Am I studying enough?

[highball]

One question.  When you are a lawyer, how will you determine what law applies and how to use it?  In other words, how will you as a lawyer learn the law?

Listen to what he has to say, determine the issues, find the law, apply it to the facts.  Same thing as I'm doing now except I'm skipping the 'listen to what he has to say' part and just reading the summary.

[jeffjoe]

What happens when the summary is wrong or leads you to believe that case applies when it doesn't?  How will you argue in court that the case does apply?

One question.  When you are a lawyer, how will you determine what law applies and how to use it?  In other words, how will you as a lawyer learn the law?

Listen to what he has to say, determine the issues, find the law, apply it to the facts.  Same thing as I'm doing now except I'm skipping the 'listen to what he has to say' part and just reading the summary.

[highball]

What happens when the summary is wrong or leads you to believe that case applies when it doesn't?  How will you argue in court that the case does apply?

Well, I'm assuming Legalines is a pretty correct brief for each case, so the summary being wrong isn't an issue.  And, there is no court component to the final exam.

Key point here, I don't care about preparing for some future event beyond the final exam.  Just trying to find out if what I'm doing is enough for the final.  I know that's like some cardinal sin, I'll be a bad lawyer, etc.  I'll go to see the Jesuits in confessional about that. (I'm at Georgetown)

[jeffjoe]

The summary being wrong could be an issue.  If you received a bad grade because you trusted the summary, how could you contest the grade?

If your goal is to do well on the final exam without regard to learning or practicing the law, then perhaps you are studying enough, but perhaps you need to reassess your goals.

No offense meant.

What happens when the summary is wrong or leads you to believe that case applies when it doesn't?  How will you argue in court that the case does apply?

Well, I'm assuming Legalines is a pretty correct brief for each case, so the summary being wrong isn't an issue.  And, there is no court component to the final exam.

Key point here, I don't care about preparing for some future event beyond the final exam.  Just trying to find out if what I'm doing is enough for the final.  I know that's like some cardinal sin, I'll be a bad lawyer, etc.  I'll go to see the Jesuits in confessional about that. (I'm at Georgetown)

[highball]

The summary being wrong could be an issue.  If you received a bad grade because you trusted the summary, how could you contest the grade?

If your goal is to do well on the final exam without regard to learning or practicing the law, then perhaps you are studying enough, but perhaps you need to reassess your goals.

No offense meant.

None taken!  That's what I'm trying to find out, if this is enough to get all the content for the outlines to take into the finals.

Hoenstly, my goal is to get paid.  Top 25% and I keep my scholarship.  A GULC, you have the option of interviewing with places at the beginning of the semester.  I did the whole bounce around a bunch of hotel rooms and interview deal.  The dude from Skadden was like, for 1L Summer, just get top 10% and we'll hook you up with $2k take home each week.  I don't think I want to work at a place like Skadden after school, but I'm down with getting paid like that for summer work.  The guys from Pepper & Corazzini were way more laid back, but they only offer like 1/2 of Skadden money to 1LS's.  Even for them though, it was like, just get 10% or whatever it takes to be in the 'order of the coif'.  I think it was 10% when I looked it up for that.

[jeffjoe]

I don't agree with your goals and -- no offense intended -- it looks like you'll be the kind of lawyer that makes people compare them to whale sh*t.

But you're entitled to define your goals anyway you choose.

[highball]

At least I'm generally watching CNN or CourtTV when I'm being lazy.  All that Kobe and Scott Peterson trial action.  Did you know that semen comes on panties from the factories in China!?  That's what that Lee guy said regarding Jon Benet, and in Kobe's case, I guess it can stay on after a wash.  I still think he didn't do it, and even if he did, dude has multiple championships, he deserves a break.  It's not like he went all OJ on her.

[BennyQ]

I think there is one thing you might be forgetting...or maybe you just don't know yet.  There are not a lot of dumb people in law school to raise your average like there are in undergrad. 

In my first year experience, it was definately the people who studied diligently that got the best grades.  You need to remember that knowing the law simply is not enough to obtain your employment goal.  Even if you feel like you nailed your final, it really doesn't matter how you did objectively.  It only matters how you did compared to everyone else.  In a school like Georgetown, I am willing to bet that 95% of the people are putting in more effort than you currently are. 

Here is one last little tidbit: your class rank on the quizzes doesn't matter yet.  It takes most people a good couple of months to know what they are talking about in law.  While you may be ahead of the curve now, skipping out on work that others are doing will give them a HUGE advantage when finals roll around. 

Motivation is the key.  I guess I think of it this way: would you be willing to put in another hour or two or three per night if it meant getting a top-notch summer job.  Even if you don't want to stay at that firm permanantly, it is much easier to get any job if you have had big-firm experience plus great grades.

[Lavia]

Highball, I don't think any of us here are qualified to answer your question. I think you should ask your professor(s).

From what little I've learned in my 3 weeks in LS, I think being top 25% is completely up to the professors. They write and grade the exams. So if they think you're doing fine, like do their practice exams and ask them how you're doing, then that's what counts.

I don't think your morals or goals are in question here. Law school doesn't have to be a killer. Some people put in too much work for the one result...grades. You don't have to understand The Law. You have to understand what the professor who writes and grades your exams WANTS you to understand.

Then the Bar, from what I hear, is nothing like what you did during law school. A totally different animal.

And then when you're a lawyer, you'll do what you think is right and is efficient for you and the client. Since billing is often by the hour, your client won't be impressed that you spent 5 hours poring over thier case when you'd have gotten it in 1 hour. But they also won't be happy if you spend 1 hour but 5 hours would have kept them from losing their case.

That's my take on this game. School is, and always has been, a game, especially when curves come into play. Play the game the best way you can. Your money's worth, to you, is getting that top spot in the class. Go for it! If your goal is to read each case with a fine-toothed comb, do that! Whatever gets you where you want to be.

The Dean even told us that there is no doubt that not attending classes can result still in great grades. Hence, they require us to go to class cause they know we don't have to, but they want us to get the full experience.

If our Dean tells us that class isn't essential to passing the exams, then I'm guessing he's being honest. So we can't take the finals if we miss too many classes.

Anyway, long story. Do what works for YOU.

Lavia

[jslick]

I'm an admitted neophyte, but I daresay that if all you do is copy from an outline, you're cheating yourself.  Worse, if you actually receive a J.D., you might, along the way, have set yourself up to cheat your clients by offering advice on which you have not earned the right to speak.  Again, I'm a neophyte, but copying outlines is not the same as actually studying the cases, doing a lot of thinking, and understanding the reasoning behind the court's holdings.