I thought this book is a good book to read before starting law school. Granted people must take into consideration that this is Harvard Law, set in the 70's and from one man's point of view. I enjoyed the book and found it interesting and insightful. I'm not taking everything he says in it as an absolute truth, but it does help to gain some insight into how one may feel while going through your first year of law school. I would recommend it to other people.

Turow offers great insight into the tribulation of first year law school that only a survivor can convey. If you are a reader simply curious to read about the stress of Harvard law school then I highly recommend this book. However, if you are a reader looking for a solid reference to the first year law school experience then you will probably find this book a little dissapointing. Turow tells a great story and emphasizes the high and lows of law school, but law school has changed a lot since the antiquated 70's and the commanding tone of Harvard Law does not necessarily resonate among all law schools. It's a good read overall but lacks applicability.

For anyone interested in possibly attending law school--this is a must read. Turow is highly entertaining and informative throughout the book. Despite the many vicious and competitive scenarios, this book has encouraged my desire to attend law school. Even those of you who are not interested in a legal profession, it is a great read. Now i would like to read the sequel to this book.

Before I started law school, I was repeatedly told to buy best selling author Turow's version of his first year at Harvard "if for no other reason than everyone else there will have read it".

Well, I'm in my second year of law school, and I think it has been mentioned, oh, once, thanks. Still, it wasn't a waste of time. Turow does a nice job of capturing the stress and camaraderie that develops int he first year of law school, when everyone is changing the way their mind works, and at least some of the professors seem bent on making you cry.

Turow's writing is punchy and enjoyable, and he makes the Harvard classroom come alive. If you're headed to law school you should read this, an if you're not, it might be enough to make you thankful you're not.

If you are reading this book, then you are probably trying to ask if law school is right for you. That, or else you are attempting to discern how you will respond when a spouse or friend goes to law school.

This book has a lot of imitators now that blogging has emerged as a convention of daily life. I see blogs cataloged for almost every law school and for almost as many business schools. They all attempt to provide detail to the foreboding mystery that surrounds the gatekeeping institutions of professional life.

Turow attended Harvard Law School, beginning in 1978. He takes on the competition among his peers, the fear within the Socratic system of teaching, and the strain on his own conscience. The last element is key to this book.

Going to law school is like riding a wave. The force is in the water, not in whatever is bobbing along. It is only that Turow can identify when his values are provoked by the transformative pressures of HLS that the book makes a real comment. By contrast, a book like the Paper Chase is more about relationships. There is more narrative content in that approach.

This is as much a documentary journal. Fear is not an abstract notion. It is borne out through the personification of Contracts Professor Rudolf Perini. Outlines matter. Study groups become fortresses against anxiety. Law Review is a beacon, at least for some.

I think the reason to read this book is answered by One L. There are a few comments, here and there, that hint at the strain. When Turow realizes that he cannot tell his friends what Boston is like, although he has lived there for four months, he realizes that he has only walked back and forth on a two-mile corridor from apartment to school.

The 1996 edition includes an afterword by the author. He writes a bit about how a career in the law has subsequently forced him to think about what a legal education provided and how it differs from practice. Law school serves to train people to become law professors, he says. Nonetheless, he doesn't think it would serve the profession to make school more focused on career skills. If anything, he appreciates that his profession shares a common training ground that differs from the constraints of the practice.

At several points in the book, Turow poses a riddle: when you buy a hamburger, when does it become a contract and what would it mean to break the deal. I don't think he answers it specifically, because he seems to be saying that the law doesn't have a firm and final answer.

I read this book because I want to go to law school. I searched the web sites of various Law Schools for recommended reading lists and this book appeared on more than one list. And for good reason. It is a great book for someone considering law school. It describes how Harvard Law School breaks down its students in the first year as "One L"'s before building them back up. It also describes, better than other books I have read, the impact on the rest of your life a commitment to law school has, including your family and social life, or lack thereof.
This book may make some people question whether the path through law school is the one for them. But if anything, I am even more anxious to go and face the challenge.

The topicality of attorney Scott Turow's law school horror story "One L" may be in dispute, but its entertainment value is not. You don't even have to contemplate a future career in law to draw from Turow's tale those feelings we all get when we encounter a challenge before we even muster a step past the entrance, and from there it all piles up: There is uncertainty, exhaustion, pressure from life-threatening but unavoidable exams, and that particular teacher who EVERYONE whispers about. Of course, my personal favorite is the passionate and burning thirst for competition lurking in the darkest depths of each student. The real nasty part is that everybody tries his or her utmost best to conceal it, but make no mistake. That Law Review position looks mighty fine when you are combing through future areas of employment.

"One L" chronicles Mr. Turow's, indeed, "turbulent true story" at one of the most prestigious and influential legal coliseums in the United States, and his journey there constitutes endless opportunities to torture him and his classmates while the readers giggle in fiendish delight. Even more colorful are the characters we meet, including those in Turow's study group and the wickedly brilliant Professor Pereni.

