1L of a Ride

Assigned as required or recommended reading at law schools throughout the US, 1L of a Ride provides a candid, comprehensive roadmap to both academic and emotional success in law school’s crucial first year.

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Assigned as required or recommended reading at law schools throughout the country, 1L of a Ride provides a candid, comprehensive roadmap to both academic and emotional success in law school's crucial first year. Legal education continues to evolve and so does this classic work. Told in an accessible first-person voice, covered topics in this updated, revised, and expanded fourth edition include pre-planning, top student fears, the first-year curriculum, the Socratic and case methods of teaching, effective class participation, the top habits of successful students, essential study techniques, legal research and writing, exam strategies, maintaining well-being, online learning, career planning, and much more. Combines comments from hundreds of law students, empirical research, and authentic samples of signature documents from the 1L experience, including exam questions, Socratic dialogue, and student case-briefs, class notes, and course outlines. McClurg is an award-winning professor who taught at six different law schools.

This version comes with an access code to a first-of-its-kind online video course designed to reinforce the reading. These thirteen videos address subjects covered in the book, often from fresh angles, as well as some new topics. Along with McClurg, the videos feature award-winning law professors Christine Coughlin (Wake Forest University), Meredith Duncan (University of Houston), and Nancy Levit (University of Missouri-Kansas City). Each video is roughly ten minutes, followed by a short self-assessment quiz. They include:

1. Introduction to the Video Course
2. Planning Ahead and Biggest Fears
3. Structure and Role of U.S. Courts
4. Socratic and Case Methods
5. Overview of First-Year Curriculum
6. First-Year Sample Course: Torts
7. How to Read and Brief a Case
8. The C.R.E.D.O.—Top Five Habits of Successful Law Students
9. Essential Study Techniques
10. Legal Research Basics
11. Legal Writing Basics
12. Managing Stress and Maintaining Well-Being
13. Professionalism

Research shows students gain not only from reading, but also seeing and hearing, in part because video helps accommodate diverse learning styles. Use the videos to enhance comprehension and retention. Studies also show students prefer and benefit from one-on-one facetime with professors, which the videos, while no match for the real thing, can help simulate.