Sage advice for soon to be 1L's

[NoelleMyBelle]

If you do your outlines too far in advance you won't remember anything and you miss out on some of the experience.  My thoughts--organize your notes in an outline like form weekly or each time you finish a major topic.  Use your syllabus as a guide for this.  Do your REAL outline later, when you have more perspective on the course/big picture.  I start about 3 weeks before finals. 

Also, don't do what we advise if it doesn't work for you.  Some people don't outline at all. 

[rapunzel]

As far as when to outline, if your class notes are extremely concise then you already have an outline of sorts.  Especially important because this keeps you from studying anything that the prof did not cover.  I never formally outline.  I find it useful to write out a short (10 page) outline a week before the test.  I use my class notes (which are very limited, I prefer to just listen rather than write) maybe a commercial outline or something from a friend, and my notes in the margin of the book.  Processing the rules through manually writing them helps me remember them. But if I had any more than 10 pages I don't think it would be helpful. 

Take all the advice you've heard and experiment with a system until you find what works.  Formal outlines may or may not work for you.

[lipper]

just to add a thing about outlines.

If u outline too early, you will fail to see the big picture in where that falls into place. 1 week is a little close, but if it works for u, hey, go with it. I outline around 3 weeks prior to finals. This gives enough time to see the overall picture. if u outline too early, you are bound to include tiny details that you do not have to know.

[shambala]

The cases are usually edited to illustrate distinct legal rules, often with very little commentary or enlightenment by the casebook editor. The casebooks often lack anything more than a general structure, and law professors often contribute little to the limited structure. Students are asked to read and analyze hundreds of cases in a vacuum.

Only stupid students read cases ..

[othius]

Shambala,

Not to sound stupid, but why?

[rapunzel]

Now, that is just not necessarily true.  Cases have their purpose.  You can examine them to see how lawyers and judges craft arguments.  An edited case may only be there to prove a specific point and may therefore lack elements- which is where a good outline can help, but our law is case law.  Even where we depend on statute, it is the cases where we learn how the statute has been interpreted.  Go ahead, try to write an appellant brief without reading the caselaw.

That being said, if you have to choose between reading every case and briefing it and doing something exam oriented like practice exams- then do what gets you ready for the test.  A wise law student soon learns the appropriate amount of time to spend on reading casebooks.

[Highway]

Shambala,

Not to sound stupid, but why?

Please don't feed the trolls.

[StrictlyLiable]

Did you really do your outlines 1 week before the final?  The 1 piece of advice that has been the most consistent from 1Ls and from books is to NOT get behind in your outlines.  It seem to me that waiting until 1 week before = massively behind.

I have a laptop and organize my class notes in a pseudo-outline form while I am writing them. This makes it 10 times easier to draft my outlines come finals. All I pretty much have to do is, rewrite my existing notes and fine tune my formating. I know, some of you might say, "why don't you just cut and paste?" My reasoning is that retyping and reorganizing the information helps me process everything, leading to a better understanding of the material. That's just my way.

The main point is to do whatever works for you.

[auntie nolo]

Shambala,

Not to sound stupid, but why?

lol! The OP should at least have said that people can use canned briefs, instead of downright not read the cases at all! 

[guerilladude]

I attended only the minimum number of classes in law school and studied even less. I waited until the last week or two to read the material for all of my classes. My grades were mediocre, yet I passed the Bar Exam on the first attempt. Obviously, the exams call for a good line of bull and, as an English major, my credentials were apparently superior. This, I think, speaks volumes about the importance of law school and its training model ..

In the practice of law, bull may not fly you quite as far, or as easily. No, what I found was most necessary it was a complete disregard for ethics or justice. I know there are some exceptions out there but, generally speaking, there are good reasons for the animosity expressed by the public. And I think this situation has a great deal to do with the training (or lack thereof) in the schools. There's a big difference between "thinking" and "rationalizing," as there is a big difference between being smart and being simply a smartass.