After over 40 years, is LEEWS relevant?

Still far and away the best (and, surprisingly, far and away most reasonably priced!) study aid!

KEY QUESTION!: Over 40 years along (9-10 hour program last revised/recorded 2004. (Tenth edition of accompanying [200 page] manual updated 2016), DOES LEEWS STILL HAVE THE JUICE?

I.e., has law school (and exams) moved beyond the LEEWS science of exam writing and exam prep? 

As the below lengthy, instructive exchanges with a current (2024) 1L make clear, EMPHATICALLY NOT!

Note: Apart from computers, computer research, inflated grades, tuition hikes, and professors with far less experience as practicing lawyers(!!), NOTHING OF NOTE HAS CHANGED IN AMERICAN LAW SCHOOLS (All 200+ of them!) FOR OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS! Same confusing essay exams (because you’ll see them on bar exams), same floundering by smart, hard-working students who’d do a lot better if they had the TRUE SCIENCE LEEWS offers, and grasped the failure to instruct “how to think as a (practicing) lawyer” of universal, intimidating (not to LEEWS grads!) Socratic Method.

A somewhat lengthy but instructive exchange between LEEWS founder/instructor Wentworth Miller and one D___ H____(actual name disguised), current second term Univ. San Diego 1L who wrote to Mr. Miller for followup advice after ordering the audio CD version of LEEWS in August 2023, did extremely well(!!) on his first set of exams, and now requests advice on how to continue to do well, how to handle certain kinds of exams, whether to try to transfer to Stanford Law or stay at USD and seek a full scholarship.

[Mr. Miller’s response here precedes D____ H_____’s inquiry.)

1/24/24. Hello, D____. Sorry for the delay in responding. Always delighted to hear of success of LEEWS grads. Congrats, congrats to you on your stellar performance! You will now of course be deemed a “genius of the law.” And whatever happens henceforth, you’ll retain that aura and designation.

I’ll respond to certain of your concerns/inquiries below in context.

WM

Dear Mr. Miller,

I apologize for the long email.

I recently received my fall semester grades for the University of San Diego School of Law. I achieved a 3.96 GPA for my 1L fall semester. 4.1/A in Civil Procedure, 4.0/A in Torts, 4.0/A in Criminal Law, 3.5/A- in Legal Research and Writing. This is in big part to the advice you give, and the amazing course you have written.

My concern now is repeating such success. The previous semester consisted of 3 Essay Exams with no multiple-choice questions. I also had a midterm in each class (Civ Pro and Crim were MC where I was approximately 3.3 in Civ Pro and 4.2 in Crim whereas Torts was an essay and I scored a 3.6) which the professors said was worth 20% of our Final Grade, except Torts which was 33%.

This semester I have the same professor from Torts for Property (Essay Midterm 33% + Final Essay 66%) which is good. However, I have two new styles of Exams to adjust to in Constitutional Law and Contracts. The Constitutional Law professor will have a Final Exam with an Issue Spotting Essay Question and MC questions. No midterm, and no confirmation on access to old exams, but we will do a practice issue spotter a few weeks prior. Contracts will have a practice midterm (I believe it will be an Essay only) and a Final Exam also consisting of an Essay and MC.

Miller: What you’ve learned will stand you well on C and C exams. See sample con law exercise in the book. Also contracts advice (toward end of program)… Know various (sub-issue) requirements for forming valid contract, premises re defeating contract. All are premises one party to conflict or the other may employ.

You should do LEEWS again in any case. Yes. The entire program, as it will make that much more sense now that you’ve taken a set of exams.

Yes, other students will improve performance–begin outlines sooner, understand they need to know black letter law better. But they won’t improve that much. They still haven’t learned to “think as a (practicing) lawyer.” Exams will still confuse. Moreover, they no longer deem themselves capable of A’s (!!). Moreover, will relax a bit knowing that their typically abysmal  performances will earn at least a B-, C at worse. 

(As law schools now do not want to jeopardize grossly inflated tuition they get. E.G., no gyms, no labs, no athletic teams, large classes… Yet charge the same as med schools and colleges/universities!!)  

TRULY A SCAM!

Your exam will stand out for her as it did for other professors. An actual lawyer on the page with concise paragraphs targeting relevant law and factual interplay is that RARE, and she’s likely at least somewhat a lawyer. (Does two years of clerking make a lawyer? No.) Will appreciate your exam in comparison with haphazard, scattered thinking classmate efforts.

DH: Based on the principles you teach in your book, I am planning to just practice each style of question, learn how much time or how many points are allotted to each part of the exam, and plan my attack from there. Do you have any other advice or recommendations?

I’m eager to continue my success and make it sustainable. I assume that the students in my section will only work harder and likely perform better than last semester, so I want to strategize a plan to stay where I am. My goal is to either increase my scholarship to a full-ride or transfer to Stanford on top of being a strong candidate in the job market.

Best,

D____ H______

Miller: Your plan is fine. There’s no need for law students to struggle as they do. All are smart enough to do much better, IF THEY UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU KNOW!

As ALL law schools (and professors/admins) believe that grades such as yours signify “genius of the law,” YES!, Stanford likely will want you. (Certainly, say, Georgetown, which takes many transfers.) But they’ll likely offer a partial scholarship at best.

Although first years normally don’t, you’ll surely get a top job during your fall hiring season. Sit up! Be interested! Research the interviewing firm. Be prepared with followup questions when they stop selling.

Of course, now let selected professors and admins know you’re seriously thinking/looking to transfer. Then be humble and calm as you wait for their offer of more tuition aid. Perhaps settle for nothing other than full. But judiciously handle this IMPORTANT NEGOTIATION.

All the best and continued success!

And please tell other students about LEEWS… Sure. Next year. We get that. 

Hello Mr. Miller,

I just have a quick question as I get ready for my first essay midterm in Torts this Tuesday.

I have 75 minutes to complete 3 questions.

With 25 minutes/question, is it fair to spend 5 minutes per question on Step 1 and 2?

Best,

D_____

Excellent that you are having a midterm. Most profs don’t bother. Good practice run. Won’t count (unless it helps someone who blows the final). Good for the prof, as it is extra work for him/her.

“Question!?”… You mean hypo? Questions are at the end of hypos, no?

Perhaps a bit more than five minutes. As long as it takes. Should go quickly, smoothly, so long as you’ve tools in your toolbox.

WM