Bookshelves

Joann recommends Top-Law-Schools.com Guide to Personal Statements for advice on writing strong statements. What’s unique about their book is the extensive commentary on more than 30 personal statements. This commentary explains what is strong and what is wrong with each personal statement. This book gives you a bird’s eye view of what the admission committee members are looking for (and what they dislike) when they read statements. This knowledge is power when it comes to law school admissions.

Joann reads all the literature she can on getting into law school so that she can pass the best of the advice on to you. Below you’ll find a list of the important books currently on the market, ranked in what Joann feels to be the order of their helpfulness to law school applicants. These books can be found in the career development center libraries of most colleges and universities, or you can buy them in bookstores or online. The Amazon Marketplace has lightly used copies of these books for just a few dollars.

1.  How to Get Into the Top Law Schools. Richard Montauk, J.D. (New York: Prentice Hall, 2004).

stars: 5/5 (Includes 15 personal statement examples with excellent commentary; we recommend this book to all law school applicants.)

2. The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions: Straight Advice on Essays, Resumes, Interviews, and More. Anna Ivey. (Orlando: Harvest Original (Harcourt, Inc.), 2005).

stars: 4/5 (A very solid, well-written book)

3. 55 Successful Harvard Law School Application Essays. Harvard Crimson staff, eds. (New York: St. Martin's, 2007).

stars: 4/5 (Good examples of personal statements; the commentary on the statements isn’t as in-depth as Top-Law-Schools.com Guide to Personal Statements.)

4. Great Personal Statements for Law School. Paul Bodine. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006).

stars: 4/5 (A solid guide)

5. The Best Law Schools' Admission Secrets: The Essential Guide from Harvard's Former Admissions Dean. Joyce Putnam Curll. (Naperville: Sourcebooks, 2008).

stars: 4/5 (Well-written and comprehensive guide to all aspects of law school admission. A good complement to a book focusing on the personal statement.)

6. Essays that Will Get You Into Law School. Daniel Kaufman, Chris Dowhan, Amy Burnham. (Barron's, 1998).

stars: 4/5 (Does not include commentary on the personal statements)

7. Get Into Law School: A Strategic Approach. Ruth Lammert-Reeves. 2nd ed. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004).

stars: 3/5 (A comprehensive guide to all aspects of law school admission. Another good complement to a book focusing on the personal statement.)

8. How to Get into Law School. Susan Estrich. (New York: Riverhead, 2004).

stars: 3/5 (space allocated in this book for sections on how to succeed in your classes and to find fulfillment in law school after you’ve been accepted)

9. Law School Admissions Adviser: The Expert Advice You Need to Get Into the Law School You Want. Ruth Lammert-Reeves, et al. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000).

stars: 3/5 (Similar to Lammert-Reeves’s Get Into Law School)

10. How to Get Into Harvard Law School: Invaluable Advice on Applying and a Look at Successful Application Essays from Current Students and Recent Grads. Willie J. Epps, Jr. (Lincolnwood (Chicago): Contemporary Books, 1996).

stars: 3/5 (Mostly transcribed interviews between the author and his Harvard Law peers; includes a few personal statements with no commentary)

11. Essays that Worked for Law Schools: 35 Successful Applications to the Nation's Top Law Schools. Boykin Curry, ed. (Memphis: Mustang Publishing, 1988).

stars: 3/5 (Personal statement examples; no commentary)

12. Perfect Phrases for Law School Acceptance. Paul Bodine. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009).

stars: 3/5 (This book is hard to use)

13. Law School Essays that Made a Difference. Eric Owens (New York: Princeton Review, 2003).

stars: 3/5 (Not quite as strong as some of the others)

14. The Ultimate Guide to Law School Admission. Carol L. Wright, J.D. (Center valley: Marriwell, 2003).

stars: 3/5 (For our money, Montauk’s How to Get Into the Top Law Schools is the ultimate comprehensive guide.)

15. The Law School Admissions Guide: How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Admitted to Law School Despite Your LSAT Score and GPA. Robert DeV. Bunn (Cambridge Lighthouse Press, 2006).

stars: 2/5 (Some good advice)

16. Getting Into Law School Today. Thomas H. Martinson, J.D. and David P. Waldherr, J.D. 3rd ed. (ARCO (a division of Thomson Learning), 1998).

stars: 2/5 (Substantial space allocated in this book for LSAT prep)

17. How to Get Into the Right Law School. Paul Lermack, Ph.D. 2nd ed. (Lincolnwood (Chicago): VGM Career Horizons, 1997.

stars: 2/5 (Some good advice)

18. How to Get Into Law School. Rennard Strickland. Revised ed. (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1977).

stars: 1/5 (Out of date; don’t bother)