Planet Law School II Review: Is Atticus Falcon's Law School Prep Guide Worth Reading?

^{Last Updated: September 2026}

Planet Law School II: What You Need to Know (Before You Go), But Didn't Know to Ask... and No One Else Will Tell You by Atticus Falcon is one of the most detailed—and controversial—books written for students preparing to enter law school. Instead of simply explaining what law school is like, Falcon argues that students should begin preparing well before their first semester starts.

The book has attracted both enthusiastic supporters and skeptical critics. Some incoming law students appreciate its detailed preparation plans, recommendations for supplements, and warnings about common mistakes. Others find its approach excessively demanding, pessimistic, or unnecessarily complicated.

For prospective law students trying to determine whether Planet Law School II deserves a place on their reading list, the most useful approach is neither to accept nor reject the book wholesale. Instead, students should understand what Falcon is trying to accomplish, identify the parts that remain valuable, and decide how much preparation makes sense for their individual circumstances.

Students looking for a broader comparison of preparatory resources can also review TLS's guide to the best 0L and 1L law school preparation books, where Planet Law School II appears alongside resources such as Getting to Maybe and Law School Confidential.

What Is Planet Law School II?

Written under the pen name Atticus Falcon, Planet Law School II is a comprehensive guide aimed primarily at prospective and incoming law students. The book attempts to explain the unwritten rules of law school and to give students a systematic strategy for succeeding academically.

Unlike shorter law school guides that offer broad advice about classes, professors, exams, and student life, Planet Law School II takes an unusually detailed approach. Falcon discusses reading strategies, case briefing, supplements, outlines, class preparation, exam performance, legal research, and numerous other aspects of the law school experience.

The central message is straightforward: law students should not arrive at orientation without understanding how law school works. Falcon believes students can reduce the confusion of the first semester by familiarizing themselves with legal reasoning, common first-year subjects, study resources, and exam techniques beforehand.

That proposition has intuitive appeal. The first year introduces students to an unfamiliar educational system built around case reading, legal analysis, issue spotting, and often heavily weighted final examinations. For students wondering what they will actually study, LawCrossing provides an overview of the typical first-year law school curriculum, including subjects such as contracts, torts, criminal law, legal writing, and civil procedure.

The Main Idea Behind Falcon's Approach

Falcon's philosophy is based on the idea that students should learn the "rules of the game" before grades begin to matter.

Law school differs considerably from most undergraduate programs. Students may spend an entire semester reading cases and participating in class discussions, only to discover that much of their final grade depends on a single exam. Success therefore depends not only on understanding legal rules but also on learning how to analyze unfamiliar fact patterns and explain competing arguments efficiently.

Falcon tries to eliminate some of that uncertainty in advance.

He encourages students to familiarize themselves with legal subjects before classes begin, use commercial supplements strategically, understand how professors test material, and develop study systems rather than simply reacting to assignments as they arrive.

This is one reason the book became popular among so-called "0Ls"—students who have been admitted to law school but have not yet begun their first year.

However, this is also where the book becomes controversial.

How Much Should You Prepare Before Law School?

The central disagreement surrounding Planet Law School II is not whether preparation is useful. It is how much preparation is useful.

Falcon recommends substantially more pre-law-school preparation than many law students and graduates believe is necessary.

There is a reasonable argument for becoming familiar with the structure of legal education before orientation. Understanding concepts such as case briefing, outlining, issue spotting, and exam writing can make the first few weeks less disorienting.

TLS's own guide to succeeding in law school, for example, discusses preparation strategies while emphasizing the importance of understanding exam performance rather than trying to master large amounts of substantive law before professors begin teaching it.

That distinction matters.

Students who attempt to teach themselves an entire semester of contracts, torts, property, or civil procedure before classes begin may expend considerable effort on material that their professors will organize or emphasize differently.

A more practical approach may be to understand how legal education works without attempting to become a first-year law student months early.

The Strengths of Planet Law School II

Despite its length and controversial recommendations, Planet Law School II has several genuine strengths.

It Encourages Students to Think About Exams Early

One of the most valuable ideas in the book is that students should understand the importance of law school exams long before finals arrive.

Many incoming students assume that diligently completing every reading assignment and participating effectively in class will automatically produce excellent grades. Those habits may help, but law school exams frequently test a different skill: applying legal rules to new facts and analyzing ambiguity.

TLS's guide on how to do well on law school exams similarly emphasizes that students need to learn how to apply law to facts rather than merely memorize rules.

