New Logic Games Book Forum

[McBrunson]

Was browsing Amazon and saw that a new logic games book was released a couple of weeks ago.
It's titled- LSAT Logic Games: Everything You Need to Know by Brad Leutwyler.
Does anyone know anything about the book or its author?

[Jeffort]

I suggest you analyze the amazon book description like you do flawed LR arguments, rate the quality of the authors logic in his description and use that as an indication of the quality of the prep advice given that LSAT prep is all about learning how to tell the difference between good vs bad logic.

[Clyde Frog]

.

[Jeffort]

The testimonials are obviously shills given that no LSAT scores have been released since long before the book was published, making the first testimonial require a time machine to be true.

[Clyde Frog]

.

[BradLeutwyler]

Hi! I am the author of this book and I came to answer questions, clear up concerns and explain things.

First, I did teach for Kaplan for almost a decade and was rated the best teacher in their global operation, which means JACK SQUAT. They were doing things grossly incompletely and they were ripping people off. I decided to (1) spend several years developing a method that does EXACTLY what students need (get into school with 160+ skills), (2) is very cheap and (3) prepares them for actual legal thinking.

Second, to that end, I started Test Mentors. I designed courses and taught material not as a business, but as a lab for getting at the heart of HOW the average student thinks and HOW to teach the material in ways that they actually grasp and can use (which is what you have to do in law school). After a few years of development, I began writing the books. This book is the result of the Logic Games part.

Third, as to the issue of self-promotion, I have no idea what you mean. I do want to promote the book because I have tremendous guilt over my years at Kaplan. Their objective is to (a) separate people from their money and (b) make you feel like you are satisfied. They do both well. SADLY, MOST people FEEL great about the fact that Kaplan helped them get a 154 and that they were accepted into law school. It is only five to ten years later that they realize that Kaplan SCREWED them. JUST GETTING IN means that they had to borrow a butt-load of money and that they are mediocre in school because they do not have 160+ skills. That means that they cannot get jobs, or if they do, the jobs are crappy. Notice how the rise in law school population and unemployed lawyer population coincides with Kaplan's trajectory? It is no accident. LAW SCHOOLS NEED 154 people to borrow money to pay for the scholarships for the 160+ people. Law schools do not care about you, they care about the money and their precious "U.S. News" ranking (based in part on the average LSAT score of their students, which is boosted by giving scholarships to the 160+ kids and SCREWING the 152's). I was a trial lawyer for a decade and I NEVER lost a trial. WHY? Not because I was awesome. It was because nearly EVERYONE ELSE I was up against had 152 skills. I constantly tricked other lawyers by making specious arguments, knowing that they lacked the skills to follow real logic. THE SYSTEM IS OVERLOADED WITH CRAPPY LAWYERS. This is my give-back to the system. NOBODY should win as many times as I did in the way that I did. It undermines the entire system. IF I was self-promoting, I would be charging $49.95 for the book AND dumping tons of money into advertising AND put my face on the cover etc. THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. It is about making the SYSTEM better by making YOU better (because you are going to be a lawyer, then a city councilperson or mayor or legislator or representative or senator.... YOU WILL BE THE SYSTEM AND I DO NOT WANT YOU SCREWING IT UP WORSE THAN THE IDIOTS WHO CAME BEFORE YOU DID.

So yes, I want you to go to law school. I want you to learn EVERYTHING in this book. I want you to get a full scholarship (LIKE EVERY ONE OF MY STUDENTS FROM TEST MENTORS DOES). I teach you fully and properly everything you need to hit 180. No "stratosphere" bullS*#t for extra money.

AS TO THE QUOTES AND REVIEWS: Yes, the quotes are all from my LSAT students. You can talk to ANY of my kids and they will ALL tell you the same thing. They get in, they get money to pay for it, they are at the top of their respective classes (to 15%), they are on law review etc. and they all have good jobs after graduation and they have little to no law school debt (so if they hate being lawyers, they can quit and not be Kaplan-based indentured law slaves). As for the "rate my professor" thing, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SMART. Those web sites are just self-selecting samples. I have the reputation at UNLV as the HARDEST professor. Why? I DEMAND THAT YOU WORK HARD AND LEARN THINGS. At a university that is a party school, of course I piss people off. In the last decade, I have had exactly THREE athletes in my classes (I teach about 450 a year, so that is 4,500-ish total) because they all know that you cannot skate for a "C". So lots of my philosophy students who fail go there to bitch. They clearly learned NOTHING from me, which is not my problem: I spend an average of 15 EXTRA, UNPAID HOURS per week tutoring and helping those who are here to learn. I am a descent teacher, not a magician. If they don't try, it is not my fault. The world needs morons to buy ShamWows.

