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Overview of the module

Taught by Professors John C.P. Goldberg, Barry Friedman, and Maria Ponomarenko, this module offers learners unparalleled insights into law school success from the faculty side of the podium. This module also guides learners in developing and deepening their own skills for a successful and meaningful experience in law school classrooms, in study carrels, and on law school exams.

Faculty

A portrait of John goldberg

John C.P. Goldberg

Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law

John C.P. Goldberg specializes in tort law, tort theory, and political philosophy, and serves as the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law, an M. Phil. in Politics from Oxford University, an M.A. in Politics from Princeton University, and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. Following law school, Dean Goldberg clerked for Judge Jack Weinstein of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and for Justice Byron White of the U.S. Supreme Court. Read Biography

Barry Friedman Park Portrait

Barry Friedman

Jacob D. Fuchsberg Professor of Law

Barry Friedman is a leading authority on constitutional law, policing, criminal procedure, and the federal courts, and serves as the founding director of NYU Law’s Policing Project. He received his J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center and his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Chicago. Following law school, Professor Friedman clerked for Judge Phyllis A. Kravitch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Read Biography

Maria Ponomarenko

Professor of Law

Maria Ponomarenko focuses on administrative law, local government law, constitutional law, and criminal procedure, and serves as co-founder and counsel at the Policing Project. She holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Previously, she clerked for Judge Richard A. Posner of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Read Biography

Participants

This module is best suited for learners about to start their first year of law school or currently enrolled in law school. Learners who are applying to law school or thinking about applying to law school would also find it helpful.

Key Topics

  • Law School Roadmap: Navigating classes, exams, and professors’ expectations
  • Law School Exams Gameplan: The pinball theory and the power of outlining
  • Sharpening Exam Readiness: Condensed outlines, flow charts, and learning through practice exams
  • Mastering Law School Exams: Issue spotting, policy, and multiple choice questions
  • Objectives

    Learners will gain a foundational understanding of law school structure, effective study techniques, and key skills and strategies for mastering law school exams.

  • Curriculum

    How to Succeed in Law School is a fully online module comprised of four main units, available to learners for a self-paced journey, and a brief online orientation preceding the module. There is also a bonus unit which concludes the module. All module content is fully asynchronous, so that you can complete it on your own schedule; you don’t have to log in on any particular day or time. We recognize that learners will start this module at different stages, so it has been designed to be an insightful resource regardless of where you are in your law school journey. Units contain videos (roughly 5-10 minutes each) and formative assessments to deepen comprehension. The estimated amount of work time for each unit is roughly 30 to 60 minutes, although individual learners’ timeframes will vary.

    Module Units:

    Unit 1: Your Law School Roadmap: Navigating Classes, Exams, and Professors’ Expectations

    Unit 2: Law School Exams Gameplan: The Pinball Theory and The Power of Outlining

    Unit 3: Sharpening Exam Readiness: Condensed Outlines, Flow Charts, and Learning Through Practice Exams

    Unit 4: Mastering the Variety of Law School Exams

    Bonus Unit: Debugging Exams

  • Registration

    If you are an individual learner looking to enroll in How to Succeed in Law School, please complete this short registration form.

    To join the next cohort, please submit your registration form by: 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, June 19th, 2026. We look forward to responding to your submitted registration within 4 business days. There is no cost to complete the registration form.

    Key Dates:

    • Registration Due Date: Friday, June 19th, 2026 at 5 PM (EST)
    • Payment Deadline: Monday, June 22nd, 2026, at 5 PM (EST)
    • Orientation Opens: Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026 at 1 PM (EST)
    • Module Opens: Wednesday, June 24th, 2026 at 1 PM (EST)
    • Module Completion Deadline: Wednesday, September 30th, 2026, at 5 PM (EST)
    • Module Access Concludes: Wednesday, June 23rd, 2027 at 1 PM (EST)
  • Pricing

    The fee for the How to Succeed in Law School module for individual learners is $40. This fee provides you access to this module for one year. At this time, discounts aren’t available.

    For group pricing, please contact the Harvard Law School Online team at hlsonline@law.harvard.edu to learn more about group pricing opportunities.

    Individual learners that register for the How to Succeed in Law School module will receive an email from the Harvard Law School Online team with payment instructions. If you wish to cancel your enrollment, you may request a full refund by emailing hlsonline@law.harvard.edu no later than 5 PM EST one business day before the module opens for orientation. Requests must be received by this time to receive a full refund. After this asynchronous module opens, no refunds will be given.

    Harvard is not responsible for fluctuations in international exchange rates between payment and refund, nor is it responsible for interest charges or other fees due to the timing of credit card refunds.

  • Certificate Requirements

    How to Succeed in Law School provides learners with numerous occasions to check their comprehension of the material. It does not provide grades. No degree or course credit toward a degree is awarded for How to Succeed in Law School completion; however, individual learners who satisfy module requirements do have the opportunity to receive a certificate of completion from Harvard Law School Online.

    To receive a certificate of completion, you must watch all videos, complete all assignments and formative assessments, as well as complete the short evaluation survey, by the module completion deadline.

Accessibility and SARA Statement

HLS Online at Harvard Law School is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation(s) for persons with disabilities in connection with its programs and activities. Accommodations must not fundamentally alter applicable HLS Online programming.

Generally speaking, program participants should request accommodations at least two weeks before the start date of a program or event, as they may take time to implement. Early and active communication is required for all accommodation requests. Late notification may result in a delay or inability to fulfill a request, as generally, retroactive requests will not be approved.

Please make accommodation requests by email to HLS Online at hlsonline@law.harvard.edu, and a member of the HLS Online team will follow up.

Harvard is authorized to offer distance education under the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), an agreement that allows institutions of higher education in Massachusetts to offer distance education to students residing in other states that participate in SARA. For information about SARA-related student complaint processes for distance education students, please see https://vpal.harvard.edu/nc-sara.