LAW SCHOOL, THE SLACKER EDITION For those thinking about law school, here's a book to consider: The Slacker's Guide to Law School: Success Without Stress, by Juan Doria.

While the juxtaposition of law school with "slacker" is eye-catching, it's the second part of the book's title--the part that comes after the colon--that's a better description of Doria's book. It isn't really for or about slackers, in other words.

In the introduction, Doria describes his own law-school experience--

I simply did not let the stress get to me. Not when I was on call, not before exams, not during the job hunt. This drove some of my classmates crazy, and some of them even hated me for it. But instead of hating, they should have tried to mimic my approach. Anyone can do it, and it doesn't take hours of meditation. It just takes a conscious effort to remain clam when everyone around you is hysterical, and the consideration of some other tips included in this book.

While the book might not really remove the stress of law school for those who are stress-prone, there are plenty of tips for giving it a try. You'll find chapters on choosing a law school, applying to law school, classes, exams, and finding a job, all written by someone who says he had a "reputation as a slacker," but who wasn't really.

If you're worried about the (generally correct) assumption that law school can be stressful, add this book to your pre-law-school reading list. Keep in mind, however, that if you have a pre-law-school reading list, you're hardly a slacker in the first place, and are probably going to be pretty stressed no matter what you do.

Comments

[Derek]

I would echo the author's comments (to the extent they were quoted). I finished in the top 20% of my class at a Top 25 law school and did it almost entirely stress-free. I remember being amazed when one of my classmates described our law school as having a competitive environment. I found everyone helpful and collegial. I think if you go in expecting something awful, you can easily convince yourself that it is awful. Law school is what you make of it. Granted, it sucks pretty much from start to finish, but it doesn't have to be a stress-filled hell of backstabbing and evil.