ALL ABOUT THIS DVD:
Our Webmaster sits down with Anthony Petrossian, the filmmaker behind this DVD, to get the real scoop on what drove him to make “All About Law School.”

“All About Law School” is the brainchild of Los Angeles based lawyer-turned-filmmaker Anthony Petrossian. It all started about a decade ago when Anthony was attending undergrad at UCLA. “During my years at UCLA,” recalls Anthony, “I shot a bunch of short films and ran the film festival circuit across the country. Meanwhile, I worked like 30 hours a week as a production assistant on films “Jerry Maguire,” “Starship Troopers” and “Men In Black.” These experiences taught me the nuts and bolts of filmmaking. However, when I graduated in 1997, I didn’t feel intellectually challenged or fulfilled. I felt that my right brain had been allowed to run wild for so long that it had somehow gotten ahead of my left brain. I decided it was time for a change of direction. Like many others, I found my new direction to be law school.”

In 1998, Anthony was accepted to the Law School at the University of Southern California. He found the experience completely enthralling. “Law School was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” explains Anthony. “In undergrad, no matter which English or Bio or Film Theory or Philosophy course I took, it always felt like I was just chewing up some facts and spitting em back out. In law school, I was really forced to internalize and process the stuff. Cramming was out the door. My gears were turning like never before. It was like my brain just woke up. I mean . . I remember telling everyone I met that they had to go to law school! I was obsessed.”

Anthony was also one of the most competitive law students in his class. He was driven to graduate near the top of the class and had his eyes set on both the Law Review and the prestigious Order Of The Coif. “I really wanted to kick some serious ass in law school. I spent most of my waking hours dissecting the exam process and the grading procedures in law school . . . just trying to find out if there was any possible way that I could get an edge over the rest of the class. What I learned . . .was that there are many such ways.” Anthony was amazed at how little law students are told about how to do well in law school. “The administration was great at making us learn how to think for ourselves and polishing off our analytical skills . . . the trouble was that they truly kept the students in the dark when it came to testing and grades. It was all part of the Socratic Method which law school is centered around. The Method is actually one of the chapters covered in this DVD!” Anthony laughs . . . “Sorry, I can’t miss an opportunity for a shameless plug. In all seriousness though, I can’t tell you how many students stumbled around in panic during our first year. Most didn’t find the little ‘keys’ to success until their second or third years. Unfortunately, by then, their GPAs were already set in stone and their job prospects had already diminished. It is the same story all across the country. Law school is built upon the idea that the kids should be left in the dark to figure it all out for themselves. Sometimes this works. Usually, it doesn’t.”

Determined to succeed, Anthony created what he felt was a fail-safe system for doing well on his law school exams. “I literally went around and talked to every second and third year student who would give me their time . . . I picked the brains of professors and even the office staff until I felt that I knew what approaches to take in studying for my exams.” It was then that Anthony had the idea of creating an educational DVD that would reveal all the secrets and tips to doing well in law school. “I thought . . . why doesn’t anybody tell you this stuff when you start law school?” Ultimately, the methods that Anthony compiled were tried and proven on every set of exams he took throughout his 3 years in law school. He became one of the articles editors on the Southern California Law Review, graduated in the top ten percent of his class and joined the ranks of those invited into the Order Of The Coif. “I was passionate about spreading the techniques I had learned to every law student I talked to. Some of my classmates and I actually held seminars on ‘how to succeed in law school’ and were amazed at the response we would get. The room was packed every time we did one of these things. I even had kids emailing me out of the blue to get some pointers on how they could maximize their performance on law school exams. I knew that this was some very compelling material for an educational DVD . . . but I wasn’t quite sure when I would get around to making something like that. . . so I just let the idea sit and marinate in my mind for a few more years.”

In 2001, Anthony passed the California bar and joined the IP & Music groups of the Century City office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld (www.akingump.com). His plan was to practice law for a couple of years before jumping back into the film business. The jump came a lot sooner than he’d expected. “I actually found the practice of law to be very exciting. . . especially because I was working in areas that I was really passionate about such as Intellectual Property, Music, Internet & Film Finance. However, one of the music videos I had directed just after taking the bar exam happened to become a huge hit on MTV2 and the next thing I knew I had some production companies offering to sign me as a director. So, I left the firm and hooked up with one of the coolest production companies in Los Angeles, Rockhard Films.” Since then, Anthony has directed videos for a variety of artists such as Hoobastank, DMX, Gene Simmons and Slipknot. Many of Anthony’s videos can be streamed online at http://www.rhfilms.com/tony-petrossian/videos.phpl.

Nevertheless, even with his busy music video career, Anthony always remained passionate about the DVD project he had envisioned in his first year of law school. “I was constantly reshaping this Law School Expose in my mind, trying to find the best angle with which to present the strategies I had compiled. Finally, in 2003, it came to me. That is when I decided to begin interviewing the best law students I could find from all across the country. I sat down with each law student for over 2 hours and asked them the most hard hitting questions I could think of. Of course, the impetus for each question came through my own law school experience. However, I was amazed at how much I didn’t know as I picked the brains of dozens of law students from all levels of schools. In the process of bouncing my own techniques off of them, I think I learned as much from them as they did from me. A lot of their thoughts were different from my own which made this product all the more valuable. The whole project suddenly turned into a massive think tank focused strictly upon dissecting the law school paradigm and determining exactly how to succeed within it. I honestly don’t think there’s any angle we haven’t uncovered in this DVD. I can confidently say there’s never been a tool like this on the market. I know . . . I spent years looking for one myself!” In the end, Anthony amassed over sixty hours of interviews with a select group of over thirty law students from a variety of schools. He also amassed a ton of frequent flyer miles. Then, came the most difficult part of the process, the logging, sorting and editing of the information. “This edit was the most painstaking process I’ve ever been through,” recalls Anthony, “it truly made the Bar Exam feel like dinner with Grandma. It took me about a year and half to edit down the footage into the most compelling, interesting and important information. Ultimately, I cut approx 60 hours into just under 2 hours! You can be sure that every single word in this DVD is important and worthwhile. Otherwise, it would have been cut out.” After sweetening the piece with the proper music and graphics, Anthony ended up with a product that he is very proud of. “I really poured a ton of heart and soul into this DVD and guarantee that you will find it informative, entertaining and, most importantly, a giant advantage over those who never see it. Check out the testimonials page to read what people are saying about this DVD. Thanks for visiting our website and please email me directly if I can be of any service.” Anthony currently sets an hour aside each day to answer questions from prospective law students. Click Here to email Anthony.