Schoenecker Law Library
651-962-4900
1000 LaSalle Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Reference Librarians
lawreference@stthomas.edu
(651) 962-4902
Reference Hours
Circulation/ILL
lawcirc@stthomas.edu
(651) 962-4900
Library Hours
1L of a Ride by
1L of a Ride provides a candid, comprehensive roadmap to both academic and emotional success in law school's crucial first year.
Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School by
This popular book helps students make the transition from their undergraduate experience to law school learning. Unlike other ''introduction to law school'' texts, Bridging the Gap offers a different approach because it: explains the ''why'' of law, providing students with the context necessary to understand why law school is taught in a certain manner; explains the ''how'' of the law, setting out a step-by-step process that will help students adapt to the law school setting; explains the ''what'' of the law, giving students the opportunity to practice the problem-solving process by providing numerous exercises in a variety of subject matter areas. Rather than giving only general advice, or black letter law and some practice problems for a specific subject, Bridging the Gap provides the context, the process, and the problems. Written by two former law school professors who used these techniques with thousands of students, Bridging the Gap is a guide to what really works in law school.
Excelling in Law School - A Complete Approach by
Written by a recent law school graduate with an extraordinary success story, Excelling in Law School: A Complete Approach transcends merely surviving the experience, demonstrating how to earn high grades by working smart, excel in extracurricular activities, publish, and land top jobs. The author aced his first year at a fourth tier law school and transferred to a top-10 school from which he graduated, magna cum laude. Now, he shares his insights and his experience, surpassing expectations set by his less-than-lustrous LSAT scores. Miller relieves some of the anxiety about law school by conveying proven strategies that will appeal to today's tech-savvy law student. He outlines the available resources and study-aids and shows how to effectively use new technologies such as websites that distribute outlines, companies that provide MP3s of detailed lectures on first year courses, student-maintained outline banks, recorded lectures, professor podcasts, and PowerPoint slides. Students learn the specific, unique skills required to approach law reviews and scholarships and to hunt for jobs. Excelling in Law School: A Complete Approach observes successful tactics used by other students and guides readers in selecting the strategies and resources that best fit each personality. Features of Excelling in Law School: A unique book written by a recent law school graduate with a stunning success story Goes beyond the basics of surviving law school earning high grades excelling in extracurricular activities publishing landing top jobs Helps students excel shows how to work smart relieves some anxiety about law school conveys proven strategies Designed for today's tech-savvy law student Showcases the study-aid market and effective use new technologies websites that distribute outlines companies that provide MP3s of detailed lectures on first year courses student-maintained outline banks recorded lectures professor podcasts PowerPoint slides Reveals effective, specific skills and unique approaches law reviews scholarships job-hunting Outlines available resources Illustrates the author's personal success, one that can be tailored for any law school student how the author personally aced each area strategies and tactics observed in use by other students how to select the strategy and resources that best fit the reader's personality
Finding Your Voice in Law School by
Drawn from interviews with students and attorneys from leading law schools and firms, Finding Your Voice in Law School delivers winning strategies for succeeding in law school and beyond.Many college graduates aren't prepared for the new challenges they will face in law school. Intense classroom discussion, mock trials and moot courts, learning the language of law, and impressing potential employers in a range of interview situations—it sounds intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Finding Your Voice in Law School offers a step-by-step guide to the most difficult tests you will confront as a law student, from making a speech in front of a room full of lawyers to arguing before a judge and jury. Author Molly Shadel, a former Justice Department attorney and Columbia law graduate who now teaches advocacy at the University of Virginia School of Law, also explains how to lay a strong foundation for your professional reputation.
Get a Running Start: your comprehensive guide to the first year curriculum by
The first of its kind, this book offers a global overview of the first-year curriculum in a single volume. In short, available lessons, Get a Running Start covers all the major concepts taught in each of the courses most commonly offered in the first year of law school: criminal law, torts, civil procedure, constitutional law, property, and contracts. Each of the courses comprising this book is written by a specialist in the field who is a decorated teacher with years of experience in the classroom. In this volume, they have distilled that experience and expertise to produce the tool they wish they had when they first were thinking about and then actually began law school: a clear, concise introduction to the entire first-year curriculum. Get a Running Start is a valuable tool for first-year law students, giving them a running start on their law school careers and putting them in the best position to enter the profession. By reading through all the lessons for a course, first-year students will get a complete overview of each course early in the semester. As the semester goes forward, students can accelerate their learning and comprehension by reviewing individual lessons when preparing for class. As the semester comes to a close, the lessons in this book provide an invaluable framework for outlining and exam preparation. Get a Running Start is also the ideal introduction for undergraduate students. For formal pre-law or Introduction to American Law courses, this book will provide students with a comprehensive overview broken into concise, digestible chunks that are ideal for further development in lecture or discussion sections. Outside the classroom, Get a Running Start offers a stimulating introduction to fundamental legal concepts that will engage those who might be thinking about going to law school and citizens who simply want to know more about the law as a central feature of public life. Among the many features of this book readers will find useful and attractive are: * An introductory chapter offering advice on how to structure a successful preparation and study process starting with the summer before law school and running straight through exams. * Insiders' advice from successful law students and recent graduates on class preparation, course selection, career development, and managing the stress of law school.
