowing your chance to honestly get ahead.

dakatz wrote:

URMdan wrote:Let me add that I have a job that has me sitting on my ass doing nothing for most of the time. I figured I'd get some law school prep in during that time

Again, there are many ways in which you can use that time productively to get a leg up. But you are going down the wrong path if you think reading those books will help you. You would be blowing your chance to honestly get ahead.

To honestly get ahead?

URMdan wrote:

dakatz wrote:

URMdan wrote:Let me add that I have a job that has me sitting on my ass doing nothing for most of the time. I figured I'd get some law school prep in during that time

Again, there are many ways in which you can use that time productively to get a leg up. But you are going down the wrong path if you think reading those books will help you. You would be blowing your chance to honestly get ahead.

To honestly get ahead?

Yep. I don't at all deny that there are certain things people can do beforehand that would give them a leg up come the beginning of law school. Trouble is, they aren't the most obvious things to do in preparation for school. I'm not claiming to be any smarter than you or anyone else who was in your situation. I immediately thought to read through textbooks and supplements as a way of getting ahead. It doesn't help. At the same time, a select few people who are now my classmates went against the grain and did some things that could actually give them a leg up. I'll give you a few examples. Do as much reading and research as you can about law school exams. You have no idea how many law school students don't realize until the last minute the beasts they are about to encounter and how unprepared they are. Pick up a copy of Getting to Maybe or a book of that sort. This reading will serve you far better than any law school casebook or supplement.

Spruce up your resume. Type up some sample cover letters so you have a solid template to work with. This will save you invaluable time during finals. Practice your typing skills and see how much you can improve. Exams can be a huge time-crunch and typing skills are essential. The better you get, the better off you will be. Do some computer research to find lawyers who work in the field you wish you enter, or who go to the school you will be attending. You would be surprised how many would be happy to chat with you if you contact them. This networking can be incredibly helpful come job-search time.

Do you understand now what I mean about honestly getting ahead? These are things that very few incoming students will think to do and will give you a lasting leg up. Compare that to reading textbooks and supplements. Any advantage you get is gone come exam-time. You thus gain no benefit. I'm all about utility, and I'd definitely try and maximize it. Good luck.

Don't read stuff before you get a reading assignment. You have no idea what the professor will want you to read, and reading on your own is more likely to be harmful than helpful.

The only exception I might consider is the Civ Pro E&E. The material for CP varies little, school to school, and it's kind of fun to do some light "law" reading before 1L.

dakatz wrote:Yep. I don't at all deny that there are certain things people can do beforehand that would give them a leg up come the beginning of law school. Trouble is, they aren't the most obvious things to do in preparation for school. I'm not claiming to be any smarter than you or anyone else who was in your situation. I immediately thought to read through textbooks and supplements as a way of getting ahead. It doesn't help. At the same time, a select few people who are now my classmates went against the grain and did some things that could actually give them a leg up. I'll give you a few examples. Do as much reading and research as you can about law school exams. You have no idea how many law school students don't realize until the last minute the beasts they are about to encounter and how unprepared they are. Pick up a copy of Getting to Maybe or a book of that sort. This reading will serve you far better than any law school casebook or supplement.

Spruce up your resume. Type up some sample cover letters so you have a solid template to work with. This will save you invaluable time during finals. Practice your typing skills and see how much you can improve. Exams can be a huge time-crunch and typing skills are essential. The better you get, the better off you will be. Do some computer research to find lawyers who work in the field you wish you enter, or who go to the school you will be attending. You would be surprised how many would be happy to chat with you if you contact them. This networking can be incredibly helpful come job-search time.

Do you understand now what I mean about honestly getting ahead? These are things that very few incoming students will think to do and will give you a lasting leg up. Compare that to reading textbooks and supplements. Any advantage you get is gone come exam-time. You thus gain no benefit. I'm all about utility, and I'd definitely try and maximize it. Good luck.

I've done resume garbage because I've been bored. Networked with UG alums for advice, etc (always beneficial regardless of the job impact imo.) I'll probably do Getting to Maybe for funz before LS (and then review again before semester) and then a LEEWS course.

Currently reading On War by Clausewitz, because I'm a Sun Tzu enthusiast. At least it gives me something to do before I /killself at my current job.

URMdan wrote:Let me add that I have a job that has me sitting on my ass doing nothing for most of the time. I figured I'd get some law school prep in during that time

Based on your other thread, you should probably use this time to study for an LSAT retake.

berkeleykel06 wrote:

URMdan wrote:Let me add that I have a job that has me sitting on my ass doing nothing for most of the time. I figured I'd get some law school prep in during that time

Based on your other thread, you should probably use this time to study for an LSAT retake.

hahahha - harsh.

If you really want to study the law before law school, buy supplements and read them. reading law school casebooks will accomplish two things: 1) Teach you nothing and 2) Give you a headache.

However, I would highly recommend you take it easy. If you have the next 6 months or more off get a job (if you need money) or travel. I resigned from work 2 months before law school began so that I could relax, play some PS3, socialize, etc. You want to be refreshed and ready to tackle law school.

I read "Getting to Maybe" prior to law school. I found it an interesting read. Additional preparation is not required.