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Welcome to LearnLawBetter.

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Want to know which books to read before law[br]school?

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Are you excited, and want to get a head start?

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Stay to the end, as I provide you with my[br]list of 10 books to read before you start

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your legal education.

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Don’t forget to hit the like button if you[br]enjoy the episode and click the subscribe

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button and bell if you don’t want to miss[br]any future episodes.

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Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to[br]provide you with some books you might find

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interesting before you start law school.

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The list includes books in fiction, academic[br]success, biography,

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writing, history, and the Supreme Court.

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One: Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law[br]School Exams.

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I have recommended this book for years,

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and it is on almost everyone’s list of books to read before law school.

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Because law school exams are radically different[br]from college exams,

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you need to start thinking about this topic now.

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If you only have time to read one book, this is the one to read.

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Two: To Kill a Mockingbird.

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This classic novel, which is also a movie,

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follows the life of a small town lawyer and his family.

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This novel is a classic because it shows a[br]lawyer defending the legal rights of an unpopular

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defendant charged with committing a horrible[br]crime.

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Three: One L.

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This autobiographical work follows[br]the life of a first year law student

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at Harvard Law School.

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Though it's a few years old,

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it still captures much of what law students go through during the 1L year of law school.

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Four: The Bramble Bush.

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Another book on many lists,

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this collection of lectures was given to Columbia law students in 1929.

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The author discusses legal reasoning, exam[br]taking skills, and other topics

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that are still relevant to law students.

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Five: The Elements of Style.

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This book is needed in every writer’s library[br]because, guess what,

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law students and lawyers are writers.

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Read through this book and begin learning how to write well

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because the top grades in law school go to the best writers.

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Six: Gideon’s Trumpet.

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Read the story of a poor man who was arrested[br]for a crime he did not commit.

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But, because he could not afford a lawyer,[br]he was convicted and sent to prison.

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Follow his story as he takes his case all[br]the way up to the Supreme Court.

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Seven: A History of American Law.

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This is a history of American law from the[br]colonial period up through the 21st century.

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Learn about the successes and failures of[br]the American legal system.

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Eight: The Paper Chase.

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This fictional story of a Harvard law student[br]introduces the famous Professor Kingsfield,

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who takes pleasure in destroying first year law[br]students in his contracts class.

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Though Kingsfield is a fictional character,[br]many believe there was an actual professor

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that was like Kingsfield at Harvard.

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Several years ago I was talking to a Harvard[br]Law School graduate, who claimed he had the

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real-life professor that inspired Professor[br]Kingsfield.

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This lawyer told me that he and another law school student were on a rowboat shooting ducks,

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when another rowboat approached their boat.

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To their surprise it was their professor, Professor Kingsfield.

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He asked them if they had shot all the ducks[br]in the boat, and after they told him yes,

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he took out his shotgun and shot out the bottom[br]of their boat.

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Apparently there was a time when professors[br]could sink someone else’s boat

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and not get arrested.

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By the way, you can watch the movie if you[br]don’t want to read the book.

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Nine: Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of[br]the Constitutional Convention.

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In this easy to read book, follow the fascinating[br]story on how the U.S. Constitution was created.

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Ten: Yankee from Olympus.

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This mid-20th century classic is a biography[br]of the great supreme court justice,

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Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

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The story begins with a fascinating account[br]of his family,

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including his famous father,

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who a Harvard Medical School Professor and Dean,[br]as well as a noted minor poet.

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The book then delves into the story of the[br]great supreme court justice.

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And with that, go and read!

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And in the comments, provide me with the books[br]you would recommend to future law students.

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If you enjoyed this material, hit the like[br]button.

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LearnLawBetter.com.

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