My email address is lordleut@unlv.nevada.edu. I am not inaccessible and I will help anyone, even those that are not my students. I believe the SYSTEM is broken and can only be fixed by flooding it with an army of very competent people (and yes, I stole the "Dumbledore's Army concept...Sue me, J.K. Rowling...like you need another ivory back scratcher).. REMEMBER - Your LSAT score reflects your SKILLS. Even if you get in with a 152, you LACK THE SKILLS to be at the top, and that does not bode well for your future.

PS - If you are ever going to accuse me of doing something inappropriate or shady, (a) I am an ex-lawyer who will not sue you for it because wimps who can't take a punch need to be weeded out of the gene pool and (b) have the balls and the courtesy to say it to my face (or to my email) and STAND UP FOR YOURSELF by using your real name. The legal world is full of pussies and cowards. Don't become one yourself. Direct contact leads to better understanding and actual solutions. If I have made a mistake, I can admit it and fix it. If Palestinians and Israelis could all go ice skating together and talk, there would be peace in the holy land for the first time. Finally, if any of this offended you, (a) sorry (b) take it for what it is (a blunt, honest explanation, ham fisted though it may be in places) and (c) grow a pair. Law is brutal. You cannot be hyper-sensitive to every little thing your brain can contort into "possibly offensive." NOTHING here was intended to be anything but the constructive, honest truth. Also, nothing here comes close to the NICEST slight to be delivered to you on day one by a lawyer who is less than you. Try to interpret everything as if it were INTENDED to be nice. If you try to see things as negative, they will be. Peace out. Word to your mother.

PPS - I am developing an on-line LSAT program that should DESTROY Kaplan by making a 180 LSAT course available for $99.00. I will not get rich doing this, and SOMEONE, somewhere will be really pissed off. Sucks being them.

[WaltGrace83]

I don't know if I agree with EVERYTHING you said but I like your mentality. Kudos. I hope that you get some fulfillment out of what you do. *not being sarcastic*

[BradLeutwyler]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, WaltGrace83!

[manillabay]

Hi! I am the author of this book and I came to answer questions, clear up concerns and explain things.

First, I did teach for Kaplan for almost a decade and was rated the best teacher in their global operation, which means JACK SQUAT. They were doing things grossly incompletely and they were ripping people off. I decided to (1) spend several years developing a method that does EXACTLY what students need (get into school with 160+ skills), (2) is very cheap and (3) prepares them for actual legal thinking.

Second, to that end, I started Test Mentors. I designed courses and taught material not as a business, but as a lab for getting at the heart of HOW the average student thinks and HOW to teach the material in ways that they actually grasp and can use (which is what you have to do in law school). After a few years of development, I began writing the books. This book is the result of the Logic Games part.

Third, as to the issue of self-promotion, I have no idea what you mean. I do want to promote the book because I have tremendous guilt over my years at Kaplan. Their objective is to (a) separate people from their money and (b) make you feel like you are satisfied. They do both well. SADLY, MOST people FEEL great about the fact that Kaplan helped them get a 154 and that they were accepted into law school. It is only five to ten years later that they realize that Kaplan SCREWED them. JUST GETTING IN means that they had to borrow a butt-load of money and that they are mediocre in school because they do not have 160+ skills. That means that they cannot get jobs, or if they do, the jobs are crappy. Notice how the rise in law school population and unemployed lawyer population coincides with Kaplan's trajectory? It is no accident. LAW SCHOOLS NEED 154 people to borrow money to pay for the scholarships for the 160+ people. Law schools do not care about you, they care about the money and their precious "U.S. News" ranking (based in part on the average LSAT score of their students, which is boosted by giving scholarships to the 160+ kids and SCREWING the 152's). I was a trial lawyer for a decade and I NEVER lost a trial. WHY? Not because I was awesome. It was because nearly EVERYONE ELSE I was up against had 152 skills. I constantly tricked other lawyers by making specious arguments, knowing that they lacked the skills to follow real logic. THE SYSTEM IS OVERLOADED WITH CRAPPY LAWYERS. This is my give-back to the system. NOBODY should win as many times as I did in the way that I did. It undermines the entire system. IF I was self-promoting, I would be charging $49.95 for the book AND dumping tons of money into advertising AND put my face on the cover etc. THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. It is about making the SYSTEM better by making YOU better (because you are going to be a lawyer, then a city councilperson or mayor or legislator or representative or senator.... YOU WILL BE THE SYSTEM AND I DO NOT WANT YOU SCREWING IT UP WORSE THAN THE IDIOTS WHO CAME BEFORE YOU DID.

