Short Tips
Bloomberg Law includes short (2-3 page) tip sheets for law students. Some are written by legal educators from around the country.
Legal Reading: A Key to Law School Success
How to Use Study Aids Effectively
Law School Outlining—Why, When and How to Do It
Dealing with Stress in the First Year of Law School
Time Management for Law Students: Finding Time for the Things You Need to Do and Love to Do
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Westlaw's Law School Survival Guide has some good tips, on everything from study habits to getting enough sleep.
Law School Skills
Introduction
Many of these books cover a range of skills, from briefing cases to taking exams. Some cover the whole range of law school, from beginning to the bar exam; others focus on the first year.
1L of a Ride: A Well-Traveled Law Professor's Roadmap to Success in the First Year of Law School, 4th ed. by Publication Date: 2021Print. Also available available in West Academic Study Aids.
101 Things I Learned in Law School by Publication Date: 2019
1000 Days to the Bar, but the Practice of Law Begins Now, 2d ed. by Publication Date: 2022Recommended by former Prof. Sarah Kaltsounis.
Asked and Answered - Your Guide to Law School Success, Vol. 2, Advice for Second-Year Law StudentsPublication Date: 2009Available in West Academic Study Aids online
Library does not have a print copy.
Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School: Strategies for Success, 3d ed. by Publication Date: 2014Recommended by Carrie Sanford, LLM Academic Support Advisor
Critical Reading for Success in Law School and Beyond by Publication Date: 2017Available in West Academic Study Aids online.
Library does not have a print copy.
Demystifying the First Year of Law School: A Guide to the 1L Experience by Publication Date: 2010
Disorientation Handbook: Creating Your Own Progressive Legal Education by Publication Date: (annual)Recommended by Aline Carton-Listfjeld, Director, Center for Public Service Law (through Nov. 2017).
Expert Learning for Law Students, 3d ed. by Publication Date: 2018
First Year Law School Success: Law School Thinking, Essay Exam Writing, and Analysis by Call Number: Course Reserve (KF283 .S53 2012)Publication Date: 2012
Get a Running Start: Your Comprehensive Guide to the First Year Curriculum by Publication Date: 2016Available in West Academic Study Aids online.
Library does not have a print copy.
Hard-Nosed Advice from a Cranky Law Professor, 2d ed. by Publication Date: 2021
How to Succeed in Law School, 4th ed. by Publication Date: 2008
Introduction to the Study and Practice of Law in a Nutshell, 8th ed. by Publication Date: 2020Print. Also available as ebook.
Later-in-Life Lawyers: Tips for the Non-Traditional Law Student by Publication Date: 2d ed. 2012
Law School Materials for Success by Call Number: e-BookPublication Date: 2013Free e-book with accompanying podcast.
Law School Success in a Nutshell: A Guide to Studying Law and Taking Law School Exams, 3d ed. by Publication Date: 2017Available in West Academic Study Aids online.
Law School Without Fear: Strategies for Success, 3d ed. by Publication Date: 2009Available in West Academic Study Aids online.
The Law Student's Pocket Mentor: From Surviving to Thriiving by Publication Date: 2007
Learning Outside the Box: A Handbook for Law Students Who Learn Differently by Publication Date: 2011Recommended by former Prof. Sarah Kaltsounis
Letter to a One L Friend by Publication Date: 2019
Mindfulness for Law Students: Using the Power of Mindful Awareness to Achieve Balance and Success in Law School by Publication Date: 2009Recommended by Aline Carton-Listfjeld, former dir., Gates Public Service Law Program.
Nine Steps to Law School Success: A scientifically Proven Study Process for Success in Law School by Publication Date: 2020Print
Open Book: The Inside Track to Law School Success, 2d ed. by Publication Date: 2016
Reading Like a Lawyer: Time-Saving Strategies for Reading Law Like an Expert (2d ed.) by Publication Date: 2012"Every student should read this book. It has clear explanations, useful examples, and exercises (with model answers on the author's website)." former Prof. Sarah Kaltsounis
A Short and Happy Guide to Being a Law Student by Publication Date: 2014Available in West Academic Study aids online.
Library does not have a print copy.
Starting off Right in Law School by Publication Date: 2023
A Student's Guide to Law School: What Counts, What Helps, and What Matters by Publication Date: 2013
Sum and Substance Audio: How to Succeed in Law School, 2004 by Publication Date: 2004Available in West Academic Study Aids online.
Library does not have the CD set.
A Weekly Guide to Being a Model Law Student by Publication Date: 2015Library does not have this in print. It's available in West Academic Study Aids online.
