Letters to a Law Student: A guide to studying law at university

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Immediately, the first thing I noticed when reading the book was the cover image; it happens to feature a young woman walking towards the end of a jetty looking out onto what appears to be an ocean or great sea, before a great horizon. About to become a law student myself, I held the book in my hand and I felt just how strongly I could relate to that image, nearing the end of a pathway of sixth form studies staring out into the expansive open ocean that would soon become my future in legal studies. Pearson has published the third editions of Letters to a Law Student by Nicholas McBride and Jason Varuhas.

Rewritingscruffynotes...Iwouldimaginethat'slesstodowithreassociatingyourselfwiththemandmoretodowithmakingsurethatthey'reactuallylegiblewhenit'stimeforrevision!!Again,thisprobablywouldn'thelpmebecauseI'mquitecapableofcopyingoutvastquantitiesoftextwithoutactuallytakinganythingin. Law isn’t for everyone. But as a subject for study, I think it’s tough to find another that is as fascinating, as significant, and as transformative as law is.” What makes McBride’s book sparkle is the innovative way that he uses imagery to turn the seemingly daunting task of studying law into a fun and thought-provoking experience. Interestingly, he explains how studying law ‘is very much like flying a helicopter’ , how ‘reading cases is a bit like riding a bike ’ and teaches readers about the sources of English law by telling us to ‘imagine…standing on a riverbank, watching the river flow by. The river is English law .’ And if you are not already besotted with the exhilaration of studying law for the next three years, reading Letters to a Law Student will certainly have you feeling that way! Nicholas McBride gives succinct advice suggesting students ought to ‘imagine law is a person…[and] manage to “fall in love” with law’ . Ipersonallywouldn'tdreamofhavinga"studygroup"becauseIknowitwouldn'thelpmeintheslightest.Iworkbestbymyself. Mcbride pushes out the advice stating that you can’t overwork yourself. You have to take the occasional break and watch out for yourself; or else, you end up in a really bad situation where your work will inevitably decrease in excellence and everything will be so much harder on you. However, while he does express the importance of breaks, he still values focus. “Any student who is restless and easily distracted will tend not to do very well in studying law.”To do well as a law student you need to feel driven not to approach the subject superficially, but to try to achieve a very detailed understanding of the law. In other words, you need to feel curious about the law.”

Nicholas Mcbride is a professor, lawyer, and author in the United Kingdom. He has published over five books and all of which teach other aspects of law and advice. He is very well known for his excellent teachings and most for his book, Letters to a Law Student. In fact, in an article called mcbridesguides, there are many testimonials in comment sections where people have noted the extraordinary ways Mcbride has affected their lives. A few examples are: “Never felt more confident after reading your book many thanks. A wealth of information that will be useful to any nervous potential law student”, “Read your book and I don’t think I will ever find a comparable and avid teacher and author in one”, and “This book is a classic and should be required reading for any high school senior or college freshman – and not just academically but even for how to live a good life.” I found Letters to a Law Student very useful in helping me decide that I wanted to study law, and helping me to make a successful application; I still have a copy sitting on my bookshelf in case I need to turn to it again.

Wikipedia citation

The law tends to be pretty boring when you view it from a great distance- it’s only when you get close up to the law and see it in all its glory that you can give yourself a chance of getting really interested in it.”

Studying law at university requires you to make much more of an effort to acquire more in the way of general culture than you would have to if you were studying, say, mathematics or classics.” This book really opened up some questions in my mind that I wish could have been answered. The biggest one I still have would be “how long does it take to master these skills?” All of this helpful information ensured I felt equipped with the essential preparatory knowledge I would need to successfully stay afloat and swim through the next few years of my legal studies. The remaining sections of the book contain advice on how to get the most out of studying law, how to do well in exams, and how to get started with a career in law.I was recommended Letters to a Law Student by one of my friends who was, at the time, studying law themselves. They suggested that the book would be useful for anyone thinking about doing a Law degree. Law is a more personally transformative subject than any other you can study at university. Studying law properly - leaves its mark on you. You leave university able to think more clearly, argue more effectively, reason more carefully and with greater insight than you could ever do when you were at school.” Having confirmed that Law would be a suitable path to pursue, the second section provided useful guidance relating to how to make a successful application. One of the letters gives advice on how to interview well, another on the common traps to avoid in your application, and another on the LNAT (the compulsory admissions test for law at Oxford and a handful of other universities).