How helpful is the ‘BARBRI’ Law Preview course for students entering law school? Is the location of the course a factor? Are there other quality Law Preview programs?
It’s been several years since I’ve visited CC Parents’ Café, so I’m feeling a little guilty coming here yet again for advice. Thanks in advance for your help – as always it’s much appreciated.
Nice to see you again!
If the student is already admitted and ready to start in the fall, I can’t imagine that this course would be of that much benefit. Maybe things have changed, but law school is law school. You don’t need a preview if you are already on that course- for better or worse!
Hi @TutuTaxi!!
Is this something your D need to pay for? As far as help with coursework, she will get a ton of FREE Barbri course outlines from the reps, CALI lessons access, access to Quimbee case briefs… Probably too much to even look at. I know some students who never touched those and did fine. She will be fine! 
I have never even heard of prepping before you start law school. A good bar review course when you graduate to review and to learn topics you weren’t exposed to in school is a good idea, but before - I wouldn’t bother.
Interesting. I did not realize BARBRI had developed a preview type of course for before your 1L year. When I was in law school, you took BARBRI bar exam review courses at the end of 3L, or just after graduation. Those courses were expensive but necessary. The preview course, which I assume is also expensive, just sounds to me like a way to get you coming AND going. If you did well enough in undergrad to get into law school, I would think you’d be fine without a preview class. Plus, a lot of law schools have an orientation or introductory week where they tell you how to succeed in law school, and that’s usually free.
They’re cashing in on increasing anxieties of post-2008 law students’ fears of being under/unemployed upon graduation if they don’t graduate in the top 1-5% of most law schools and the top half-1/3 or higher of a T-14 law school with the possible exception of YHS,
While I never attended law school myself, I heard about/observed this very anxiety among many friends who are law students or recent graduates. This includes students at T-14 schools like Columbia, NYU, etc.
Ha! I just showed up cold and didn’t even know to check for reading assignments before the first days of classes. AS BARBRI preview? Sounds like a waste of time and money. Have your kid spend the summer making some money and/or reading good books.
“The preview course, which I assume is also expensive, just sounds to me like a way to get you coming AND going.”
This! It sounds like BARBRI is becoming the CB of law school. 
@TutuTaxi, there are a coupe of reviews of the preview course online which I don’t think I can link here.
My law school experience was years ago and we did not do “preview” courses just a review course before sitting for the bar. My concern is that some of the material like legal research and writing might well be covered during the first year of law school. Otherwise they likely do an overview of typical 1L classes which I guess could be helpful but certainly not necessary.
Take a look at the reviews from people who actually took the BARBRI preview course as they will probably be most helpful to you – one is on reddit and others on toplawschools.com – they don’t really recommend it!
And if you want an overview of property, torts, civil procedure, contracts or other typical 1L classes, you might be able to find an outline prepared by a prior year’s student. Where I went to law school, you could view and copy old outlines at the law library.
Barbri and Themis (and now Kaplan) will provide free 1L and 2L/3L outlines of the major bar tested courses in the hopes of hooking the students up on their product.
Back in the 1980s, the only product was bar review courses to prep you for the bar exam after law school. That was helpful. I can’t imagine anything more is needed or helpful-just more time, stress and $$$$$.
I am an attorney circa 1981. Two of my kids went to and graduated from law school in the last 7 years and neither took the preview (not sure it was available for the older of my two) course. I also don’t remember my D (JD 2016) mentioning that any of her classmates took it either. Although many of the black letter law 1L classes are similar at most law schools, the actual approach to those classes may differ and, unlike the post-grad bar review courses, I’m not sure “one size fits all” approach works that well. For what it’s worth, it was recommended that she read “Getting to Maybe” and that was of some use when approaching law school exams.