Understanding this early can prevent students from spending an entire semester perfecting study habits that do not translate effectively into exam performance.

It Introduces Students to Law School Supplements

Falcon discusses commercial study aids extensively.

Resources such as Examples & Explanations, hornbooks, outlines, and exam guides can help students understand difficult concepts. The value of these supplements varies by professor and course, but knowing that they exist can be useful when a casebook or lecture leaves a student confused.

The key is to use supplements as supplements—not substitutes for understanding a professor's course.

It Forces Students to Think Strategically

Perhaps the book's strongest contribution is psychological rather than doctrinal.

Falcon repeatedly asks students to consider why they are performing particular tasks.

Why are you briefing this case?
Why are you outlining?
Why are you attending a study group?
Why are you reading hundreds of pages?
How will this activity ultimately help you analyze an exam?

That kind of strategic thinking can be valuable because law students often confuse effort with effectiveness.

The Weaknesses of Planet Law School II

The book's greatest strengths are also connected to its greatest weaknesses.

The Book Is Extremely Long

Planet Law School II is a substantial book, and Falcon often takes many pages to explain ideas that could be conveyed much more briefly.

Readers looking for a concise orientation to law school may find the amount of material overwhelming.

The book sometimes feels less like a guide and more like an entire system that the reader is expected to adopt.

Students should therefore feel comfortable reading selectively rather than assuming every recommendation must be followed.

The Recommended Preparation Can Become Excessive

Falcon's preparation philosophy can encourage students to begin studying substantive law well before their first semester.

For some students, that may provide confidence. For others, it risks producing fatigue before law school begins.

The TLS community has debated this issue extensively. Some students report finding pre-law-school preparation helpful, while others argue that the benefits are limited and that excessive preparation can lead to burnout.

There is no universal amount of preparation that every incoming student needs.

The Tone Can Be Cynical

Falcon frequently takes a skeptical view of traditional law school advice and institutional practices.

Some readers will appreciate that skepticism. Others may find that the book creates unnecessary anxiety by presenting law school as a system students must learn to outmaneuver.

Incoming students should remember that experiences vary greatly between schools, professors, courses, and individuals.

Is Planet Law School II Still Relevant?

Some parts of the book remain useful because the fundamental structure of legal education has not completely changed.

First-year students still encounter casebooks, legal reasoning, outlining, professors with different teaching styles, and demanding exams.

The importance of understanding how exams work is especially durable. TLS's guide to success during the first year of law school emphasizes that law school exams require students to identify difficult issues and argue multiple possible resolutions rather than merely reproduce memorized material.

However, students should treat older law school guides as frameworks rather than current operating manuals.

Technology has changed legal research and classroom practices. Schools differ in their grading systems, course structures, support programs, and assessment methods. Students also have access to far more online materials, practice questions, recorded lectures, commercial study platforms, and school-provided academic resources than previous generations did.

The book is therefore best approached as one perspective on law school preparation rather than as an inflexible blueprint.

Planet Law School II vs. Other Law School Preparation Books

Students rarely need to read every available law school guide.

Different books address different problems.

Resource	Primary Focus	Best For
Planet Law School II	Intensive preparation for law school	Students who want a detailed, systematic preparation strategy
Getting to Maybe	Law school exam analysis and issue spotting	Students who want to understand how professors evaluate legal analysis
Law School Confidential	General overview of the law school experience	Students who want a broader introduction to academics and student life
LEEWS	Legal exam-writing technique	Students focused heavily on structured exam analysis
1L of a Ride	Navigating the first year of law school	Students seeking practical guidance about 1L life

TLS's comparison of law school exam guides discusses several approaches to exam preparation and explains why understanding exam technique can matter as much as simply learning substantive material.

Students may benefit more from choosing one or two complementary resources than from attempting to complete every recommended book before classes begin.

What Should Incoming Law Students Actually Learn Before 1L?

If you want to prepare without turning the summer before law school into another semester, focus on a few foundational ideas.

Understand what a case is and why law students read appellate opinions.
Learn the basic purpose of outlining.
Understand that law school exams usually test application and analysis rather than simple memorization.
Become familiar with concepts such as issue spotting, IRAC, counterarguments, and practice exams.
Understand the subjects you are likely to encounter during the first year.

LawCrossing's overview of common first-year law school courses can help students understand what subjects such as contracts, torts, criminal law, and civil procedure generally cover.

Once classes begin, the professor's syllabus, lectures, previous exams, and course-specific expectations should become the primary guide.

