Saturday, April 28, 2007

0L Literature and Cinema

There's quite the market for 0L books out there.

I am part of the problem. I have quite a few of these on my bookshelf.

Looking at Amazon, some people have made "Books to read before Law School" lists. My view, which of course is the correct one, is that most of these are worthless for all practical purposes, but necessary for social purposes. Parents, friends, and lawyers are all going to ask you which you read. You have to be able to say "1L, of course, but that hasn't really reflected my experience here at [my school]. I also read [some other book] that seemed to get some things right and most things wrong."

If you are going to read something before your 1L year, here's the reading list:
One L by Scott Turow - Every Lawyer and Law Student has read this.
The Paper Chase - The classic law school movie. Not close to accurate, but we've all seen it.

Honorable Mention:
Getting to Maybe - Everyone I know that has read this says it's "OK, but repetitive". A copy is on most students' shelves.

Other books often recommended:
Law School Confidential - This book is more about fear and less about help. I tried to use some of their methods (5 highlighters?), and switched to other methods soon after. Factual issues seem to be correct, however.
Introduction to the Study and Practice of Law in a Nutshell - This is one of the only 0L books you can buy that doesn't attempt to scare you. It was useful in relieving some of the 0L stress, and it has some interesting essays by people with law degrees about life after school.
The Complete Law School Companion - I've only skimmed this one, can't say much. It covers more topics than most books, including LSAT and applications.
Planet Law School II - Often seen as taking second place to Law School Confedential in every respect, including amount of fear created. Haven't read it. Yet.

There's a DVD now - "All About Law School" - I'd love to watch this thing; the Youtube ad is a bit over the top.


Summary:
Buy a copy of 1L and read it. Watch The Paper Chase. Pick up a copy of Getting to Maybe an never read it in its entirety. Get at least one of the scary books and skim it, realizing that the more they can scare someone who is skimming the 0L section at Borders, the more copies they sell. If you're scared of law school already, read one of these and see that your imagination is far more active than it ought to be.

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