Ivy Briefs: True Tales of a Neurotic Law Student (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: moot court, regulatory state, mandatory pro bono, Law Review, New York, Students Subject (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First time author Kimes is entertaining and funny in recounting her three years at one of the country's premier law schools. A smart young woman with a good, but not always engaged, sense of perspective, Kimes jumps from the University of Wisconsin to Columbia Law School on the wings of a spectacular showing on the LSATs. Once there, she faces the predictable sadistic professor, hypercompetitive fellow students and, of course, rampant elitism. Kimes is happy to treat with an equal measure of humor the highly stylized courting dance between summer law clerks and mega law firms, as well as the foreboding horrors of the bar exam. Though some stories seem hyperbolic and re-created conversations can be suspiciously pat, Kimes captures with accuracy the gestalt of the law school experience. Kimes did get a job at what she calls "Lavish Law Firm." But she eventually left to join the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which may be her final comment on the world of big-time law. The self-deprecating wit, catty observations and healthy sense of the absurd with which Kimes describes her approach-avoidance reactions to the world of law school raise the book above the ordinary. (May)
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Review

"Martha Kimes has written a One L for the next generation. Ivy Briefs is a great addition to the reading list for anyone even thinking about law school."

-- Jeremy Blachman, author of Anonymous Lawyer --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Atria (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743288386
• ISBN-13: 978-0743288385
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #515,373 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious look at life in law school, January 7, 2008

By	Pre-Law Advisor/Professor (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

I am a pre-law advisor. For years, I recommended that my pre-law students read the classic law-school memoir: One-L, by Scott Turow. Several of my students who have gone on to law school have told me, though, that reading One-L actually hurt them, because it scared them so much. They also found it somewhat inaccurate (probably because law professors are rethinking their use of the Socratic method since Turow's time). My new recommendation: Ivy Briefs. In fact, I will be making Ivy Briefs required reading in any class that is even somewhat related. It provides a look into how lawyers are socialized but it certainly won't scare anyone: Ivy Briefs had me laughing aloud.

In short, after graduating from University of Wisconsin with a degree in psychology, Kimes floundered around about what to do with her life. Out of default, as she says, she went to law school. In fact, aided by a phenomenal LSAT score, she got into and attended Columbia. Because her decision had been made in haste, however, when she went, she didn't know what torts or commercial outlines or hornbooks or Law Review or Moot Court were. Ivy Briefs describes how she learned these lessons and went on to a successful career at Lavish Law Firm in NYC.

This is a must-read for anyone contemplating law school.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So right on it's scary!, July 5, 2007

By	L. Vonbiela - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just finished my first year at a Top 20 law school, and it is downright terrifying how well Martha captured the experience. I couldn't put the book down. I had to see what she would say or do next. I even found myself laughing out loud (thankfully I did not read the book in public). This was the perfect book to inject some much needed humor into a challenging situation! It was utterly hilarious, and helped to put a more sane perspective on things. And, unlike One L, it covers the second and third years of law school and all the rites of passage that come with those years. And the dreaded Bar Exam. Oh, joy!

I absolutely loved the book.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Accurate Description, June 17, 2007

By	Blah (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

I am attending Columbia Law and this is a pretty accurate if a little dated(laptops are everywhere now for example) representation of law school life. I found the book hilarious as I have meet basically the smae people that Kimes describes. Most of the info is general enough that even non-law students should enjoy this book but it will be especially hilarious to students. Kimes book is entertaining, easy to read and hard to put down.