Law School Tutoring: Higher grades. Less freaking out.

I work with you one-on-one and customize the program to fit your strengths and weaknesses — and your schedule! The private tutoring sessions take the form of a stimulating dialogue — together we solidify your understanding of the material and increase your test-taking skills and confidence. No sleep-inducing lectures, no sardine-packed classes, no nonsense.

My first-year GPA at the University of Michigan Law School was 3.94, and my graduating GPA was 3.85. I can help you in any or all of the ways discussed in the following sections (and note that each of these programs can be tailored to best meet your specific needs).

Law School Orientation Program

Before Law School Even Starts

We will work together for several months. By your first day of law school, you will be well on your way to reading cases and assessing them critically. We’ll do a lot of Socratic jousting — you’ll consider issues from so many different angles that you’ll need 3-D glasses! Terms like “certiorari,” “executrix,” and “res ipsa loquitur” will be like old friends to you. After working with me, you’ll withstand any professor’s scrutiny. On the second day of law school, you are calm while your classmates are freaking out.

Academic Year Program

Throughout the Term

We meet every week. I keep you on track with your assignments, making sure that you understand each case — who did what to whom, how it came to court, what the judges have said about it, and what that may mean for subsequent cases. I won’t spoon feed you anything, rather I elicit all of this from you by means of damn clever questioning. That’s right, more Socratic jousting! As exams get closer, our focus shifts to the big picture — pulling the entire semester’s reading together into a coherent set of tools for acing your final exams. Together, we will create useful course outlines (where appropriate) and review lots of practice exam questions. I will teach you how to write exam answers that earn more points. In short, you’re confident, competent, and not the least bit insane.

Exam Preparation

A Month Before Finals

We meet approximately 3-5 times and review your answers to practice exam questions. I give you concrete advice for improving your writing; there are often minor changes you can make that substantially enhance your score. Of course, it may be that you need to radically overhaul your entire approach to exam questions (which is pretty common). This is no cause for alarm. In short order, I can have you barking up the right tree.

Moot Court Coaching

Throughout the Competition

First, don’t ask me to write your brief for you. I won’t. What I will do is help you develop the strongest possible arguments for your position. You’ll have the opportunity to rehearse oral arguments with me extensively. I’ll be like the judges you’ll face in competition — interrupting you, asking you questions (both cogent and stupid), ruffling you, calling you by the wrong name, etc. I’ll work with you in between rounds as you refine/reshape your brief and oral argument.

Rates / Packages

10+ Session Package

Ten or more 90-minute, private sessions.

$4850

Sessions beyond the tenth are $485 each, pay-as-you-go.

Sessions à-la-carte

The cost for each 90-minute, private session is $550.

Note I take on a limited number of students each semester. A 50% deposit reserves your space, with the balance due at the first session. All checks or money orders should be made out to Rich Klarman. All rates are subject to change.

Student Testimonials

“Having Rich Klarman as your tutor is like having your own personal, private professor. He has an amazing understanding of the law, an uncanny memory, and an ability to explain difficult concepts through common sense examples. Whether you visit him a few times for exams or throughout the semester, working with Rich Klarman will make the difference.”

Brian Howard
University of Michigan Law School

“Studying cases and rules is only half the battle; taking the exam is the other half. Rich Klarman has an incredible knack for knowing what law school professors want to see in exam answers. He teaches you an approach to exams that really works!”

Dana Lakritz
Wayne State University Law School

“Rich and I began working together in the summer before my first term at Michigan Law. He introduced me to the Socratic method and helped me learn to read cases very critically. He showed me how to precisely identify the issues lurking within a text and how to articulate a compelling response to them. During my first semester, Rich not only helped me understand the particulars of seemingly Byzantine cases, but he also taught me how to weave each week’s readings into a coherent and comprehensible structure.
     “Perhaps most importantly, Rich substantially upgraded my exam-writing skills. In the weeks leading up to finals, we reviewed my answers to several practice exams together. He was merciless — though always productive — with his feedback on my writing style, the way I identified and argued the issues, the overall logic of my answers, and pacing. And when I took my actual exams, I really discovered just how valuable his guidance was.
     “I believe my work with Rich has been crucial to my law school success, and I’m continuing to meet with him to get the most out of my law school experience. Needless to say, I’m delighted and would highly recommend Rich Klarman as a tutor for anyone who is serious about excelling in law school.”

Matthew Pearl
University of Michigan Law School / Yale Law School
Note: Matt’s three grades that first term were A+, A, and A-. He transferred to Yale Law School at the start of his second year. Way to go, Matt!

“Thank you for your help both over the summer and during the Thanksgiving break. I’m certain I would have approached my studies all wrong if I hadn’t had such thorough preparation with a great legal mind before starting law school. On my final exams, your analogy of traveling along a path and considering the different objects along the way really helped me hit the major points. I appreciate all your encouragement and advice. Thanks again! Regards to Myra and Max.”

Mi-Sang Song
University of Wisconsin Law School

“Law school is a maze of information, full of pitfalls and dead ends. Rich was a fantastic guide who helped me find my own way through. He forced me to revamp my thinking about law school exams, which led to much higher marks. Having him there to challenge and teach me has proven to be one of the best choices I made in law school.”

Marc Corredor
University of Michigan Law School