With the aim of decreasing students' anxiety and increasing their chances of achieving academic success, What Every Law Student Really Needs to Know: An Introduction to the Study of Law prepares students to get through their first year of law school. As a valuable reference over an entire law school career, it will continue to contribute to students' academic success. With a friendly and informal writing style, this orientation to law school features: Insight into how and why law school works the way it does;

Tools, techniques, and information for understanding first-year substantive law as fully as possible;

An overview of the American legal system and court structure;

A concise review of basic civics, including the structure of American government and sources of law;

Introductions to analytic tools and methods of reasoning;

Clear descriptions of basic legal concepts, such as standards of review and burdens of proof;

A look ahead at the goals of a legal education -- and the life, duties, and responsibilities of being a lawyer;

Exercises that allow students to independently test their understanding of the material in a particular section;

Visual aids that help students grasp and remember the material;

A short primer on American history and legal philosophy, as each is relevant to the study of law;

Provides a self-study resource that students may use as they need.