Product Description

Professors Fischl and Paul explain law school exams in ways no one has before, all with an eye toward improving the reader's performance. The book begins by describing the difference between educational cultures that praise students for "right answers," and the law school culture that rewards nuanced analysis of ambiguous situations in which more than one approach may be correct. Enormous care is devoted to explaining precisely how and why legal analysis frequently produces such perplexing situations.

But the authors don't stop with mere description. Instead, Getting to Maybe teaches how to excel on law school exams by showing the reader how legal analysis can be brought to bear on examination problems. The book contains hints on studying and preparation that go well beyond conventional advice. The authors also illustrate how to argue both sides of a legal issue without appearing wishy-washy or indecisive. Above all, the book explains why exam questions may generate feelings of uncertainty or doubt about correct legal outcomes and how the student can turn these feelings to his or her advantage.

In sum, although the authors believe that no exam guide can substitute for a firm grasp of substantive material, readers who devote the necessary time to learning the law will find this book an invaluable guide to translating learning into better exam performance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2811 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 348 pages

Review
Finally a study aid that takes legal theory seriously...Students who master these lessons will surely write better exams. More importantly, they will also learn to be better lawyers. --Steven L. Winter, Brooklyn Law School

If you can't spot a 'fork in the law' or a 'fork in the facts' in an exam hypothetical, get this book. If you don't know how to play 'Czar of the Universe' on law school exams (or why), get this book. And if you do want to learn how to think like a lawyer--a good one--get this book. It's, quite simply, stone cold brilliant. --Pierre Schlag, University of Colorado School of Law (Law Preview Book Review on The Princeton Review website)

This book should revolutionize the ordeal of studying for law school exams....It's clear, insightful, fun to read, and right on the money. --Duncan Kennedy, Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence, Harvard Law School

About the Author
Richard Michael Fischl is a professor of law at the University of Connectical School of Law. Jeremy R. Paul is a Thomas F. Gallivan Professor of Real Property Law and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Connecticut in Hartford.

Customer Reviews

Must read for law students
Reading this book took a huge weight off my shoulders before law school. This book is a crash course not only in how to succeed in law school, but also how to think about the law as a whole. The lessons learned here are designed to frame your legal education, and helps you learn a surefire, if not complex, method to taking all law exams and tacking legal problems.

Useful and worthwhile

I found this book very helpful in understanding features of law school that are important there but not necessarily taught there. It also is done in an interesting way, so that it's not just a completely practical guide to exams. It *is* practical, but it's got some intellectual content, too. Worthwhile for the law student.

Good for a 1L
I had Fischl for Contracts at UM a few years ago and highly recommend it if you find yourself in a similar position. The examples are pretty close to the type of questions he and other law school professors ask on exams. Think of this book as a Princeton Review type lesson on how to master the test not the material. It does a good job breaking down the different types of issue spotters etc and is helpful for those with no exam experience. I recommend it to my 1L friends (the ones I couldn't talk out of going to law school. 4 stars only because even knowing what to expect didn't help my grade in his class!