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Summer Reading, Roommates, and Recommendations from a 3L

Looking for advice on where to live, where to buy books, what to expect your first year, or any other aspect of life as a 1L? Ashley Cole, a rising 3L, is working with us in Admissions and Student Affairs this summer, and she's here to help with any questions you might have. Ashley is from Cheraw, South Carolina, went to USC as an undergrad, and is working this summer with South Carolina Legal Services as well as here at the Law School, keeping up the housing list and talking with incoming 1Ls. During the school year, Ashley is one of our Law Ambassadors, is on the Pro Bono Board, works as a guardian ad litem, and was a Peer Mentor during her 2L year. Ashley is available for tours Tuesday and Thursdays from 9:00 - 4:00, and on Fridays by appointment. Come see us, or give Ashley a call at 803.777.8319. You can also email her.

Keep the roommate requests coming …

We're posting updates to the housing and "roommates wanted" lists several times a week. Please send any additions to Megan Seiner, Director of Student Affairs, via email, or call her at 803.777.1451.

And for advice from the faculty …

Incoming first-years often ask if there is anything they should be reading to prepare for law school, so we polled our faculty to see if they had advice for you. Not surprisingly, there are as many opinions on this as there are faculty members. Here's a selection:

Professor Jacqueline Fox: "I probably join everyone else in suggesting To Kill A Mockingbird. I also really enjoyed The Rainmaker, by John Grisham. I think it captures something about being a lawyer, and it really resonated with me early in my career."

Professor Lewis Burke: "I am of the opinion that incoming 1Ls should read as much enjoyable material as possible before they come! Sadly, I did not read any fiction during law school."

Professor Jan Baker: "I recommend 1L of a Ride, by Andrew McClurg. There are so many 'you're going to law school' books out there, but I think this one gives the most honest and practical advice on what to expect and how to prepare. I also like that McClurg devotes a chapter to the importance of maintaining your well-being. On the lighter side, I also think students need something they can read on a cold rainy October day, after a grueling day in class. For that, I recommend anything that will make them laugh!"

Phyllis Burkhard, Director of Career Services: "I always suggest One-L by Scott Turow. It is an account of his 1L year at Harvard and talks about the Socratic method. One of my favorite parts is when it dawns on him that there are no answers in torts and that he is supposed to be thinking about gray areas rather than finding a bright line. Just knowing that ahead of time is helpful."

Professor Howard Stravitz: "An Introduction to Legal Reasoning, by Edward Levi. The Language is a bit dated, but it is the best book I know for introducing new law students to the process of legal reasoning for cases, the constitution, and legislation. It is not fun and games! But those who work to understand the concepts will be substantially advantaged in the first year."

Dean Rob Wilcox: "I think What Every Law Student Really Needs to Know: An Introduction to the Study of Law is the best comprehensive presentation. But don't go out and buy it; we'll be giving every 1L a copy at orientation!"

Associate Dean and Professor Duncan Alford: "William Henderson's article "Are We Selling Results or Résumés? The Underexplored Linkage between Human Resource Strategies and Firm-Specific Capital" analyzes the law firm associate market. You can find it at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1121238. An interesting and sobering analysis for future lawyers!

"More leisurely reading is Chimamanda Adichie's novel Half a Yellow Sun, set during the civil war in Nigeria in the late 1960s. Adichie, a gifted young writer, received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2008."

Associate Dean Susan Palmer: "Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage by Jeff Benedict. It can be easy in law school to forget why you're there. Most applicants talk to us about coming to law school so they can learn to use the law to help people, whether that means helping families solve problems or helping businesses be successful. This is a story about how the law works - or doesn't - in a very real way. When law school starts to seem overwhelming, remember why you're here!"

Other suggestions:

Legal Nonfiction

Cardozo, Benjamin N. The Nature of the Judicial Process (Yale Univ. Press 1985)

Dworkin, Ronald D. Taking Rights Seriously (Harvard Univ. Press 1978)

Fuller, Lon L. The Morality of Law (rev. ed., Yale Univ. Press 1977)

Gilmore, Grant. Ages of American Law (Yale Univ. Press 1979)

Hart, H.L.A. The Concept of Law (2nd ed., Clarendon Press 1997)

Kluger, Richard. Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality (Random House 1977)

Lardner, James. Fast Forward: Hollywood, the Japanese, and the VCR. (Story of the Betamax litigation)

Larson, Edward J. Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion (repr. ed., Harvard Univ. Press 1998)

Lewis, Anthony. Gideon's Trumpet (reissue ed., Vintage 1989)

Llewellyn, Karl N. Bramble Bush: On Our Law and Its Study (Oceana 1981)

Stern, Gerald M. The Buffalo Creek Disaster (Random House 1977)

Zegart, Dan. Civil Warriors (story of the tobacco litigation)

Legal Fiction

Grisham, John. A Time to Kill

Harr, Jonathan. A Civil Action (fiction based on an actual event)

Traver, Robert. Anatomy of a Murder (25th anniv. ed., St. Martin's 1983)

Turow, Scott. Presumed Innocent