Preface

• Author: Barbara Glesner Fines
• Pages: viii-ix

viii

Preface

Dear Law Student,

The first year of law school is, for many people, one of the most

significant transitions of their adult life. Law school demands a lot as

it helps you make the transition from your prior identity as student

(or as some other occupational role) to your new identity as an

attorney. To meet the demands of law school, it is often helpful to

have the big picture before you begin – a sense of what it is you are

trying to do as you prepare for classes, participate in those classes,

review and prepare for exams, take exams, and then begin the cycle

once again.

Law School Materials for Success is designed to give you the

essentials of that process. It is purposefully brief – most law students

do not have the time for an extensive examination of the study of law

school. Rather, they need a source for some basic, critical advice and

some pointers on where to go for more if necessary. That is what this

book and the accompanying podcasts are designed to provide.

Each chapter of the book focuses on a different aspect of law school

learning. I have observed that many students who have not

performed as well as they would like in law school are missing some

key academic rung on the ladder of academic skills. For example, they

are preparing for and participating in class very well, but they haven’t

learned how to effectively translate that learning into the review

necessary to perform well on exams. Or they do quite well in all the

stages of law school learning up to the crucial exams – where they are

missing some fundamental skill or understanding of what is being

asked of them. By working through each of these chapters and

comparing your approach to law school learning to the suggestions

presented here, you can master law school learning and achieve

success.

I hope that you find these materials helpful as an overview of law

school method before you begin your first year, or as a refresher

resource you can consult quickly and easily as you proceed through