Why Law School Exam Preparation Matters More Than Pre-Learning Every Subject

Students sometimes worry that classmates who studied torts or contracts before orientation will have an enormous advantage.

That advantage may be smaller than it appears.

Knowing terminology can make early lectures more comfortable, but final exams usually demand something different: recognizing issues within new factual scenarios and explaining how legal rules might apply.

That skill develops through practice.

Students should therefore devote significant attention during the semester to practice exams, model answers, outlining, and feedback.

Even open-book exams require preparation. Having access to notes does not eliminate the need to understand the material or apply it quickly. LawCrossing's guide to preparing for open-book law school exams discusses organization, outlining, practice questions, and familiarity with course material.

The goal is not simply to collect information. It is to know how to use it under exam conditions.

Who Might Benefit Most From Planet Law School II?

The book may be particularly useful for students who:

Like highly structured preparation plans.
Want to understand law school terminology before orientation.
Are anxious about entering an unfamiliar academic environment and prefer extensive background information.
Want recommendations for supplements and study resources.
Enjoy comparing different approaches to law school success.
Can distinguish between useful guidance and recommendations that may not fit their own circumstances.

Students who prefer concise advice, become overwhelmed by overly detailed preparation plans, or are prone to burnout may want to read the book selectively rather than follow the entire program.

Should You Follow Falcon's Preparation Schedule?

Not necessarily.

A law school preparation guide should serve the student, not the other way around.

If Falcon recommends an activity that helps you understand legal education, use it. If another recommendation requires dozens of hours with little obvious benefit, consider whether that time could be better spent elsewhere.

Your ultimate goal before law school is not to prove that you can complete an elaborate preparation schedule.

It is to arrive ready to learn.

Once school starts, your professors' expectations matter more than any generalized preparation system.

Is Planet Law School II Worth Reading?

For the right reader, yes—but selectively.

Planet Law School II offers an unusually comprehensive look at law school preparation and raises questions that many incoming students would otherwise encounter only after classes begin.

Its strongest lessons involve thinking strategically about studying, understanding the importance of exams, and recognizing that success requires more than simply completing assigned readings.

Its weaknesses are equally apparent. The book is lengthy, sometimes repetitive, frequently prescriptive, and more enthusiastic about extensive 0L preparation than many law students believe is necessary.

Readers should therefore resist treating it as an all-or-nothing program.

The most sensible approach is to extract the ideas that help you understand law school, compare them with other perspectives, and build a preparation strategy suited to your own learning style.

That may ultimately be the most valuable lesson the book offers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Planet Law School II

Who wrote Planet Law School II?

Planet Law School II was written by Atticus Falcon, a pen name used by the book's author. The book is designed primarily for prospective and incoming law students seeking guidance about preparing for law school.

Is Planet Law School II good for incoming law students?

It can be useful for students who want a detailed introduction to law school study strategies, supplements, exams, and academic expectations. However, students do not need to follow every recommendation in the book to succeed.

Should I read Planet Law School II before 1L?

Reading selected sections before 1L can help familiarize you with law school terminology and study concepts. Extensive substantive preparation before classes begin is more debatable and may not be necessary for every student.

Is Planet Law School II still relevant?

Many of its broader ideas about law school exams, study strategies, supplements, and academic preparation remain relevant. However, students should recognize that the legal education environment and available resources have evolved since the book was published.

Which is better: Planet Law School II or Getting to Maybe?

The books serve different purposes. Planet Law School II provides a broad preparation system, while Getting to Maybe focuses much more specifically on understanding and writing law school exams. Students primarily concerned about exam technique may find Getting to Maybe more focused.

Should I study substantive law before starting law school?

Some students find limited preparation reassuring, but trying to master entire first-year subjects before classes begin is generally unnecessary. A better goal may be to understand how law school works and how legal exams differ from undergraduate tests.

Related Top-Law-Schools.com Resources

Related Discussions From the Top-Law-Schools.com Forums

Planet Law School / Law School Confidential / Getting to Maybe — Discussion comparing three frequently recommended law school preparation books.
Planet Law School / 0L Prep Question — Discussion about whether following an intensive pre-law-school preparation schedule is worthwhile.
Books to Read Before Fall — Community recommendations covering Getting to Maybe, Planet Law School II, Examples & Explanations, LEEWS, and other resources for incoming students.
One Approach to 1L Success From Someone Ranked #1 — Discussion of 0L preparation, supplements, and approaches to first-year law school success.

Original review by Erin Lindsay Calkins. Originally published July 2008. Updated and expanded for prospective and current law students.