* Short lessons that provide readers with an introduction to the major concepts for a day or week of law school classes in 10-15 minutes. * Complete course coverage that will allow readers to get a global overview of a first-year law course in the span of an afternoon. * Frequent use of examples and hypotheticals to illustrate major points in an available way.
* Short "Takeaway" summaries at the end of each lesson that highlight the main points and provide a quick reference or refresher. * "Bonus" lessons offering quick primers on topics such as legal reasoning and statutory interpretation.
How to Be Sort of Happy in Law School by
Each year, over 40,000 new students enter America's law schools. Each new crop experiences startlingly high rates of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and dissatisfaction. Kathryne M. Young was one of those disgruntled law students. After finishing law school (and a PhD), she set out to learn more about the law school experience and how to improve it for future students. Young conducted one of the most ambitious studies of law students ever undertaken, charting the experiences of over 1000 law students from over 100 different law schools, along with hundreds of alumni, dropouts, law professors, and more. How to Be Sort of Happy in Law School is smart, compelling, and highly readable. Combining her own observations and experiences with the results of her study and the latest sociological research on law schools, Young offers a very different take from previous books about law school survival. Instead of assuming her readers should all aspire to law-review-and-big-firm notions of success, Young teaches students how to approach law school on their own terms: how to tune out the drumbeat of oppressive expectations and conventional wisdom to create a new breed of law school experience altogether. Young provides readers with practical tools for finding focus, happiness, and a sense of purpose while facing the seemingly endless onslaught of problems law school presents daily. This book is an indispensable companion for today's law students, prospective law students, and anyone who cares about making law students' lives better. Bursting with warmth, realism, and a touch of firebrand wit, How to Be Sort of Happy in Law School equips law students with much-needed wisdom for thriving during those three crucial years.
Introduction to the Study and Practice of Law in a Nutshell by
"There are two things wrong with almost all legal writing. One is style. The other is content." Professor Fred Rodell, Yale, 1936. We can't do much about content. You'll have to know how the common law system works, how to read and brief cases, how to study and take exams, how to write and argue law and how lawsuits are tried. We can do something about style. There's advice and illustrations. You'll throw pots, working your first case, making your first argument, briefing cases, taking exams, and writing memos. This is not for the faint hearted nor is law school. Think like a lawyer. I won't be a bore. I'll tell jokes, some of which are actually funny. I'll challenge you intellectually. Where does law come from? Should judges follow precedent? What if your client wants to pave Paradise and put in a parking lot? If you love ideas you'll love this book and you'll love law school. (If you love people you'll love practice.)
Law 101: what law school's really like by
Law 101 gives a behind-the-scenes look at what law school's really like. The book condenses ten years of student and professor advice on how to make the most out of one's law school experience. The advice covers all aspects of law school, and ranges from academic advice on such topics as study techniques, classroom skills, and tips for exam success, to the best ways to participate in extracurricular activities, maintain healthy relationships outside of law school, and get a job after graduation.
A companion documentary, available online, provides additional perspectives on life in law school.
Law School Confidential by
I WISH I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW! Don't get to the end of your law school career muttering these words to yourself! Take the first step toward building a productive, successful, and perhaps even pleasant law school experience—read this book! Written by students, for students, Law School Confidential has been the "must-have" guide for anyone thinking about, applying to, or attending law school for more than a decade. And now, in this newly revised third edition, it's more valuable than ever. This isn't the advice of graying professors or battle-scarred practitioners long removed from law school. Robert H. Miller has assembled a blue-ribbon panel of recent graduates from across the country to offer realistic and informative firsthand advice about what law school is really like. This updated edition contains the very latest information and strategies for thriving and surviving in law school—from navigating the admissions process and securing financial aid, choosing classes, studying and exam strategies, and securing a seat on the law review to getting a judicial clerkship and a job, passing the bar exam, and much, much more. Newly added material also reveals a sea change that is just starting to occur in legal education, turning it away from the theory-based platform of the previous several decades to a pragmatic platform being demanded by the rigors of today's practices. Law School Confidential is a complete guide to the law school experience that no prospective or current law student can afford to be without.
Navigating Law School's Waters by
Law school, particularly the first year, can be a rather intimidating and challenging experience for many students. This book is designed to give students the tools they need to successfully navigate their way through it. It introduces students to the fundamentals of legal analysis and writing and teaches them how to read and brief cases, outline, study, master law school exams, and care for their physical and emotional well-being. In short, it prepares students for every aspect of their journey through law school.