The book approaches the almost holistic mysticism of Harvard Law School, turns the concept upside down, and reveals the nitty-gritty of the whole enterprise. Obviously, Harvard Law today and the Harvard Law of Scott Turow are as radically different now as night and day. Take this then as a window to the past, populated with creative creatures as its students (Hothschild comes to mind) and professors (the great Mr. Pereni), and those dreadful stories about pre-exam nights. Just don't let it keep you away from Harvard!

I had my wife purchase One L for me because I wanted to be reminded of what it was like to be a law student again. It has been a long time and quite honestly, I had forgotten.

I had forgotten about study groups and the terror of the Socratic Method. I had forgotten about that law students can be terrified of their Professors, and that they are intrigued by the fine points of law which seem so new and unique to them.

Pushing back the frontiers of ignorance. It is what I do. It is what I hope to do better.

Empathy. One L has given me empathy for my students.

I read this book because the law student at Northwestern mentioned that although it was dated, it's an important book in terms of understanding what law school was/is like. As a person who will be attending law school next fall, I was somewhat disappointed with the book, but most likely for reasons out of Turow's control. If the book was meant solely as a description of his first year and nothing more, then it would be a tight account of many of the difficulties this person had as he navigated what he describes as the toughest year at arguably the best law school in the country. But that being said, Turow's account seems to take a slightly different angle in that it aims to primarily critique the collective law education process while being critical of the professors and other students (pseudo-fictional amalgamations of the actual people he went to school with and was taught under) at Harvard. I think what got to me was the constant oscillation between the pride he had at being at so prestigious an institution with the shame he almost exhibited as he slowly changed as a person as the year progressed, becoming as competitive and almost bitter as those around him. It's a tough sell when much of the book comes out as whining and because it's so time specific, the whining doesn't seem like the kind of thing that can sustain the book for readers from this decade let alone readers in the future. I think the book is important as a period piece, an insider's guide to law school, but there's just something that it lacks for a broader audience. If I wasn't going to law school, I would have said the book was a waste of my time, since it doesn't seem to do enough other than provide the perspective of a very neurotic, though intelligent and successful writer's take on his tough transition from being a graduate professor of literature at Stanford to a law student. If this review seems a little confusing, suffice to say that if you want to go to law school, go ahead and read it, if not, take a pass. You may as well read a blog online.

Turow's One L in an interesting read. His easy prose style will keep you engaged with the 'characters' in the story, and his penchant for drama will keep you turning pages. I gave the book 4 stars because of Turow's writing style and his inclusion of legal terms, description of classes, exams, and study groups. It is apparent that he wrote this book for those who were contemplating law school. Even though his perspective is dated, I think he successfully channeled the highs and lows of the trials of obtaining an advanced degree at a top university. Turow's bleeding heart sentiments about the perils of the HLS education and his open disdain for the pedagogy of certain professors were the weakest areas of the work.

With that said, I did feel that Turow and some of his acquaintances should have been put on suicide watch or given a valium. Most of them appeared very uptight, and overly sensitive to the competitive nature of the class environment and criticism of the professors, which is often the custom in any graduate/professional class. As a former graduate student and lecturer in English at another prestigious university--Stanford--Turow should have been more amenable to the teaching styles and challenges presented, jmho. But I did read this over 25 yrs later so my Gen-Y student experience would naturally clash with the student experience of the late 70s. Warning: Be mindful of the generation gap!

As a student who is thinking about law school, I was not frightened or put off by One L. A good read but by no means my only source.

I have read this book twice. A very rare thing for me to do. I have practiced law for over 30 years and this accurately portrays the trials and tribulations of law students. I volunteer as a career mentor at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Another attorney and I place this at the top of our suggested reading list for students who are curious about the legendary legal education environment. Good stuff.

I suppose that for people who are way too tightly wound, law school might actually be like this. It wasn't for me. As other reviewers have pointed out, Turow must have never before been in an actual stressful situation before if he found law school this bad. In fact, it almost seems as if law school was the first time anyone had ever been mean to him at all.

On the other hand, I didn't go to Harvard - I went to a school where no student had any chance of clerking for a Supreme Court justice or anything fancy like that. If people believe that their lives will be meaningless if they don't get to be on the Harvard Law Review, then maybe they do go to pieces when professors are mean to them.

It's really not a bad book - it's entertaining and readable - but people should realize it's not a description of what most students experience in law school. And remember that it was originally published 30 years ago.

To anyone interested in going to law school or even wondering what it might be like, read this book!

Turow chronicles his first year at Harvard Law in frightening fashion. For those interested in going to law school, the book will be a terrifying account. For the rest of us, it's like watching a car accident and not being able to look away.

To anyone interested in going to law school or even wondering what it might be like, read this book!

