For all you 1L- What do you think was a waste of $$$$$$?

[Kelly]

Thanks for this.

Though I don't understand why you thought LEEWS was a waste of money.

I probably wouldn't do LEEWS again. It's great for some people... it's great for some classes.... just didn't work for ME or my classes! At my school, they will literally crucify you for not using IRAC, so the many books that I got on how to take law school exams were a total waste of money, since they all claim to be revolutionary by turning IRAC on it's head. Law-in-a-Flash for Future Interests is an absolute MUST, no point in the set for Contracts. I really like Examples and Explanations, snd will probably always use them when they are available. I like to use them right before I start a new section, just to get the "big picture", and then again when I'm done with a section and outlining, just to make sure I'm clear. I also really like Crunchtime. I'll go to the coffee shop the day before the exam, go over the "Exam tips" section (all the tricks and pitfalls to look out for... saved my butt a few times!) and do all the exercises. Oh, and if your legal writing prof is utterly worthless (like mine), get "Legal Writing in Plain English" by Bryan A. Garner.

[UMHBmom]

Truthfully, it didn't give me anything too terrifically earth-shattering, and some of the advice I flat-out can't use! For instance, the LEEWS approach is about issue-spotting, and not every exam is an issue-spotting exam. The LEEWS program will tell you that you can adapt their approach to any sort of exam, but that isn't true. If the biggest question on your Contracts exam tells you to write a contract.... well, LEEWS won't help. If your Property exam asks you to write conveyances for X that will allow him to keep control of the property while he is alive, give immediate possessory rights upon his death to his son, give delayed possessory rights to his daughter until she graduates from law school, and provides a steady source of income for his niece, all while avoiding probate... LEEWS won't help. And if you have a professor that despises the issue-spotting approach to exam-taking so much that he will sink instructions into the last quarter of his exam instructing you NOT to discuss personal jurisdiction with regards to A or B... LEEWS will hurt you. That's just my take on it, so take it with a grain of salt... and a shot of tequila. Exams are over!!!

Edited to add: The major exercise in the LEEWS program is a torts problem, and for good reason- I will TOTALLY use this approach for TORTS! I can't imagine a torts exam that is anything other than an issue-spotter, and the sheer mass of confusion that such an exam presents would make the approach worthwhile. So I mispoke when I said it wasn't useful... it's just not universally useful.

[dft]

So is the consensus that horn books aren't worth the time and money and/or other supplements are more useful and give you more value for your money?

It seems like horn books are just so long and you're already reading (and briefing) some or most of your cases - then you're going to use a hornbook and maybe even other supplements?  It seems kind of crazy. Outlines (e.g. E & E), and flashcards seem more useful...

Don't get sucked in to the study aid/hornbook trap.  Buy your text books, do the reading, and if you feel like you need help, borrow a hornbook/study aid from the library. 

[rapunzel]

LEEWS is in fact only useful for the issue spotter.  But then all of my 1st year exams where issues spotters.  Previous poster had a creative Contracts prof.

[UMHBmom]

E&E is actually more like a hornbook and nothing like an outline. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the brightest one in my class, and I really need some "plain English" assistance a great deal of the time. E&E is great for that. I have yet to meet a canned outline that I liked, however.. and I've even met one that was outright wrong! I'm not so confident as to second-guess the authors, but if you can't get a basic fact such as whether one party is a sibling or a spouse, that particular text is suspect. I found this in the Property Legalines keyed to Dukeminier. I've avoided it ever since. I'm already confused. 

[Kelly]

Thanks for it.  But I think I might have to get LEEWS only because it seems like the overall consensus is pretty good about it!

E&E is actually more like a hornbook and nothing like an outline. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the brightest one in my class, and I really need some "plain English" assistance a great deal of the time. E&E is great for that. I have yet to meet a canned outline that I liked, however.. and I've even met one that was outright wrong! I'm not so confident as to second-guess the authors, but if you can't get a basic fact such as whether one party is a sibling or a spouse, that particular text is suspect. I found this in the Property Legalines keyed to Dukeminier. I've avoided it ever since. I'm already confused. 

[UMHBmom]

Well, if you want to buy the latest version, I'm selling. PM me.

[Kelly]

How much?

Well, if you want to buy the latest version, I'm selling. PM me.

[birddog]

I'm one of those suckers who buys everything - LEEWS, outlines, E&E, everything!  As I said on another thread, LEEWS didn't help because none of my exams were issue spotters.  I'm glad I have canned outlines only so that when I start work I have something to look at (although I did use some Gilberts outlines for first year exams to make sure I had the correct black lettr law).

What I'm glad I spent money on: Chirelstein on contracts (not sure how to spell his name).  E&E for most classes (and my advice is to read the sections in E&E at the time you cover it in class - you won't have time as exams approach).  Canned briefs - my favorite were West High Court Case Summaries.  It's still important to read cases your first year only because you have to learn how to do it - when you start working you'll have to be able to plow through cases finding the appropriate law, application, etc so you need to be familiar with it all (some kids at my school never read cases, only the briefs).

[Kelly]

Very helpful!

Thanks!

I'm one of those suckers who buys everything - LEEWS, outlines, E&E, everything!  As I said on another thread, LEEWS didn't help because none of my exams were issue spotters.  I'm glad I have canned outlines only so that when I start work I have something to look at (although I did use some Gilberts outlines for first year exams to make sure I had the correct black lettr law).

What I'm glad I spent money on: Chirelstein on contracts (not sure how to spell his name).  E&E for most classes (and my advice is to read the sections in E&E at the time you cover it in class - you won't have time as exams approach).  Canned briefs - my favorite were West High Court Case Summaries.  It's still important to read cases your first year only because you have to learn how to do it - when you start working you'll have to be able to plow through cases finding the appropriate law, application, etc so you need to be familiar with it all (some kids at my school never read cases, only the briefs).