What Every Law Student Really Needs to Know: An Introduction to the Study of Law by Call Number: (online)Publication Date: 2020
Exams
See our separate guide:
- Law School Exams [Gallagher Law Library]Links to archive of UW Law exams, plus links to some other schools' exams and resources on preparing for exams.
Legal Writing
Culture to Culture: A Guide to U.S. Legal Writing by Call Number: Gallagher Law Library Classified Stacks KF250 .R354 2005Publication Date: 2005Print.
Recommended by Elizabeth Baldwin, former law lecturer.
The Elements of Style, 50th Anniversary ed. by Publication Date: 2008Recommended by Emerita Prof. Kate O’Neill.
Just Writing: Grammar, Punctuation, and Style for the Legal Writer by Call Number: Gallagher Law Library Classified Stacks KF250 .E57 2017Publication Date: 2017Recommended by Carrie Sanford, LLM Academic Support Advisor
Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges by Publication Date: 2008Print.
Recommended by Emerita Prof. Kate O’Neill.
The Party of the First Part: The Curious World of Legalese by Publication Date: 2007Recommended by former Prof. Sarah Kaltsounis.
Plain English for Lawyers, 6th Ed. by Publication Date: 2020Recommended by Emerita Prof. Kate O’Neill.
The Redbook by Publication Date: 2018"Blameworthy or culpable? Consequent or subsequent? Garner provides a section explaining when to use such “Troublesome Words” in The Redbook. This manual is filled with practical advice on writing mechanics and grammar. It also includes a section dedicated to preparing legal documents, with drafting and editing tips for research memos, opinion letters, and business correspondence. You will find yourself reaching for this manual frequently throughout your legal career." -- Sherry Leysen, former UW Law reference librarian
Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects, 7th ed. by Publication Date: 2013Recommended by former Prof. Sarah Kaltsounis.
Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Publication Date: 2017Print.
Recommended by Carrie Sanford, LLM Academic Support Advisor.
Thinking Like a Writer by Publication Date: 2021Print.
Recommended by former Prof. Sarah Kaltsounis.
Typography for Lawyers: Essential Tools for Polished & Persuasive Documents, 2d ed. by Publication Date: 2015Print. Available on web at https://typographyforlawyers.com/.
"Great resource for legal writing!" Ambrogino Giusti, former part-time reference librarian
Woe Is I by Publication Date: 2019Print.
"Yes, this is a grammar book. I never had a formal writing class in college. When I started law school I knew I needed some extra help to catch up to my classmates who wrote more papers than I did in college (For some reason these people chose not to be math majors). This book was a good, quick, informative read. Even though I didn’t remember all the specific rules, the book helped me think more rigorously about my writing." Prof . David Ziff
Legal Reasoning
Applied Critical Thinking and Legal Analysis by Publication Date: 2017
The Bramble Bush by Publication Date: 2008"Karl Llewellyn was a leading figure in the Legal Realist movement. He was not only an academic, but was the principal drafter of the Uniform Commercial Code. The Bramble Bush was originally published in 1930, and is such a classic that Oxford University Press released a new edition in 2008." Jonathan Kang
(Check the library catalog for other editions; there's even a PDF version on HeinOnline.)
Cracking the Case Method, Legal Analysis for Law School Success by Publication Date: 2017
Deconstructing Legal Analysis: A 1L Primer by Publication Date: 2009Recommended by former Prof. Sarah Kaltsounis.
An Introduction to Legal Reasoning by Publication Date: 2013 (reprint ed.; orig. pub. 1949)Recommended by Yong-Sung (Jonathan) Kang.
A Matter of Interpretation: Federal Courts and the Law by Publication Date: 1997"I read this book before law school and enjoyed it for a number of reasons. First, Justice Scalia writes in a clear and plain manner, so it was easy to engage with his writing even before I entered law school. Second, it’s short. Third, in addition to setting out his conservative and originalist view of the Constitution, Justice Scalia includes responses from several noted authors who disagree with his view. So not only did this book familiarize me with a particular legal view, it also demonstrated some of the back and forth of legal argumentation." Prof . David Ziff
The Nature of the Judicial Process by Publication Date: 1921"Law school involves reading a lot of legal opinions written in the early 1900s. We think of the judicial process somewhat differently now, and perhaps the judicial process is different now. But this book provides an interesting background from the perspective of a New York Court of Appeals Judge and a Justice of the United States Supreme Court from that era. The book is a short but fascinating look into what judges (or at least one judge almost 100 years ago) actually thought about when deciding cases." Prof . David Ziff.
Thinking Like a Lawyer: A New Introduction to Legal Reasoning by Publication Date: 2009Recommended by Yong-Sung (Jonathan) Kang.