Turow chronicles his first year at Harvard Law in frightening fashion. For those interested in going to law school, the book will be a terrifying account. For the rest of us, it's like watching a car accident and not being able to look away.

Turow is a great writer and this book does an excellent job of telling the story of his first year in law school.

Turow's writing style is excellent and saves the book from just being a story about law school. The essence of the story is how the author faced and survived a great personal challenge. The challenge could have just as easily found its setting in some other arena such as the military or some great athletic undertaking.

Before I attended law school I looked for any and all resources I could find in order to get a good idea of what to expect. This book and the movie "The Paper Chase" were the two most enjoyable and informative resources I found. "Planet Law School" was also informative, but after attending law school I would say that it was packed with lots of bad advice.

Turow is a gifted writer and does an excellent job in conveying the frustrations, challenges, and pressures of the first year of law school. My only caution to potential law school students who read the book is that law school today is definitely not as horrible as Turow's experience apparently was. Law school has changed since the 70s. The professors by and large are not as tough as the professors who bullied Turow. That is not to say that the current law school experience is not demanding. It is, but there is a range of acceptable academic performance and each student is given some freedom to decide where they fit in.

If a student is attracted to the law school experience because of the intensity that Turow describes, and is really looking for a similar kind of personal challenge -- then that kind of challenge is definitely waiting to be had. Set your sights on making law review and getting ranked at the top of your class and you will find an incredible challenge. However, most students get through law school with much less pain and fear than Turow apparently experienced.

A very enjoyable book by a talented writer.

I read One L and enjoyed Turow's story. I do think the sharing of his daily life and emotions as a first year law student is beneficial. However, I have also read The Law School Breakthrough by Chris Yianilos. Yianilos gives a very detailed description of the tools and techniques needed in order to not only survive the first year, but to excel in your class. While I did like reading One L, I feel like the Law School Breakthrough is the book to get if you're looking for concrete guidance for law school success.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who recently graduated from law school. I had asked her about interesting reading material before my first year, and she felt that Turow's "One L" would be a good start for me. As soon as I picked up the book, I was captivated by the narrative and honest tone of Turow's account. Although the account itself is from the 70s, there is a timeless quality in Turow's writing that brings his law student experience to life. This novel is definitely worth reading, especially for those who are thinking about law school.

This book is a surprise. It is a great read. You may think it will be on the predictible side, but Turow is a creative writer who understands what readers want. You can't miss with one of his books, this one is an easy read.

This was a recommended read for my law school orientation, so I bought and read it. This could truly scare a person away from law school. Turow uses a dramatic license, of course, but I think the book makes law school out to be much worse than it really is. Yes, you do get called on in class to discuss the case and if you are not prepared you can be ridiculed and yes the only grade you get is the exam at the end of the semester. And every class has that one student that loves to talk and make it seem as if he or she knows it all and there is always that one professor that everybody fears. But, it's like that in undergrad as well. After I read this book, I was seriously reconsidering my decision to go to law school, but I'm glad I continued through with it. Turow assists in making Harvard and law school seem dark and mysterious and nearly impossible to complete, but don't believe it. Harvard Law may still be impossible to get into, but law school is not as impossible as this book makes it out to be. Don't waste your time, read a good hornbook instead.

My husband was a grad student at Harvard when he came across the book and brought it home. He had taken a Harvard Law class in conjunction with his own concentration, and loved it to the point that he was thinking of applying.

Well, he didn't apply in the long run, but I did pick up the book. And goodness, but I'm glad I did.

One-L does not just tell you about the first year of law school at Harvard in the mid 70s - it tells you what students at Harvard are thinking, feeling, and experiencing. It talks about stress, peer pressure, teachers who bore, who excite, fascinating classes, horrific encounters, and the like. Turow somehow manages to cram all the highs and lows of a single nine-month period into a single book, and by the end of it I felt that though my husband wasn't at Harvard Law, I understood what he was experiencing himself a thousand times better.

And that's a very good thing, because as anyone who's had to put a spouse through any level of higher education can tell you - it SUCKS. Whether or not the details of what Turow experienced matched my husband's daily grind don't matter quite as much as the fact that they both were having the same emotional and physical drain on a regular basis - and understanding this drain was vital to our living happily in a too-crammed apartment on Garden Street.

I still recommend this book to the spouses of friends who are going to law or grad school - although I caution the actual student not to read it until they've graduated! I firmly believe that it needs to be required reading for family members who want to better understand what their student is experiencing - there is no better way of describing what life for 1Ls is like than this book.

I read One L for the first time 7 years after I graduated from law school, and this is an accurate, realistic portrayal about life in law school. I had classroom battles with my own Prof. Perini type, and I knew a couple of weasel type classmates like Kyle. And, yes, most law school exams are still "one throw of the dice" affairs at the end of the semester. Although it is now some thirty years after the events of One L, law school STILL is not an experience for the faint hearted and easily intimidated. This is an excellent and entertaining read!!!