So yes, I want you to go to law school. I want you to learn EVERYTHING in this book. I want you to get a full scholarship (LIKE EVERY ONE OF MY STUDENTS FROM TEST MENTORS DOES). I teach you fully and properly everything you need to hit 180. No "stratosphere" bullS*#t for extra money.

AS TO THE QUOTES AND REVIEWS: Yes, the quotes are all from my LSAT students. You can talk to ANY of my kids and they will ALL tell you the same thing. They get in, they get money to pay for it, they are at the top of their respective classes (to 15%), they are on law review etc. and they all have good jobs after graduation and they have little to no law school debt (so if they hate being lawyers, they can quit and not be Kaplan-based indentured law slaves). As for the "rate my professor" thing, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SMART. Those web sites are just self-selecting samples. I have the reputation at UNLV as the HARDEST professor. Why? I DEMAND THAT YOU WORK HARD AND LEARN THINGS. At a university that is a party school, of course I piss people off. In the last decade, I have had exactly THREE athletes in my classes (I teach about 450 a year, so that is 4,500-ish total) because they all know that you cannot skate for a "C". So lots of my philosophy students who fail go there to bitch. They clearly learned NOTHING from me, which is not my problem: I spend an average of 15 EXTRA, UNPAID HOURS per week tutoring and helping those who are here to learn. I am a descent teacher, not a magician. If they don't try, it is not my fault. The world needs morons to buy ShamWows.

My email address is lordleut@unlv.nevada.edu. I am not inaccessible and I will help anyone, even those that are not my students. I believe the SYSTEM is broken and can only be fixed by flooding it with an army of very competent people (and yes, I stole the "Dumbledore's Army concept...Sue me, J.K. Rowling...like you need another ivory back scratcher).. REMEMBER - Your LSAT score reflects your SKILLS. Even if you get in with a 152, you LACK THE SKILLS to be at the top, and that does not bode well for your future.

PS - If you are ever going to accuse me of doing something inappropriate or shady, (a) I am an ex-lawyer who will not sue you for it because wimps who can't take a punch need to be weeded out of the gene pool and (b) have the balls and the courtesy to say it to my face (or to my email) and STAND UP FOR YOURSELF by using your real name. The legal world is full of pussies and cowards. Don't become one yourself. Direct contact leads to better understanding and actual solutions. If I have made a mistake, I can admit it and fix it. If Palestinians and Israelis could all go ice skating together and talk, there would be peace in the holy land for the first time. Finally, if any of this offended you, (a) sorry (b) take it for what it is (a blunt, honest explanation, ham fisted though it may be in places) and (c) grow a pair. Law is brutal. You cannot be hyper-sensitive to every little thing your brain can contort into "possibly offensive." NOTHING here was intended to be anything but the constructive, honest truth. Also, nothing here comes close to the NICEST slight to be delivered to you on day one by a lawyer who is less than you. Try to interpret everything as if it were INTENDED to be nice. If you try to see things as negative, they will be. Peace out. Word to your mother.

PPS - I am developing an on-line LSAT program that should DESTROY Kaplan by making a 180 LSAT course available for $99.00. I will not get rich doing this, and SOMEONE, somewhere will be really pissed off. Sucks being them.

Pretty good stuff, minus the hyperbole.

[03152016]

Wow.

[Clyde Frog]

I was one of the posters claiming this guy was a phony self-promoter. After receiving a personnel message from him, as well as reading his post, I think this guy is awesome and hope he remains on TLS.

[manillabay]

I was one of the posters claiming this guy was a phony self-promoter. After receiving a personnel message from him, as well as reading his post, I think this guy is awesome and hope he remains on TLS.

Hard to take someone seriously who says,

" You can talk to ANY of my kids and they will ALL tell you the same thing. They get in, they get money to pay for it, they are at the top of their respective classes (to 15%), they are on law review etc. and they all have good jobs after graduation and they have little to no law school debt (so if they hate being lawyers, they can quit and not be Kaplan-based indentured law slaves)."

...

