Academic Success

At Brandeis Law, your academic and professional success is of the utmost importance to us, and the Office of Academic & Bar Success is dedicated to helping every law student achieve their full academic potential. Drawing on over thirty years of established experience, the office assists students in developing and enhancing the critical skills necessary for success in law school, on the bar exam and in practice. Services include personal academic counseling, study plan assessment, outline review, class and exam preparation, referral to campus resources and more.

To help students feel confident and prepared, the Office of Academic & Bar Success maintains a free library of study aids and supplements for our students. Its inventory includes horn books, treatises, outlining guides, flow charts, bar prep materials and literature offering advice on how to succeed in law school. The office also holds workshops throughout the academic year that focus on skills fundamental to the study of law, including briefing, outlining and exam writing. For upper-level students, the office provides assistance with the bar application process and offer a bar skills course in partnership with Helix Bar Review.

If a student struggles to keep up with their coursework and is placed on academic probation, the Office of Academic & Bar Success will meet with them regularly to help the student reset their course and hold them accountable to their personal academic goals. The office understands its role as supportive, not punitive, and endeavors to help students who may have slipped in finding their footing.

Prospective law students might find value in accessing certain resources before coming to law school. Books covering various court structures, the progression of a lawsuit and the legislative process can help you become more familiar with the United States legal system. Other readings, including the following, focus on how to navigate the law student experience:

  • Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams
    (Richard Michael Fischl)
  • Law School Without Fear: Strategies for Success
    (Helene & Marshall Shapo)
  • One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School
    (Scott Turow)
  • Strategies & Tactics for the First Year Law Student
    (Kimm Alayne Walton, Eric S. Lambert & Lazar Emanuel)
  • Succeeding in Law School
    (Herbert N. Ramy)
  • What Can You Do with a Law Degree? A Lawyer’s Guide to Career Alternatives Inside, Outside & Around the Law
    (Deborah Arron)