I read One L for the first time 7 years after I graduated from law school, and this is an accurate, realistic portrayal about life in law school. I had classroom battles with my own Prof. Perini type, and I knew a couple of weasel type classmates like Kyle. And, yes, most law school exams are still "one throw of the dice" affairs at the end of the semester. Although it is some thirty years after One L, law school STILL is not an experience for the faint hearted and easily intimidated. This is an excellent and entertaining read!!!

I love Scott Turow's books in general, but this one is of little interest for anyone except lawyers. Like legal writing itself, the book drones on endlessly in a language few know or care to know. On the other hand Turow's writings about the death penalty are terrific.

Having been through law school (though not Harvard), I found that Turow's book was a pretty good description of what law school is like. I think he gives adequate warning that his experience might be different than the average students (and I don't think most students are that excitable), and overall it was a very enjoyable read.

Things have changed too since the 1970s (when Turow was in school). Professors are not quite as harsh (though there are some that are) and the internet has changed legal research quite a bit. But overall, the book does a good job of capturing the anxiety and stress of the first year of law school. I enjoyed it.

As someone who is in the application process for law school, I'm hoping that indeed the events depicted have been 'dramatized' for the sake of the book.

A recent law grad told me pretty much the same thing I've seen from other reviewers here...thatthis has a heaping grain of truth, but it's pretty sketchy to use this when deciding whether to go to law school.

I first read Scott Turow's "One L" when I was contemplating whether or not to attend law school after graduation. Before making a decision that would cost me tens of thousands of dollars, I had bought a selection of old hardbound casebooks like the ones used in the One L curriculum - turgid material such as Torts, Property, Contracts, and more. Needless to say, when I read Turow's descriptions of the socratic method used in law school and the fear it engendered in students, I decided that getting a JD was not for me.

Nevertheless, Turow's account of his first year at Harvard Law is riveting. Within the space of a few weeks, Turow goes from a confident graduate student at Stanford to a man uncertain of his place in the world and faced with an excessive workload and professors who delight in confusing prospective lawyers with seemingly needless ambiguity. Finally, the author's depictions of his fellow students, from the ambitious "gunners" to the quiet curve breakers, to those who simply feel out of place, still stand the test of time in terms of drawing the reader in.

I first read Scott Turow's "One L" when I was contemplating whether or not to attend law school after graduation. Before making a decision that would cost me tens of thousands of dollars, I had bought a selection of old hardbound casebooks like the ones used in the One L curriculum - turgid material such as Torts, Property, Contracts, and more. Needless to say, when I read Turow's descriptions of the socratic method used in law school and the fear it engendered in students, I decided that getting a JD was not for me.

Nevertheless, Turow's account of his first year at Harvard Law is riveting. The author's depictions of his fellow students, from the ambitious "gunners" to the quiet curve breakers, to those who simply feel out of place, still stand the test of time in terms of drawing the reader in.

As an pre-law undergraduate college student, I decided to pick this book up because I had read it was the best account of law school one could read. I went out and got it, and sure enough, not only did it scare me to death about law school, but I could not put it down; the way Turow builds and builds with the describing of the treatment of students by law professors to his fall semester exams to his spring semester, it was one of the most engaging books I have ever read. You read of the torture these students are going through, and it makes YOU nervous reading the book. And I still have to start law school! This is an incredible book that any lover of fiction should read, in addition to pre-law students, law students, and lawyers. Anyone who wants a good read should pick this up.

This book, started out kind of exciting, with Scott going off to law school. Then it got boring and really kind of high falutin.(pretentious) He goes on a little too much about how Harvard is so special and the love of the law and all that. However, the final half of the book got good again when he got into the details of studying for exams and competition. So overall I give it 3 and 1/2 stars, it's just that amazon does not let you give a half.. It would be good for someone considering going to law school. Don't pay attention to all the people who reviewed it saying you should not read it until after first year. I would have appreciated reading this prior to my first year.

While I am not attending Harvard Law School, I looked to this book for a few reasons.
1) For an account of a first year in law school
2) For an account of the emotions and atmosphere
3) For any insight as to the workings of law schools

I found satisfaction in all that I was looking for in this book. It is always good to read historical accounts even if they don't totally apply to the modern law school. This is one of the few, if not only, book that I know of that is about the first year of law school much less from an active law student.

I just finished this book. I think Mr. Turow is a good writer, but I'm not sure how reading this book helps a future 1L.


I think it's over-dramatic. There is an appropriate amount of emotion and drama for any situation, and in my opinion Turow is way over the top.


I think the negative emotion expressed throughout Turow's book is bound to increase the agitation, nervousness and apprehension in law students who read his book.


It also steals a lot of the law school experience from a future 1L. Its like reading a book, which takes you, step-by-step through a roller coaster, emotions and all, before you ride that roller coaster.