Navigating the First Year of Law School by
This book is for entering law students and law school orientation programs about how to study law. It covers how lawyers use the law, how the legal system works, how to study, how to read and brief case decisions, how to participate in class, how to prepare course outlines, and how to study for exams and write essay exam answers. It also provides a chapter with pointers about legal research and writing because of the importance of these subjects in the first-year curriculum. The book's aim is to provide a practical, prescriptive, and descriptive treatment of the conventional topics and instruction given by law professors about studying law. It has been vetted by over twenty-five reviewers, consisting of law professors, current and prospective law students, and practicing lawyers.
Open Book: the inside track to law school success by
Open Book: The Inside Track to Law School Success, 2E is a book that every JD and LLM law student needs to read, either before classes start or as they get going in their 1L year. Now in an expanded second edition, the book explains in a clear and easygoing, conversational manner what law professors expect from their students both in classes and exams. The authors, award-winning teachers with a wealth of classroom experience, give students an inside look at law school by explaining how, despite appearances to the contrary, classes connect to exams and exams connect to the practice of law. Open Book introduces them to the basic structure of our legal system and to the distinctive features of legal reasoning. To prepare students for exams, the book explains in clear and careful detail what exams are designed to test. It then devotes a single, clearly written chapter to each step of the process of answering exams. It also contains a wealth of material, both in the book and digitally, on preparing for exams. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Open Book comes with a free suite of 18 actual law school exams in Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property and Torts, written and administered by law professors. These exams include not only questions, but: (1) annotations from the professors explaining what they were looking for; (2) model answers written by the professors themselves; and (3) actual student answers, with professor comments that explain why certain answers were stronger of weaker. As Open Book explains, there is no better way to prepare for exams than by practicing, and these unique materials will enable students to get the most out of their pre-exam practice.
Sh*t No One Tells You about Law School by
Irreverent. Fun. Honest. Words never before used to describe a book intended for law students--until now. Sh*t No One Tells You About Law School offers law students a compilation of advice culled from the author's fifteen years of teaching experience. Think Jessica Pearson meets Carrie Bradshaw--shoe closet included! This book is a tell-it-like-it-is account of how students can successfully navigate the law school experience (minus the boring stuff). Written for today's law student, this book goes far beyond the run-of-the-mill "here's how you case brief" and "read cases carefully" advice. Expect to be both motivated and entertained by the author's practical, hands-on guidance. Professor Tanya Monestier is a tenured law professor who teaches Contracts, Sales, and Conflict of Laws. She was a first-generation student who kicked a** in law school and who wants to help you do the same.
A Short and Happy Guide to Being a Law Student by
A Short & Happy Guide to Being a Law Student is a must-read whenever worry or doubt creep in. In this volume you will find essential wisdom for the study of law and life. Learn from the unprecedented ten-time recipient of the Professor of the Year award how to be your best in and out of class, how to prepare for exams, how to succeed on exams, how to put your best foot forward in a job interview, how to find teachers to inspire you, what to do in classes that leave you uninspired, how to cope with stress and how to create value in everything you do. Learn more from the author in this short video.
Surthriving Law School (and Beyond...) by
This guide to surviving and thriving (aka "surthriving") in law school--and beyond--is filled with unique insights from a former BigLaw associate (and current in-house counsel) as well as accomplished guest contributors who offer actionable tools, candid advice, and helpful strategies that law students and all legal professionals can start using today to immediately achieve more happiness, success and well-being in law (and life).
A Weekly Guide to Being a Model Law Student by
This book gives law students weekly checklists explaining the skills necessary to successfully navigate their first year of law school. Each chapter provides a checklist of things to do that week, such as briefing cases, going over notes, outlining classes, or doing practice questions. When a new concept is introduced, this book clearly explains the concept and its purpose and provides examples. Instead of merely providing advice, this book lays out a detailed plan for students to follow. It also includes a bank of over 100 short, medium, and long practice questions in six first year subjects.
