Study Skills

It is critically important to develop and maintain good study habits while in law school. There is information on this website about basics such as case reading, note-taking, and exam writing. And, in your first-year courses at Touro Law, you will learn much more about how to succeed in law school.

To get a “head start” before law school begins you can read the resources below and other excellent books and online content, available for free for Touro Law students at our Gould Law Library. (Check out our Touro “libguide” on 1L law student success. We also provide our law students with special subscriptions to key legal publishers with resources that will help you develop law school success skills starting right now and continuing throughout your entire legal education, including at the West Study Aids platform and the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI).

Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School: Strategies for Success by Ruta K. Stropus and Charlotte D. Taylor, 3d ed. Carolina Academic Press ISBN: 978-1-61163-224-8. This book is like having your own tour guide to law school. It tells you what to expect and how to make sense of the process, and thrive! A must-have for new law students!

Critical Reading for Success in Law School and Beyond by Jane Bloom Grise (free for Touro law students on West Academics platform) ISBN-13: 978-1634609364 and Reading Like a Lawyer: Time-Saving Strategies for Reading Law Like an Expert, By Ruth Ann McKinney, 2d ed. Carolina Academic Press ISBN: 978-1-61163-110-4. Arguably, the most critical skill for success in law school is reading comprehension. With tweets having largely replaced novels, mastering critical reading skills is more important than ever. Lawyers work with words; they are our power tools. These books text will help you get a firm foothold on reading for law school.

Cracking the Case Method, Legal Analysis for Law School Success, 2d edit, by Bergman, Goodman, and Holm (free for Touro law students on West Academics platform). This book contains vital “inside” information on making sense of the way law school is taught –which is so different from undergrad.

Bar Exam Success: A Comprehensive Guide to Achieving Academic & Professional Goals, By Sara J. Berman (free for Touro law students on West Academics platform). Don’t wait to read this until you are ready to take the bar. Get a head start and gain that Touro edge! Set the stage for ultimate success from Day #1. Replace the word “bar exam” with “final exams” and this book will give you time management, stress management, work-life balance tools, along with the confidence and motivation to succeed.