"Oh, I'm at the top of the loop. I remember Turow writing about this and about how he felt at this point. I feel a lot like he felt. But is what I'm feeling truly mine, or his?"


"Oh, this person is just like xxx from Turow's book. But would I have felt the same way about them had I not read Turow's book? Would I still have pigeonholed this person into one of Turow's canned personalities?"


In conclusion, I would not recommend reading this book. I would recommend sticking with books like "Law School Confidential" which give a more matter-of-fact, much more thorough and less dramatic introduction into the world of law school.

I originally read ONE L, I think, because I was a big fan of The Paper Chase. This version includes an afterward, written after PRESUMED INNOCENT was published.

As a first-year law student, Turow had to study the law of Contracts, Torts, and Property, Criminal Law, and Civil Procedure. A lot of this reminded me of the Paper Chase with professors using the Socratic method in which students are interrogated at length on selected court cases from which they are expected to deduce legal principles.

Rudolph Perini, Turow's Contracts professor, will definitely remind you of Professor Kingsfield. "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, the mornings we have Contracts . . . I'm nearly sick to my stomach. . . . I can't believe it, but I think about that class and I get ill," Turow complains.

Another Paper Chase element is the study group. A small number of students, usually between four and eight, would meet regularly to discuss common concerns. Turow valued his group for its therapeutic function. At first Turow and his cohorts in the study group disdained grades, but that gradually changed as Midterms drew closer. The top five or six people in each 1L section would be elected to The Law Review the next summer. Those elected would glean faculty contacts, the opportunity to teach at a law school, and the possibility of a Supreme Court clerkship.

Some parts of ONE L are rather funny. For instance, students often retaliated against a professor by hissing, "a piece of student weaponry frequently used when a professor dismissed a student's comments unfairly or said something hardhearted". Another instance would be the night before Midterms when Turow took a sleeping pill, and a Valium, but still couldn't get to sleep. He got up and had a drink, then another, had sex twice with his wife and finally fell asleep at three. Also, on test day, Turow brings along earplugs, paper, four pencils, four pens, three rolls of mints, two packs of cigarettes, a cup of iced coffee, a Coke, two chocolate bars, a pencil sharpener, an extension cord for my typewriter.

We also get to meet a rather famous personage. Turow signs up for Constitutional Law taught by Archibald Cox, but quickly drops the course because Cox is a dull lecturer. There is also the beginning of fundamental change. Nearly a quarter of American law students were now women. In Turow's class ten percent were black, three percent Latin, twenty-one percent women. The first female president of the Law Review was also elected.

Turow has several suggestions on how to improve Harvard Law school, especially the first year: Smaller classes, more opportunities for students to write and to make contact with the faculty, different formats for evaluation of student performance, election to the Law Review without reference to grades. He also felt that being frightened was more detrimental than motivating. He would supplement case reading with film, drama, informal narrative, and actual client contact.

Turow ends by suggesting more of a practical application. Students should be taught "brief writing, research, courtroom technique, document drafting, negotiation, client counseling, and the paramount task of gathering the facts." He would also emphasize legal ethics, suggesting that the general public has a dim view of lawyers, rating them only slightly higher than used car salesmen. What are the ethical imperatives for a lawyer who is confronted with a client who wishes to save his business, his liberty, his life, by lying under oath? he asks, implying that this sort of thing happens more often than one might think.

I read Scott Turow's `One L' because I just got accepted to law school and I wanted something to give me a good, solid idea of what I was in for. In ways it did just that but in a lot of ways it left me lacking.

Make no mistake about it: Scott Turow is a great writer and he knows what he's talking about. On the other hand the book suddenly got very intrinsic sometimes and went off on a personal journey of discovery. Where it lacked was in the greater details of the law school environment, what it took to get in, and maybe the evolution of law school.

Another critical point is that it was written in the late 70s. By all accounts law school has changed A LOT since then. Another critique, and this is of no fault for Mr. Turow, but he's older and married in his first year of law school. The new entering classes are much younger and don't have the experience or maturity that Mr. Turow had. If you're on your way to law school and you're serious about it, you might skip it until AFTER your first year. On the other hand if you know absolutely nothing about or you like legal novels go for it.

One L is a classic story that has stood the test of time. I am currently a 1L and have found that this book is fairly accurate. The personalities he portrays are still very alive today. I would encourage anyone who themselves is heading to law school to read this book. In addition I would recommend it to the significant others of future law school students.

I'm a Brit and I'm not a lawyer, I left University 22 years ago. I have kids and a dog (and a wife). I have never been to the USA and know virtually nothing about Harvard.

So why have i read this book FIVE TIMES !!?

It must be VOODOO because the whole thing about struggling through law school inspired me. Not only have I read it 5 times outright, I find myself even now dipping into it to catch a quick fix.

