Planet Law School II: What You Need to Know (Before You Go)...and No One Else Will Tell You

I read Planet Law School in the summer of 1998 when the book was brand new, in the months before I began my legal studies. It was invaluable. I went to a "Top 10" law school (not literally, but rather as the term is defined in the book) and found the cynical advice to be on point. Law school is a business. Administrations are more interested in attracting and keeping top professors (and in soliciting donations from wealthy/influential alumni) than they are in ensuring their graduates will find fulfilling careers that also enable them to repay their crushing student loans. Planet Law School also accurately describes the socio-academic atmosphere at law schools - the contagious stress and anxiety, bordering on hysteria; the social stratification that occurs based upon class rank after first year grades are issued; the extreme difficulty those with mediocre or low grades have in obtaining respectable and well-paying employment through on-campus interviews. The book is less helpful (but still very enlightening) when it comes to its discussion on how to prepare for and do well in law school. I disagree with the author's theory that virtually any law student who follows his system and works hard will be able to excell in law school. I believe this is because, mistakenly, the author makes Black Letter Law and Thinking Like a Lawyer seem paramount. At least where I went to law school, these items were only half the battle. I had good friends who were in the top of my class and we often were enrolled in the same courses with the same professors. They consistently received top marks; mine were almost always mediocre. However, when comparing our final exam responses after the fact, it often turned out our responses were substantively identical (same points of law, same reasoning, same conclusions). The differences were our writing styles and the fact that my friends consistently delved into collateral issues that, while not responding to the "call of the question," were apparently topics of interest for the professor. Sometimes, my friends' responses virtually ignored the call of the question and they still Am-Jur'ed the course. (By the time I realized this, First Year was over; my grades rose dramatically by the end of Second Year, but in fall of Third Year most employers were not looking to hire 3L's.) While the author of Planet Law School does allude to the importance knowing each professor's "agenda," this crucial component of law school preparation should be more heavily emphasized in his book - even more so than "Black Letter Law" and "Thinking Like a Lawyer." After all, at any reputable law school virtually every student will walk into final exams knowing Black Letter Law backwards and forwards. To distinguish yourself (and earn top grades) you have to also appeal to and work in (no matter how tangentially) the professor's pet topics of interest or areas of research. As a post-script, the author and the law schools share a similar

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm going to echo most of the reviews here. Yes, many of the negative comments are true. Atticus Falcon is harshly cynical about law school and deeply embittered by his experiences there. His depiction of the law student's life is so dismal and over-the-top gloomy it's almost comical. To hear him tell it, you'd think you were entering the darkest circle of hell instead of a mere college campus. He wastes about half the book mounting the soapbox to make the same harangues over and over. And the editing is atrocious: there are more typos than you can shake a stick at. That being said, every piece of advice Atticus Falcon gives is right on the money, from what to read before law school, to how to prepare for exams, to how to make law review, to internships and job interviews, and beyond. I followed his advice to the letter and made law review at a top-20 school. He never steered me wrong in practical matters. I wouldn't have done nearly so well if I hadn't read Planet Law School. Sure, Atticus Falcon is hella cranky. Who cares? Let him bitch and moan, if it makes him happy. He's also an expert guide who knows what he's talking about. So, take his jeremiads with a grain of salt; but heed his advice meticulously.

I posted a good review of PLS on July 25, 1999 (right before entering), and after survival OneL, I wanted to write again and tell everyone how much MORE I recommend it. PLS definately helped me survive my first year. Pretty much, it was my bible. I found out that I was way more prepared for what was to come than all the other students. I was a walking advertisment for the book-- I mean, I recommended it to EVERYONE, current as well as future students. I will continue to do that- it is the only way I know to thank Atticus Falcon. I literally followed every bit of advise in PLS, and it showed in my performance, and in how I handled the extreme level of stress. I was able to handle the workload and the stress alot better than my sectionmates. I have absolutely no doubt that if I hadn't read the book- I would have either dropped out or flunked out the first year. This book is more important to first year survival than Black's Law Dictionary. There isn't one thing in that book that didn't come true. I highly recommend reading PLS the year before entering-- it is an absolute must for anyone thinking about law school.

PLS _is_ a godsend.I spent a ton of money on the materials--but it was worth every penny. The Aspen series is easily the best material available for law school. I made law review and am at the top of my class at UF...a very good school...and I am probably transfering to at top 10 this Fall..I definetly couldn't have done it without PLS. People I've talked to dismiss PLS because it (admittedly) kind of sounds like a "get-rich-quick" scheme... but its the furthest thing from it. Doing what PLS recommends entails working _much harder_ than most people do--even in Law School. The real point is the headstart that the primers and material gives you.The faster you learn to "think like a lawyer" the faster you'll conquer law school--the headstart PLS gives you is INVALUABLE! How can you not want to go into first semester having already studied all the material once? How can this NOT be an advantage?At my law school the major problem was--too MUCH study aids--no one knew what the good stuff was...PLS cut through all the bull and gives the straight dope...do what this man says and you will make law review. Its that simple.Robert Brayer