I recommend these books 📚 to my group of parents of law students—especially for incoming 1Ls.

I recommend these books 📚
to my group of parents of law students—
especially for incoming 1Ls.

I thought I’d share this here, too.

1️⃣ Dear 1L (this one’s by me & is written directly to a 1L, so if you only get one book, it should be this one)—Read before law school and then use as a supplement throughout the year.

—I realize I am biased in putting my book first, but I poured my heart and soul into it and believe that it is one of a kind.

—No other book will be “loved” as much by a student, and it’s roundly touted as EASY to read—something you can do “in a short afternoon,” unlike some of the other pre-L tombs out there.

—Packed with insights from my BigLaw lawyer career, ‘Dear 1L’ keeps giving back as a supplement throughout the 1L year. And after that, it becomes a perfect legal-writing desk reference for a lawyer starting out.

The reviews from law students are off the charts, too, so please do check it out.

♥️ I am also gifting away 3 copies.

👉 To enter, send me a message or email with the name and address to which it should be sent. I’ll draw names from a hat next week.

2️⃣ The Eight Secrets of Top Exam Performance in Law School (Charles H. Whitebread). This is the best classic book on law school exams; it is a quick, relatively light read; and its principles are consistent with how I teach exams in Dear 1L. I recommend it be read during 1L fall semester, right before exams.

3️⃣ One L of a Ride (Andrew McClung) -or- Law School Confidential (Robert H. Miller)—similar and equally good; these books can fill in on topics mine doesn’t cover. Each provides encyclopaedic coverage of virtually every single thing that you might encounter in law school. They are very long, however, and contain more than most need.

4️⃣ Legal Writing in Plain English (by Bryan A. Garner; for all levels). This is the book that launched me to become the legal writer I am today. Even if you only get through one chapter before law school, you will find yourself inspired to become a better legal writer and start to understand what good legal writing looks like.

5️⃣ One optional, “pleasure” read. Try out one of these from this curated list:

The Bramble Bush (Karl Llewellyn)
A Civil Action (Jonathan Harr)
The Buffalo Creek Disaster (Gerald Stern)
Gideon’s Trumpet (Anthony Lewis)
Becoming (Michelle Obama)
My Own Words (RBG)

I hope my recommendations will be helpful for you!

💌 Amanda
#Dear1L

P.S. Any books you insist I add to my pre-L reading list? (I am aware of the conspicuously absent one, and I did not omit it by accident. 🙂)

P.P.S. Who’s read Amy Coney Barrett’s new book already? Would it be appropriate for incoming students?