It is a truly tremendous book, full of humanity, intellectual discussion and it evinces a real love of the law.

It is probably one of, if not thee, best book old ST has written.

I'm not sure what to make of Turow's book. Here is a guy who goes to Harvard Law School, an institution which has existed in its present form for well over 200 years. As a first year law student, he has the nerve to have all these criticisms of the institution -- that it's hostile, that the law is not warm and fuzzy, that there are clear boundaries in the law, which seem to indicate that he has choosen the wrong field. He seemed to be quite selfish in that he wanted the school to change many of its most cheerished methods of teaching to satisfy one alienated, empty-headed student.

All readers assume that one's first year at Harvard Law School is challenging. Ironically, it does seem as though Harvard may have listened to Mr. Turow's complaints since I have not heard of the difficulty of the institution from other students/graduates. It is possible that they have dumbed-down the curriculum to satisfy those who would prefer to complain than learn.

At the same time, this book certainly opens our perspective in how the law school class is set up, including the Socratic method, to which I was already quite familiar with. I would urge readers not to think that Mr. Turow's experience is at all shared by most at Harvard -- or any other institution. Remember that Mr. Turow just happened to want to write about his experience, but many others who choose not to write probably had drastically different experiences. Maybe they choose to learn and excel rather than to criticize an institution ten times their age.

Mr. Turow's analysis of the other students also appears rather superficial and shallow. The students are essentially grouped into the achievers, the complainers (who think of themselves as "intellectuals," but who, in reality, are no more intellectual than a kindergardener with a crayon), and the professors who "harass" the students. What about the exact types of questions one faces in law school. How are the questions different from undergraduate life? Is law school merely a tarriff to prevent competition in the legal professsion? Also, as with most people who advocate change, Mr. Turow is remarkably short on specifics on how he would change the law school experience. The lack of specifics is common for those who gripe about the present but are unable to explain an alternative system to which they aspire.

This is certainly an interesting book, but I would hesitate to think that it is the Bible of the Law School experience. It is merely one story about one institution in a particular year.

For someone like me, who is considering law school, this book is definitely a worthwhile "peek inside" the experience of law school, or at least the first year. Not being a law student I don't have anything to compare it to, but reading about Turow's experience and comparing to the experience of lawyer acquaintances makes it seem to hold a lot of truth. True, it's probably a bit dated, but it's a worthwhile read for anyone who's considering law school.

I found the book to be interesting, if not a bit melodramatic, highlighting what "old school" was like at Harvard some 20+ years ago. The teaching methods vary between schools, and competition and teaching theories have definitely changed over the years. This book provides great shock value, but should not be used to scare a person away from attending law school.

Heard ONE L, the account by best-selling author Scott Turow
(PRESUMED INNOCENT, among others) of his first year at
Harvard Law School . . . although he was a student some
25 years before he wrote the book, it still gave me a gripping
account of what being a law student then was all about . . . and
though I've never attended law school, friends have told me
that much of his account still holds true; i.e., it is certainly not
an easy experience.

I particularly enjoyed Turow's account of his various professors and
why he liked some--and detested authors . . . in the latter category,
he placed this one individual who had this to say on the first day
of class:

It is the hardest course you'll take. . . . I am not an easy person.
I expect you to be here every day. . . . I expect you to be very
well prepared every day. I want to be absolutely clear on that. I
have never heard the word "pass." I do not know what unprepared
means.

Now and then, there are personal problems. We all have these
at times, which will make full preparation impossible. If that is the
case, I then want a written note handed to my secretary at least
two hours before class.

Now, personally, I'm not sure that I will ever go that far in addressing
my students at the beginning of the semester . . . yet that said, I
do like the one part about expecting students to be very well
prepared for each class . . . I might just incorporate that one
part into my opening remarks!

Paul Rudd did an excellent job of narration.

I think this is an excellent book about law school. I can't vouch for its accuracy as I have not yet attended myself, but Turow does an excellent job of describing his anxieties, hard work, relationships and concerns about legal education. Turow writes very well and has an excellent eye for details, so the book is fun to read, but his honesty and personal insights are what really make this book memorable. I can not imagine the intensity and competitive nature of the classes, but I think it is valuble to know it exists and the worst of what I may want to be prepared for in law school. I don't know how contemporary the book is and the complaints that the book doesn't paint an accurate portrait of law school anymore are probably fair, but I think it is still worth the short time it takes to read. I think this would be an enjoyable and interesting book for people interested in education in general and particularly for people who are hoping to pursue a legal education.

If you have gone to law school or want to go to law school this book is really fascinating. I plan on going to law school once I'm done with college, but if I wasn't, I cannot imagine reading this book just for the fun of it. This guy is no John Grisham but he does manage to write an thoroughly entertaining book out of what I previously thought would be a dry subject. But I was wrong and I was fascinated by the classes and studying habits of Mr. Turow. Once I picked it up, I did not set it down until I was finished reading it. I have no regrets in buying this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the happenings of law school.

