Written by an award-winning professor with wide experience teaching at many different law schools, 1L of a Ride provides a step-by-step navigational guide to both academic and emotional success in law school s crucial first year. It essentially answers the questions, What s the first year of law school really like and how can I make the most of it? Readers learn what to expect, when to expect it, and how to respond to it. Other how to succeed in law school books exist, but 1L of a Ride is the only book that: Addresses each aspect of academic success, including the top five habits of successful law students, effective class participation, how to interact with professors, case-briefing, note-taking, outlining, exam preparation, and essay and multiple-choice exam strategies. Includes both a professor and student perspective, with comments from real law students as they progressed through their first year from beginning to end. Features authentic samples of Socratic dialogue, student case briefs, student class notes, and exam questions and answers. Focuses on practical advice that can be followed by any student from day one. Employs a lively first-person voice, humor, and dozens of anecdotes to bring the advice to life. Relies on educational research to back up advice. Includes input from other law professors, including an interview with five professors of Legal Writing, the course that causes the most angst and complaints from first-year students. Provides up-to-date advice in step with the changing landscape of U.S. legal education, including coverage of technology issues relevant to law students.
Professor Andrew McClurg is a nationally and internationally recognized law professor. He holds the Herbert Herff Chair of Excellence in Law at the University of Memphis law school. From 2002-06 he was a member of the founding faculty at the Florida International University College of Law. Previously, he was the Nadine H. Baum Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and also has taught at Wake Forest University, the University of Colorado, and Golden Gate University.
McClurg has received numerous university and law school awards for both research and teaching.
He's the author/editor of six books, including his popular law school prep book, 1L of a Ride: A Well-Traveled Professor's Roadmap to Success in the First Year of Law School (West 2d ed. 2013), assigned as required or recommended reading at law schools throughout the country. His most recent book, The "Companion Text" to Law School: Understanding and Surviving Life with a Law Student (West 2012), a follow-up to 1L of a Ride, is the only book written to prepare the loved ones of law students for law school.
McClurg's many scholarly articles have been cited and quoted in more than 500 books and scholarly journals and by dozens of courts. McClurg is also the Editor of The Contextual Approach to Comparative Law Series published by Carolina Academic Press.
In addition to his scholarly writings, McClurg is the editor of Lawhaha.com, an academically oriented legal humor blog, and for four years wrote a monthly humor column for the American Bar Association Journal, the magazine of the U.S. legal profession. His first book, The Law School Trip (2001), is the quintessential satire of legal education.
McClurg has been interviewed and quoted as a legal expert by National Public Radio, Time, U.S. News and World Report, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and a long list of other media sources.
In his spare time, McClurg sings and plays guitar in Memphis rock bands.
