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Want to know which books to read before law school?
Are you excited, and want to get a head start?
Stay to the end, as I provide you with my list of 10 books to read before you start your legal education.
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Hi, this is Beau Baez,
and today I want to provide you with some books you might find interesting before you start law school.
The list includes books in fiction, academic success, biography,
writing, history, and the Supreme Court.
One: Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams.
I have recommended this book for years,
and it is on almost everyone’s list of books to read before law school.
Because law school exams are radically different from college exams,
you need to start thinking about this topic now.
If you only have time to read one book, this is the one to read.
Two: To Kill a Mockingbird.
This classic novel, which is also a movie, follows the life of a small town lawyer and his family.
This novel is a classic because it shows a lawyer defending the legal rights of an unpopular defendant
charged with committing a horrible crime.
Three: One L.
This autobiographical work follows the life of a first year law student at Harvard Law School.
Though it's a few years old,
it still captures much of what law students go through during the 1st year of law school.
Four: The Bramble Bush.
Another book on many lists,
this collection of lectures was given to Columbia law students in 1929.
The author discusses legal reasoning, exam taking skills,
and other topics that are still relevant to law students.
Five: The Elements of Style.
This book is needed in every writer’s library because, guess what,
law students and lawyers are writers.
Read through this book and begin learning how to write well
because the top grades in law school go to the best writers.
Six: Gideon’s Trumpet.
Read the story of a poor man who was arrested for a crime he did not commit.
But, because he could not afford a lawyer, he was convicted and sent to prison.
Follow his story as he takes his case all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Seven: A History of American Law.
This is a history of American law from the colonial period up through the 21st century.
Learn about the successes and failures of the American legal system.
Eight: The Paper Chase.
This fictional story of a Harvard law student introduces the famous Professor Kingsfield,
who takes pleasure in destroying first year law students in his contracts class.
Though Kingsfield is a fictional character,
many believe there was an actual professor that was like Kingsfield at Harvard.
Several years ago I was talking to a Harvard Law School graduate,
who claimed he had the real-life professor that inspired Professor Kingsfield.
This lawyer told me that he and another law school student were on a rowboat shooting ducks,
when another rowboat approached their boat.
To their surprise it was their professor, Professor Kingsfield.
He asked them if they had shot all the ducks in the boat, and after they told him yes,
he took out his shotgun and shot out the bottom of their boat.
Apparently there was a time when professors could sink someone else’s boat
and not get arrested.
By the way, you can watch the movie if you don’t want to read the book.
Nine: Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention.
In this easy to read book, follow the fascinating story on how the U.S. Constitution was created.
Ten: Yankee from Olympus.
This mid-20th century classic is a biography of the great supreme court justice,
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
The story begins with a fascinating account of his family,
including his famous father,
who a Harvard Medical School Professor and Dean, as well as a noted minor poet.
The book then delves into the story of the great supreme court justice.
And with that, go and read!
And in the comments, provide me with the books you would recommend to future law students.