In the seventies, this was probably a pretty good approximation of law school life. However, since then all but the Socratic method have changed. First, Turow came to law school from another career. Now, most law students come to law school straight from college, putting them in a different age group and with different interests than Turow has.

Second, Turow was married in law school. This is a major, and perhaps the most important, difference between himself and the average law student. His marital problems relate almost exclusively to married people and not near as much to boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. The latter type of relationships are more fluid and would have been more likely to break up, but in a Turow's marriage the breakup of the marriage is never seriously contemplated. Also there aren't many boyfriend/girlfriends who would move to be with the other partner--it's almost exclusively spouses and fiances who make this kind of move. To some degree, Turow's marital problems related to his wife's move and adjustment to Boston, and this isn't something that most law students have to deal with. Additionally, because Turow is married, he doesn't deal at all with (a) the minefield of dating in law school, (b) having a long-distance relationship fall apart over the first year of law school, or (c) loneliness in a new environment. Almost every modern law student has to deal with at least one of these, and Turow covers none of them.

Next, the racial and gender background against which Turow is writing has changed considerably. Top-tier law schools aren't populated with WASPs the way they were in Turow's time, and lower-level law schools are even more diverse. Now more than half of law students are women. Being a white male in law school is a totally different status now than it was thirty years ago.

Even the structure of law school has changed since Turow was in it. Just in the last year, Harvard has joined a growing movement among law schools to put first-semester students in smaller sections in order to make the experience less impersonal. While I can't say Turow's enormous sections don't still exist, they're now almost always padded by school-sponsored, smaller group activities to facilitate bonding among students.

In Turow's day, it was well-nigh impossible for a first-year, even from a top-tier school, to get a summer job at a firm. Now, however, the chances of first-years having such a job are much more likely, and fall of first-year is often a frenzy of learning how to do a mail-merge, updating resumes, typing addresses, etc. etc. in the push to get applications for summer jobs out by Dec. 1. The winter break for top-tier first-years is often filled with job interviews, especially in smaller markets. Turow, of course, doesn't cover any of this.

In Turow's time, law review admissions were determined almost entirely by grades, at pretty much every law school in America. Now, however, many law schools are moving to a dual system, whereby students can either "grade-on", making the law review by having top grades, or "test-on", making the law review by acing an editing test. Since Turow didn't have the option of taking an editing test, he naturally doesn't go into the fit of studying that most first-years now go into in the spring as they try to influence their own destinies, instead of simply submitting their destinies to the Grade Gods.

Overall, I don't think this book is worth reading at all, I have no idea why people told me to read it before law school, and I wish someone would write a book that's relevant to law students' lives NOW. Maybe I will. If you must read something to help you understand what the first year is like before the first year, read "Law School Confidential."

I finished ONE L in one day, and was quite impressed. I've never read any of Turow's books; however, we do have something in common, I'm in a rough and tumble school as well--obtaining a PhD. Turow writes with candor and honesty. He describes in detail his life as a first year student, and what he thinks of the entire daunting situation of being a Harvard law student. Harvard is by far one of the top schools of law, and the sheer mention of it sends chills down the spine. Scott takes you through his first year, and the trials, tribulations and emotional stress that being a law student can inflict upon even the most intelligent person. Being a graduate student myself, I've had similar thoughts and feelings as Scott. As I made my way through the book, I had the distinct feeling that Scott was holding some feelings back--probably to protect the institution or other students, but he explains in great detail many of the feelings that overtake him in his arduous journey through the first year of Harvard Law. I don't care what college you attend, or if you attend college at all, buy this book and grab a cup of your favorite coffee; sit back and prepare to be captivated by the power of Harvard Law.

If you expect a blueprint for admission into Harvard Law, or cliff notes on how to master the first year, you will be disappointed.

This book was intimidating. I would like to go to law school, but reconsidered after I read this book. However, it also excited me for the challenge of law school at the same time. If Scott Turow can make it through, why can't I? Right?

I cannot yet say how accurate the book is, but I did enjoy it. I don't think much of Turow's advice will come in handy when I'm a One L, but I do think that it should be read by all those considering going to law school. Overall, this is a great read that kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I'll revise my review in a year after completing my first year of law school and report on how my "turbulent first year" was.

All I have is two words for Turow's work in One L: c'est magnifique

Well perhaps I have a little more...to say...

First I shall commence by mentioning that most will agree this text is far from literature intended to prepare you to begin legal studies. Instead, Turow stresses the very challenges one may possibly stumble upon as a first year law student, "1L." One L is not "true scholarship" per say, but is exceptionally informative and includes critical legal vocabulary that all first year law student ought to be aware of.

This work should be used for entertainment purposes and nothing further.