[BradLeutwyler]

Dear manillabay,
WHY is it hard to take seriously? I am quite proud of all of my students. As I said, any one of them will gladly attest to what I teach, how I teach it and how effective it is. I DO NOT teach you, per se, how to "do LSAT stuff." I teach legal reasoning and apply it within the context of the LSAT. They all walk away with skills that make them highly competent law students. Those skills get them killer scores because (not shockingly) the LSAT is testing those skills. The LSAT is a perfectly crafted test for ferreting out those skills (including subtleties such as one's ability to remain calm AND anticipate questions and answers while NOT looking for inapplicable things). If one reads logic games and thinks of them as statutes that need to be applied to a fact pattern and then squeezes every inference out of the "statutes," they nail the answers AND apply rules well in law school.

We are not "LSAT teachers." We are MENTORS that guide people through law school to meet our objectives, as stated above. It IS easy to become cynical about this stuff: EVERYONE is trying to scam pre-law people and prey upon their desires and insecurities. That makes me angry. It does not stop when you get in either. "Supplement" weasels try to convince you that you need tons of other overpriced materials to do well. Charlatans and liars, one and all. I wrote another book where I guide students through all of that because, again, it PISSES ME OFF. Law school should be fun and it can be. But most people come in with poor skills (and really awful writing skills, which kills them on essay exams) and spend their first semester catching up. But by then, the top 10 is set, almost in stone, and they are trapped. That KILLS ME to see, and I saw it a LOT at Kaplan.

I swore that I would bring an end to that, that I would make law school a far better and enriching experience for my students, and that I would try my best (if they work hard and learn what I teach) to make certain that if they hate being lawyers, they can walk away without $1,500.00/ month loan payments. I am doing it, and if you doubt it, as I said before, talk to me and my students.

Brad Leutwyler

PS - My books are not published by major publishing houses for a reason: THEY want to charge too much money to the student, With the exception of my Spanish-English Compendium of law (a resource for lawyers, not students) we do all that I can to keep prices down. We don't do any of this for the money, though God knows I could, given our results, charge twice what Kaplan charges for classes. We charge HALF OR LESS because all of this needs to be available to all. LAW and law school are not magic or something that requires brilliance. I'm a friggin' chimp and I did it well. It requires a basic skill set and some direction as to how to do it well. The books do an excellent job for those who have the motivation and discipline to work well on their own. It really is simple. It is all shrouded in B.S. More "normal" people need to take command of the legal system. More artists, authors, shop owners etc. The only way that I see it happening is by making REALLY GOOD material available at a price everyone can afford.

Sorry to prattle.

[manillabay]

Dear manillabay,
WHY is it hard to take seriously? I am quite proud of all of my students. As I said, any one of them will gladly attest to what I teach, how I teach it and how effective it is. I DO NOT teach you, per se, how to "do LSAT stuff." I teach legal reasoning and apply it within the context of the LSAT. They all walk away with skills that make them highly competent law students. Those skills get them killer scores because (not shockingly) the LSAT is testing those skills. The LSAT is a perfectly crafted test for ferreting out those skills (including subtleties such as one's ability to remain calm AND anticipate questions and answers while NOT looking for inapplicable things). If one reads logic games and thinks of them as statutes that need to be applied to a fact pattern and then squeezes every inference out of the "statutes," they nail the answers AND apply rules well in law school.

We are not "LSAT teachers." We are MENTORS that guide people through law school to meet our objectives, as stated above. It IS easy to become cynical about this stuff: EVERYONE is trying to scam pre-law people and prey upon their desires and insecurities. That makes me angry. It does not stop when you get in either. "Supplement" weasels try to convince you that you need tons of other overpriced materials to do well. Charlatans and liars, one and all. I wrote another book where I guide students through all of that because, again, it PISSES ME OFF. Law school should be fun and it can be. But most people come in with poor skills (and really awful writing skills, which kills them on essay exams) and spend their first semester catching up. But by then, the top 10 is set, almost in stone, and they are trapped. That KILLS ME to see, and I saw it a LOT at Kaplan.

I swore that I would bring an end to that, that I would make law school a far better and enriching experience for my students, and that I would try my best (if they work hard and learn what I teach) to make certain that if they hate being lawyers, they can walk away without $1,500.00/ month loan payments. I am doing it, and if you doubt it, as I said before, talk to me and my students.

Brad Leutwyler

PS - My books are not published by major publishing houses for a reason: THEY want to charge too much money to the student, With the exception of my Spanish-English Compendium of law (a resource for lawyers, not students) we do all that I can to keep prices down. We don't do any of this for the money, though God knows I could, given our results, charge twice what Kaplan charges for classes. We charge HALF OR LESS because all of this needs to be available to all. LAW and law school are not magic or something that requires brilliance. I'm a friggin' chimp and I did it well. It requires a basic skill set and some direction as to how to do it well. The books do an excellent job for those who have the motivation and discipline to work well on their own. It really is simple. It is all shrouded in B.S. More "normal" people need to take command of the legal system. More artists, authors, shop owners etc. The only way that I see it happening is by making REALLY GOOD material available at a price everyone can afford.

