A must read for any law or graduate student

I finished ONE L in one day, and was quite impressed. I've never read any of Turow's books; however, we do have something in common, I'm in a rough and tumble school as well--obtaining a PhD. Turow writes with candor and honesty. He describes in detail his life as a first year student, and what he thinks of the entire daunting situation of being a Harvard law student. Harvard is by far one of the top schools of law, and the sheer mention of it sends chills down the spine. Scott takes you through his first year, and the trials, tribulations and emotional stress that being a law student can inflict upon even the most intelligent person. Being a graduate student myself, I've had similar thoughts and feelings as Scott. As I made my way through the book, I had the distinct feeling that Scott was holding some feelings back--probably to protect the institution or other students, but he explains in great detail many of the feelings that overtake him in his arduous journey through the first year of Harvard Law. I don't care what college you attend, or if you attend college at all, buy this book and grab a cup of your favorite coffee; sit back and prepare to be captivated by the power of Harvard Law.

If you expect a blueprint for admission into Harvard Law, or cliff notes on how to master the first year, you will be disappointed.

Partially accurate, partially fiction

Turow's book is the generally accepted bible of law school life and it lives up to that reputation in part. His depictions of the pressures of the first year of law school are by-and-large accurate, for law schools throughout the U.S., not merely at Harvard. First and foremost, the amount of work required to succeed at law school is at least double or triple the amount of work that a law student expended in college. I attended one of the five most difficult, academically competitive and intensive universities in the country as an undergraduate, studied twice as much as the average college student and was completely unprepared for the workload required at law school.

There is some competition between students, but the most extreme cases of this usually involve students whose ambitions outstrip their abilities.

Some discussions that Turow left out:

1. Should the student even be in law school? Most law school graduates, upon obtaining some experience after graduation, realize that they made a mistake and should have done something else with their lives. There are reasons for attorneys' dissatisfactions with the law, including excessive pressure, workload and stress from dealing with unreasonable clients, counsel and judges.

2. What should be the goals of the law student or law student-to-be? Turlow relates the pressures of competition for a high class rank and membership on law review, but does not even hint that within five years of graduation, those factors become minor and have nothing to do with job satisfaction post-law school.

However, Turow's failure to discuss these issues is consistent with the naive notions of most first year law students. The majority of 1L's believe that success and happiness in life are guaranteed by obtaining a job with a large, prestigious law firm and most rate each other not just as potential lawyers, but as persons, based on whether or not the law student has suceeded in obtaining that six figure salary with the ten office firm. Most (but certainly not all) lawyers do not like working in large firms or even smaller private firms. It is unfortunate for most law students that they do not understand themselves well enough at the time they enter law school or even by graduation, to figure out what will make them happiest for the long run. Turow's book will not provide that information.

So, what Turow does provide is a reasonable accurate account of life as a laws student, interspersed with fiction. This year- long tale is not purely a work of historical accuracy, as Turow does add some additional elements to keep it interesting. Chief among these fictional interludes is the storyline of the death of Turow's fellow student who could not handle the pressure at school. One of my professors was in Turow's class at Harvard and categorically denied that any student in their first year committed suicide or died.

Overall, a decent, if somewhat sensationalized account of law school from a student's perspective. If you are contemplating attending law school, though, you should first determine from reading books on the actual practice of law and from talking to practicing lawyers, whether the profession is right for you. Pick up One-L only after you have made a conscious and well-reasoned decision to go to law school or are intending to read the book purely for pleasure.

Essential read for pre-laws; still a good read for others.

This is a great book. If you are thinking about Law School, you HAVE to read it. Understand, though, that the Law School experience--and the HLS experience, in specific--has changed a lot since the time this book was written. Still, nothing can give you a better idea of what law school will be like than this book. Today, hundreds of law students keep blogs of their experience--this phenomenon was clearly inspired by this book, which is written like (and, in fact adapted from) Turow's journal.

Even if you're not Law School bound, this is an exciting, engaging book that tells a great story. Turow is, of course, a successful author and an established writer. This book stands on its own as a good read.