Hard-Nosed Advice from a Cranky Law Professor: How to Succeed in Law School

If students wish to survive and excel in law school, they must approach it correctly. Students also need to understand what professors expect of them, or they will be left behind. Hard-Nosed Advice from a Cranky Professor explains some of the correct ways to approach law school and provides insight into professor expectations.

This book is designed for new law students who would like to improve their chances of doing well in law school. Written from the perspective of a cranky, cantankerous professor, the book side-steps pleasantries to provide no-nonsense, sometimes hard-nosed advice that is intended to instruct students on what they must do to succeed. While blunt, the practical advice is provided in a light-hearted, humorous way. The book's aim is to give concise answers to questions that most students have when they begin law school.

The book's user-friendly style is one of its greatest assets. In tight, to-the-point chapters, the book addresses those tasks that students commonly face in law school: from reading and briefing cases, to outlining, to preparing and taking exams, to being called on in class. The book also provides advice on success outside the classroom, including preparing for the bar exam. In many ways, through the professor's grumblings, the book promotes professionalism and common sense. At the back of the book are sample case briefs and exam answers.