Outlines

[corleone]

  I am trying to get ahead and starting my torts outline after only 1 week of classes.  Please keep in mind that i am not even really sure what an outline is to encompass at this point.

  I am following along with the table on contents of my torts materials and listing each case that was assigned under each heading...  than i write VERY brief reminder of what the case was about... and the rule... as sumarized from lexis case-brief headnotes...

 for example:
A. Battery

    I. intent

Garratt v Dailey (1955)

Defendant, a child under the age of six, was visiting plaintiff's adult sister at plaintiff's home. Plaintiff alleged that she came out into the backyard to talk with sister and that, as she started to sit down in a wood and canvas lawn chair, defendant deliberately pulled it out from under her.


Rule: It is not enough that the act itself is intentionally done and this, even though the actor realizes or should realize that it contains a very grave risk of bringing about the contact or apprehension. Such realization may make the actor's conduct negligent or even reckless but unless he realizes that to a substantial certainty, the contact or apprehension will result, the actor has not that intention which is necessary to make him liable in tort.


  Am I on the right track with this?  Is it unnecessary to do this for each case or is it advantagous...

  If you have any wholesale tips for me on outlining or comments on the method i have chosen PLEASE do not hesitate...

  In holding with the "work smarter not harder" approach, does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve my outline technique?

  Thank you in advance
     C.

[jeffjoe]

For what it's worth, I think you're on the right track, but I thought that my case brief would be the very brief reminder that I would insert in the outline.

[highball]

Ok, here is what I've done:

1. Made an outline using the Professor's syllabus.
2. Plugged in the cases under the various topic headings.
3. Entered in the Legalines briefs for each case associated with the topic headings. You can also get a lot of these off the net ( http://www.4lawschool.com/casebrief.htm ) or off of Westlaw.
4. Entered in some information how each case relates to / differs from / builds on other cases
5. Enteted in Professor's notes from class for each case
6. Threw in some legal word definitions.  Legalines outlines the jargon and defines it.  If you need more, Westlaw has a legal dictionary.  Or just Google it.

[duma]

Hey Highball. Thanks for that link.

You are doing the same thing I am, or I am doing the same as you Anyway, I have been using Store Law to help me along. After class, I take the prof notes and my breif and combine them under "key points." That could be under the topic (Intentional tort) or subtopic (Battery), depending on the relevance.

Anyway, I think you are doing it right.. because I think I am too