Welcome to the First-Generation Law Students LibGuide. This guide is designed to support you on your journey through law school by directing you to some helpful resources, tools, and guidance.
We know law school can feel daunting, especially if you are on unfamiliar terrain, but you are not alone. Approximately 80% of our current first year class are first generation law students and 20% identify as first-generation college graduates. Many of your peers are facing similar challenges and are willing to share help and support. You are also part of a wider community of faculty, administrators, and alumni who know that you have a valuable perspective that will enrich our legal community and who are ready to guide and encourage you in sharing your voice. Lean on them! [And also trust that the resilience and determination that got you into law school will carry you through it.]
Nothing in this guide is required reading. It is not intended to add to your workload. In fact, one of the best pieces of advice we can give you is to prioritize time for getting outside, socializing with your friends, family, and peers, and taking care of yourself. That said, many first generation law students have less direct exposure to the legal field and its language and norms than those with close family members who practice law and so may arrive at law school feeling uncertain and out of their depth.
Again, we would like to remind you that getting here means you belong here. You will, over the coming months, be able to use the critical thinking skills you came here with to pick up what you need to know and we hope that, ultimately, you will influence our learning environment as much as you are influenced by it. If, however, you want to get a sense of what to expect in law school, do a little advance preparation, get some ideas for studying efficiently and effectively, or see what networking and support resources are available to you, skim through this guide and take from it what appeals to you.
Law and policy impact all of us in our daily lives and you do not need specialized instruction to be qualified to discuss them. If you pay attention to current events and have a sense of the workings of government you will be prepared to join the conversation when you arrive at law school. If you do not already, you can quickly get up to speed. It does not even have to be a slog! Fictionalized accounts of politics & governing can be very idealized (or very cynical) but still give you an fairly accurate understanding of how systems are structured and work gets done, as long as you are also taking in information from factual sources.
Do you like reading memoirs or autobiographies? Listening to podcasts? Following the news? Think about your preferred way of taking in information, seek out sources that are a good match for you, and think critically about everything you come across. Also, engage with sources and perspectives you disagree with and consider how you can effectively articulate why you disagree and support your perspective.
We have listed a few suggestions below, all free or made free to current Loyola students, but this is just a small sample of what's out there. We would love to provide more tailored suggestions if you contact us at LoyolaLawReference@luc.edu or 312.915.7205.
| Print & Digital News |  |
After you receive your Loyola University Chicago email address you can use it to register a New York Times account |
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After you receive your Loyola University Chicago email address you can use it to register a Wall Street Journal account | |
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After you receive your Loyola University Chicago email address you can use it to register a Washington Post account. Sign up using your LUC credentials and then verify your email to activate your account. | |
| A-Z Databases: NEWS | The University library subscribes to news databases that include alternative press, international press, historical news, and magazines. You can access these through the library's webpage. Click here to learn more. | |
| Radio & Podcasts |  |
Visit NPR to listen to your local station online or find podcasts form all member stations on subjects of interest to you (including current events, finance & economics, culture, politics, health & science, etc.) A few popular options are listed below: |
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Talking Feds, hosted by former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman, is a roundtable discussion with prominent former government officials, journalists, and other special guests analyzing pressing questions in law and politics | |
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The Truth of the Matter is a podcast hosted by Andrew Schwartz, CCO of the bipartisan think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, in which he attempts to break down complex policy issues through informed discussion | |
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The Bloomberg Law Podcast provides an analysis of major legal issues and cases in the news | |
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Lawyer 2 Lawyer is a podcast in which industry professionals examine current events from a legal perspective | |
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Sisters In Law is a podcast produced by Politicon and hosted by legal and political analysts who discuss issues of law, politics, and culture | |
| Video |  |
Law & Crime, a Dan Abrams (ABC News) production, can be found on many video platforms, including YouTube, and provides live courtroom coverage of high profile criminal trials, legal stories, and some legal analysis |
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Bloomberg Law's YouTube channel covers topics in legal news and integrated legal research and business intelligence. | |
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Current Loyola students have unlimited access to films streaming on Kanopy. Choose Browse by Subject and check out the films available in Law & Criminal Justice, Political Science, History, & Sociology. | |
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Docuseek streams independent documentary films concerning social and environmental issues. As a Loyola student you have access (by request to the Media Services Librarian at http://libraries.luc.edu/media) and can find documentaries such as Hot Coffee (about the famous case of the McDonald's coffee injury) and Thirst For Justice (about water and environmental justice & activism) | |
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Filmakers Library Online II streams documentary films with a focus on social and political issues. As a Loyola student you have free access and can find documentaries such as Road To The White House (about the rise of Irish-American politicians) and Electoral Dysfunction (about voting in America). | |
| Books |  |
Visit the following Wikipedia pages to find lists of memoirs and biographies of political figures in various governmental roles: List Of American Political Memoirs |
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Alexander Hamilton, James Madison & John Jay, The Federalist Papers (2020). Available Online |
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Jeffrey Toobin. The Nine : Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court (2008). KF8748 .T665 2008 |
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Allan C. Hutchinson, Is Eating People Wrong? Great Legal Cases and How They Shaped the World (2011). K 370 .H88 2011 |
