Surviving Law School and Getting Published: Inside Views from the US

Here's some surprising info from insiders on how to survive law school in the US and on how to get material published in US Law Reviews.

The anonymous Listless Lawyer has advice for first year law students on "how to a) get high grades b) with a minimum of effort", with the important caveat that "free advice is usually worth exactly what you paid for it". Focus on the grades, the grades and the grades (and on friends and fun to stay sane) is what he says, even at certain costs:

"If preparing for class every day isn’t helpful for you, then don’t do it. This will be hard, and probably scary at first, because you won’t want to look stupid in front of the entire class when you’re called upon. So just remember: your goal is not to impress your friends, but to get the highest grade that you can. And grading is blind. Your reputation buys you nothing on exam day."

The website of Columbia University's Law School has this piece on how to get articles published in Law Reviews. The picture is of a system utterly different from European practice. Lots of useful advice such as "submitting an article in December is the functional equivalent of dropping it off a bridge". Just so you know.

The University of Washington's School of Law Marian Gould Gallagher Library also has a good site with tips on how to publish in the States, including rankings of law reviews according to various measures. Have a look here.