Best Friends at the Bar by
Best Friends at the Bar: The New Balance for Today';s Woman Lawyer candidly addresses the problems unique to women in the practice of law and provides practical, helpful advice and solutions. This companion to Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know about a Career in the Law is based on research, the author's experience, and interviews with women attorneys who have successfully made the transition from one practice setting to another. These women, many with national reputations, tell their stories in their own compelling words. The lawyers profiled are Sally Blackmun, former Senior Associate General Counsel of Darden; Kathleen Tighe, Inspector General, US Department of Education; Bonnie Brier, General Counsel, New York University; Karen Kaplowitz, Law Firm Consultant, The New Ellis Group; Laura Oberbroekling, Solo Practitioner; Kathryn Spencer, former member of Women-owned Law Practice; Stephanie Kimbro, Virtual Law Firm Practice, Kimbro Legal Services; Victoria Pynchon, Alternative Dispute Resolution, She Negotiates at ForbesWoman ADR Services, Inc.; Deborah Burand, Professor, University of Michigan Law and former GC and VP, Legal Affairs, OPIC; Amy Yeung, Associate Counsel, ZeniMax Media Inc.; Honorable Marianne Short, Managing Partner, Dorsey and Whitney; and Markeisha Miner, Assistant Dean, Career Services and Outreach, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Features of Best Friends at the Bar: The New Balance for Today's Woman Lawyer Candidly addresses problems unique to women in the practice of law Provides practical advice and solutions Based on research, the author's experience, and experience of women attorneys who successfully transitioned from one practice setting to another The women interviewed, many with national reputations, tell their stories in their own words
Grit, the Secret to Advancement by
This unique volume contains new research by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession begun two years ago on grit and growth mindset, two traits that have been shown to impact the success of women lawyers. The author of this book conducted the "first round" of research that applied these traits to women lawyers, specifically, in large law firms. In August 2013, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession launched the Grit Project, which relied upon this and earlier important research on these traits. The Grit Project struck a nerve, and it was clear that women in environments beyond BigLaw were interested in these principles. The Commission decided to expand Dr. Hogan's research to all legal work environments - and also wanted to dig deeper and go beyond these findings to hear from women for whom grit and growth mindset were important to their careers and their success. The result is the collection of 47 letters contained in this volume. These contributors represent a diverse group of women and all work environments; solo practice; small, medium, and large firms; corporations; government; and nonprofits.
Learning to Lead by 
Women-at-Law by
Much has changed in the ten years since the publication of the first edition of Women-at-Law. But, unfortunately, much has also stayed the same. Women are still confronting issues of promotions and equal pay, while also struggling to maintain a healthy work/life balance. But no woman is alone in the legal profession, and Women-at-Law, Second Edition is the guide that proves it. Author Phyllis Epstein has interviewed over 500 women lawyers of all ages, backgrounds, and lifestyles nationwide to address how women today are meeting the challenges of competing in the legal profession without sacrificing their home and family lives as well. This updated edition includes: Wisdom and experience from women lawyers sharing their life experiences Taking a time out from a legal career and making a comeback The intricacies and rewards of juggling a personal and professional life If the option of part-time work is right, and how to make it work Updated research on topics like attrition of women lawyers, schedule demands, and the unique focus women can bring to the profession Women-at-Law provides women with ideas and suggestions about how to deal with their professional and personal goals and challenges and make the compromises required to "have it all even when "having it all" can be different for each individual. You'll learn that, with some effort, a woman can redirect her career, home life, and interests in the long journey that is a successful life."
You Don't Look Like a Lawyer by
You Don't Look Like a Lawyer examines the discrimination professional women of color face in the legal profession and the ways in which race and gender impact women's work. Tsedale Melaku looks in depth at the legal profession and discusses how these issues also impact women of color in other fields. Book jacket.
LL. M. Roadmap by
Like an atlas, the LL.M. Roadmap: An International Student's Guide to U.S. Law School Programs provides a series of andquot;roadmapsandquot; to guide prospective LL.M. students through every step of their journey. From assessing your reasons to acquire an LL.M., to choosing an American law school, meeting financial and immigration challenges, and succeeding in law school and a career in law, the LL.M. Roadmap provides straightforward guidance, along with plenty of checklists and reference sources. In ten parts and 33 chapters, this valuable text offers a careful examination of every consideration and contingency for making important life decisions. An indispensable guide for prospective LL.M. candidates, the LL.M. Roadmap features: information and analysis to help readers answer their most pressing questions, such as Should I worry about an LL.M. program's ranking and reputation? How do I get admitted to a U.S. LL.M. Program? What questions should I ask before accepting a U.S. law school's offer of admission? What kind of financial assistance is available? Can I work part-time during my LL.M. program? What will it take to succeed in a U.S. LL.M. program? practical guidance for navigating through the entire LL.M. experience degree and English-language proficiency requirements how U.S. law professors teach legal writing, research, and communication techniques determining whether extracurricular activities will help common immigration and student visa challenges and requirements employment and career advice numerous checklists and lists of resources
The Companion Text to Law School by
This book equips the loved ones of law students ; parents, partners, friends, and relatives ; with all the information they need to understand and survive their student's journey through the world of legal education. Written by an award-winning professor with experience teaching thousands of law students, The "Companion Text" explains the essentials of legal education, including the first-year curriculum, the Socratic Method of teaching, and the single-exam format. It also explores the psyches of law students, including things you should never say to them, their sources of stress, and how law school can change personalities. The book addresses the impact of law school on outside relationships and gives tips for navigating relationships with law students. Filled with comments, anecdotes, and insights from real law students and their loved ones.
