Maureen McKenna Goldberg, Justice, Rhode Island State Supreme Court
"1000 Days to the Bar is simply the best manual I have ever read for law school preparation."

Kristen Holmquist, Dir. of Academic Support and Lecturer in Law, UCLA School of Law
"Law students, or those thinking about becoming law students, would be wise to pick up a copy of this book."

Richard Litvin, Assoc. Prof. Of Law and Dir. of Academic Support, Quinnipiac Univ. School of Law
"Tonsing brings a fresh breeze to the musty study of law. I am recommending this book to all my students."

Book Description
1000 Days to the Bar explains the relationship between the professional practice of law and the practice you need to perform each week to achieve your objectives. This unique guide is designed to empower first-year law students by presenting the components for academic success in a step-by-step format that lays out a practice-centered approach to legal studies. In this book you will discover how to: - Read and brief court opinions - Take and transform class notes into course summaries, outlines and flow charts. - Learn essential elements of the law "by heart." - Gain fluency in the "language of the law." Special supplements include: - Study tips from law school professors and academic support professionals. - Detailed descriptions of many of the most popular commercial study aids. - Time management details and time allocation methods, including creation of a personal Flexible Time Resource Allocation Chart. - Guidelines for powerful, effective study groups. - Instructions for preparing a practical and efficient law study environment.

From the Publisher
Dennis Tonsing’s 1000 Days to the Bar provides first-year law students with a fresh and novel approach to the study of law, explaining the relationship between the professional practice of law and the actual practices students must perform to achieve their weekly objectives. This exceptional guide is designed to empower first-year law students by outlining the components to academic success in a step-by-step format that offers a practice-centered approach to legal studies. In this book, students will discover how to: - Develop a rich understanding of the legal principles necessary to successfully practice law. - Earn grades that reflect their best efforts. - Pass the bar exam on the first try. Dean Tonsing identifies the core aspects of a law student’s responsibilities, emphasizing "active learning" and equating it to the "active listening" that is essential to running a successful legal practice. He also sets forth hundreds of practical tips to help law students realize how every day in law school is a small but vital step toward becoming a skilled legal practitioner. When law students begin their studies, they intend to do their personal best on the path to their doctoral degree and throughout their professional career. Dean Tonsing recognizes this fact (making it an underlying premise in his book) and thrusts his readers toward achieving one primary goal — excellence. 1000 Days to the Bar is an extremely valuable resource for law students, both because of its foundational concept —that every day of law school is inherently part of the practice of law — and also because of its practical suggestions that will enable these novice lawyers to achieve their goals.

From the Author
Law students who approach law school as merely another step in their education are often surprised after the first few weeks of their first semester. They find themselves "overwhelmed" by the law school experience, and believe that they have no time to live their lives. There is a reason for this reaction. Very simply put, law school is not another academic step. It is the beginning of a career. Students who understand from day one that the "school" part of law school is nothing like the "school" part of college – and who approach the endeavor as if it is practice for the profession they have chosen – excel in law school, earn their personal best grades, and are likely to pass the bar exam the first time around. They lead lives that are balanced and efficient, just as successful lawyers do. I wrote 1000 Days to the Bar – But the Practice of Law Begins Now to help students see the clear connection between everything expected of them in law school, and what is expected of lawyers across the country. Approaching law school as if it is practice for the real thing is an approach that will lead directly to success in school, on the bar exam, and in the professional practice of law. Following the sensible, step-by-step "nuts and bolts" method of studying law succinctly detailed in the book will help you earn your "personal best" grades, and fully prepare you for the professional practice you will enter – in 1000 Days.

About the Author
Dennis Tonsing currently serves as Dean of Students and Academic Support Program Director at Roger Williams University School of Law. Dean Tonsing graduated from the Integrated Liberal Arts Program (a seminar study of the Great Books of the Western World) in 1969. After teaching school in southern California for two years, he attended Southwestern University School of Law and took the California State Bar Exam. His professional practice of law began in 1974. From 1974 through 1992, Dean Tonsing practiced law in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a trial lawyer he appeared in state and federal courts throughout California. As an appellate lawyer, he argued appeals before California's District Courts of Appeal. As a transactional lawyer he represented financial institutions, corporations, real estate owners, developers, and entrepreneurs. For the past 12 years, Dean Tonsing has devoted himself to education. He both learned and taught at Flagstaff’s Northern Arizona University, earning a Master of Arts degree in English, and serving as a faculty member in NAU’s College of Business Administration. At NAU he taught law and communicative skills to undergraduates and MBA students. He later developed and directed Vermont Law School's Academic Support Program. In 2002, he moved to the School of Law at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, where he designed and now administers the school's Academic Support Program. At Roger Williams, Dean of Students Dennis Tonsing helps students achieve their "personal best" from Orientation through Bar Preparation. His recent book, 1000 Days to the Bar – But the Practice of Law Begins Now, emphasizes the relationship between the professional practice of law and the opportunities to learn, practice and perfect the skills that successful lawyers employ daily, throughout law school. Dean Tonsing speaks frequently before groups of law school student service professionals and law students across the country, stressing the importance of "achieving fluency in the language of the law" and explaining the "nuts and bolts" of excelling in law school.

FROM THE PUBLISHER