193: Books to Read Before Law School

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we’re talking about books related to the legal system that you might want to read during the summer before starting law school. These books are interesting, and you might even learn something in the process!

In this episode we discuss:

• Non-fiction stories about famous lawyers and judges
• Classics on the law school experience
• Recommended thrillers developed around legal issues
• Books that will help you get into a positive, productive mindset - not just for law school, but in general
• Legal-related authors whose body of work is worth exploring
• Why casebooks, hornbooks, commercial outlines, and the E&E series can be overwhelming and confusing to read in preparation for law school, so you can skip them for now

Resources:

• My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor (https://www.amazon.com/Sonia-Sotomayor-Beloved-World-Paperback/dp/B01FODGF1K)
• Becoming, by Michelle Obama (https://becomingmichelleobama.com/)
• My Own Words, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (https://www.amazon.com/Own-Words-Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg/dp/150114524X)
• A Civil Action, by Jonathan Harr (https://www.amazon.com/Civil-Action-Jonathan-Harr/dp/0679772677)
• The Buffalo Creek Disaster, by Gerald Stern (https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Creek-Disaster-Survivors-Coal-Mining/dp/0307388492)
• Gideon's Trumpet, by Anthony Lewis (https://www.amazon.com/Gideons-Trumpet-Prisoner-Supreme-Court/dp/0679723129)
• Terminal Ambition, by Kate McGuinness (http://terminal-ambition.com/)
• The Firm, by John Grisham (http://www.jgrisham.com/the-firm/)
• One L, by Scott Turow (https://www.amazon.com/One-Turbulent-Story-Harvard-School/dp/0143119028)
• The Paper Chase, by John Jay Osborn Jr. (https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Chase-John-Jay-Osborn/dp/0983698007)
• Mindsight, by Dan Siegel (https://www.drdansiegel.com/books/mindsight/)
• Mindset, by Carol Dweck (https://mindsetonline.com/)
• Deep Work, by Cal Newport (http://calnewport.com/books/deep-work/)
• So Good They Can't Ignore You, by Cal Newport (http://calnewport.com/books/so-good/)
• The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown (https://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Imperfection-Think-Supposed-Embrace/dp/159285849X)
• The End of Lawyers?, by Richard Susskind (https://www.amazon.com/End-Lawyers-Rethinking-nature-services-ebook/dp/B00AF6MZ4I)
• 24 Hours with 24 Lawyers, by Jasper Kim (https://www.amazon.com/24-Hours-Lawyers-Traditional-Non-Traditional/dp/0314276319)
• Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks, by Grover Cleveland (https://lessonsforsharks.com/book/synopsis/)
• Getting to Maybe, by Richard Michael Fischl (https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Maybe-Excel-School-Exams/dp/0890897603)

Download the Transcript (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-193-books-to-read-before-law-school/)

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/law-school-toolbox-podcast/id1027603976) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). If you're concerned about the bar exam, check out our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/). You can also sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/get-law-school-podcast-updates/) to make sure you never miss an episode!

Thanks for listening!

Alison & Lee