Professor Jennifer Robbennolt and 2023 graduate Sam Barder have co-authored a paper titled "Optimistic Overconfidence: A Study of Law Student Academic Predictions." Their findings, which indicate that a majority of incoming law students are wildly overconfident, drew the attention of Reuters, ABA Journal, and Above the Law. 

Speaking to Reuters, Robbennolt suggested there may be several factors contributing to the optimism of new students.

“They are coming into a totally new environment,” Robbennolt said. “They don’t have much information about the tasks they will be asked to do and the kind of thinking they will be asked to do. They don’t know much about their peers.”