Sorry to prattle.

OK. OK. Sorry. I just thought you were being a little hyperbolic with the statements "ALL of my students graduate DEBT FREE and are TOP 15% of their class. As an LSAT studier, the "all" modifier seems a little unsupported and exaggerated.. but maybe you're as great as you say you are. WHATEVER.

[03152016]

You can talk to ANY of my kids and they will ALL tell you the same thing. They get in, they get money to pay for it, they are at the top of their respective classes (to 15%), they are on law review etc. and they all have good jobs after graduation and they have little to no law school debt.

I seem to recall an LSAT tutor coming on this forum a few years ago and stretching the truth to sign up kids for his course. Didn't really work out for him, IIRC.

[Mal Reynolds]

Unlv. Lol

[Mal Reynolds]

And yeah just looked up the reviews. Those are funny. Th first one just so happened to try Kaplan before buying the book! It was release on the fourteenth of February and two weeks later they had increased their LSAT score by ten points!

[03152016]

Brad, appreciate you reaching out via PM, but if you really want to continue this discussion, let's do it here. With your abilities, you should have no problem defending your product in a public forum.

[McBrunson]

Really enjoying this thread lol.

[manillabay]

It kind of pisses me off when people do this shit. Make fake reviews on Amazon, shamelessly promote themselves, and flat out lie and exaggerate to people a product. People like you brad make me hate corporate America.

[03152016]

I guess I'm skeptical because I don't think this story adds up.

First, I find it difficult to believe that all of your students got full scholarships, made LR, and graduated at the top of their class. It's improbable you track those stats, implausible that anyone could teach something guaranteeing those outcomes, and impossible that the claim is actually true.

If you stick to your claim, surely you would have no problem sending an e-mail to your former students allowing a mod from this site to contact them to verify. I'm certain that, given the wonderful opportunities you've given them, most of them would have no problem with such a minor inconvenience.

[03152016]

Of course, if you say that your claim was hyperbole and not meant to be taken literally, it should be said that this is not an ideal way to market yourself as an LSAT tutor.

[03152016]

PS - My books are not published by major publishing houses for a reason: THEY want to charge too much money to the student, With the exception of my Spanish-English Compendium of law (a resource for lawyers, not students) we do all that I can to keep prices down.

I don't buy this. No offense, but after flipping through your book and seeing the clumsily drawn diagrams created in MSPaint, I do not believe any serious publisher would have an interest.

If anyone would like to see for themselves, you can see samples from the book by clicking directly on the image of the cover: http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-LOGIC-GAMES- ... 0984082123

And while it's true the price for your book is low, there are many, many LG books costing less. Your price point is not unique in this space. Searching for less than a minute, I found these (professional published) books at a lower price than yours:
http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Logic-Games- ... ogic+games
http://www.amazon.com/LSAT-Logic-Games- ... ogic+games
http://www.amazon.com/Logic-Workout-Gra ... ogic+games
http://www.amazon.com/McGraw-Hills-Conq ... ogic+games

[BradLeutwyler]

For the LAST TIME, I am not an LSAT tutor. I was. I taught for Kaplan for ten years. They are a rip off and I am going to destroy them. I did it all to make this product. To hide behind a handle and sling insults is sad. I have said nothing that is not 100% verifiable. NOTHING. I am sorry that you are not capable of dealing with that. Send me an email, use your real name like a big boy or girl and get factual information. lordleut@unlv.nevada.edu

PEPSI CHALLENGE - Get the book, read it, USE EVERYTHING IN IT, drill like a MOFO and you will see the simple truth: LSAT logic and games are SIMPLE. Most people teach them poorly. If you understand them, what they are, how they work and how all of the concepts of them apply to law school AND YOU USE THEM IN SCHOOL, you too will succeed.

If you cynically and ignorantly assume that this is an attempt to sell you a book, I'll even send you a freebie. I'm not in this for the money, but I don't need empty headed prattle steering people away from a great, cheap opportunity for success.

AND YES, I did TRY to make many diagrams look "hand drawn." But AGAIN, you are demonstrating why you are an LSAT failure. There is no logic or reason to what you say. "It cannot be good because the diagrams are funny looking." Good luck at law school with those 124 skills.

[Mal Reynolds]

If you're not in it for the money offer the book for free.