Plesae do not read this book and expect a how-to for law school. "Law School Confidential" would be my recommendation for that. This is an autobiography and a good one at that. I will be starting law school starting Fall '03, and I wanted a lighter book after all the LSAT prep guides and how to books I read. It was good story and an enjoyable read. Worth the bucks (or a trip to the library). BTW, the afterword was worth reading.

This is a decent read, and lots of law schools have their students read it before they get to law school. But without some book that gives direct advice as to how to succeed in law school, the messages of this book will be of little use. Instead of spending time on the silly, philosophical books law schools tell students to read, get the practical books. They will do your soul the most long-term good.

Intense is the only word to describe Turow's taut, melodramatic account of 1st-year student life at Harvard Law School. Turow's description of the emotional roller-coaster of that first year--ranging from excitement and fascination to shear panic and deep depression, will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I understand that things have changed a lot at Harvard, as well as other law schools, since when it was written 25 years ago (which is good), but if you want to find out what it was like before the winds of a more humane milieu blew through it's vaunted corridors, there is no better account than Turow's book.

I never attended law school, but I can certainly sympathize with Turow's position as a result of my own experiences. One of the schools I attended in the late 70's, about the time Turow was at HLS, had the highest suicide rate of any school in the state (and it was a big state with lots of colleges), and there were enough depressed and suicidal students running around so that people were becoming alarmed, and eventually the school had to try to do something about it. Well, they did try, by providing psychological counseling for distraught students, and the professors even seemed to be more aware of possible problems, so hopefully it did some good.

Anyway, looked at from a cultural perspective, maybe such overblown, hyperkinetic, and extreme rites of passage as law school are just society's way of making sure only the toughest (as opposed to the smartest) students, survive? Or maybe it's just society's way of getting "even" with budding lawyers for what they're going to do when they get out?

Well, obviously I'm being somewhat facetious here, but sometimes I ponder why modern societies set these things up this way.

One other interesting thing Turow did is that the recent edition includes an afterward in which he discusses his experiences working for 10 years in the district attorneys office in Chicago, where he prosecuted cases of corruption brought against lawyers and judges.

All in all, Turow's book makes for a suspenseful and interesting read.

Like many others that read 'One L' by Scott Turow, I am about to start my first year in law school. I'm not going to Harvard though. I was warned by the enrollment office at the University to not read this book. However, a friend bought a copy for me, and I decided to give it a read.

All I can say is 'wow'. I now understand why the enrollment office didn't want me to read this book. 'One L' paints a nightmare of a year for incoming law students as they cram for finals, deal with the pressures of the Socratic Method, and compete with each other for a spot on the Law Review.

Turow does a wonderful job conveying his hopes, anxieties, successes, and disappointments while in school. The reader can't help but be thrilled with him at his success, and then share his agony when 'the Incident' with a notorious professor occurs in the first semester.

One of the best parts of this book is that Turow includes his wife. She is introduced from time to time to shed a fraction of light on the outsiders view. When Turow's section discusses retaliating against a professor, she can't see what the big deal is. This all leads to a truth Turow hints upon throughout his novel: inside a major institution, no matter what type, we frequently get caught up in what we are doing and lose perspective. It doesn't just happen in Law School, but colleges, churches, clubs, and work environments as well.

Like Turow, I have not been a student for several years now, and also like Turow, I am married. I am eager to start my law education and this novel fueled my excitement but also filled me with a sense of nervousness. Both of my sisters-in-law have recently graduated from different Law Schools, and they have assured me things aren't as bad as they appear in Turow's book. Overall, I am glad I read it as I feel like I have some idea of what to expect now. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in institutions of education or those looking for a good story.

While I thought some parts of "One L" were melodramatic it is the rare book which can make the struggle of learning exciting to read about. I would guess that nearly every law student or prospective law student in the last 20 yrs has read this book or knows about it. I read it myself before, during and after law school and while I found many things in the book true, much of what he described about law school I didn't experience at my school, Gonzaga University. Granted, Gonzaga in the 1990s isn't Harvard in the 1970s but I doubt that even Harvard is like what Turow described.

Turow does accurately describe the crushing amount of work and the stress of law exams that 1Ls experience. The obsession with grades, making Law Review, the clannish study groups were not part of my experience at Gonzaga and I doubt that it is the experience of most law graduates wherever they went to school. Whatever law school you'll go to you'll work harder than you ever did in your life but it isn't the inhumane world that Turow describes, at least not where I went. There's nothing magical about the top tier law schools in my opinion other than the prestige and post-grad networking. The textbooks at Gonzaga were the same that Harvard used and the professors we had were on a whole very good with several Ivy League law grads amongst them.

The maxim a few of my classmates had probably is true in every law school--the first year they scare you to death, the second year they work you to death, the third year they bore you to death. Turow's book does get the "scare you to death" part down. I would've like to have seen his take on the 2L and 3L years as well.