Sage advice for soon to be 1L's

[planningspecialist]

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

Amen!

[Jude]

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.

Correct! You are supposed to engage in analytic thinking and to synthetize yourself the rule of law from the cornucopia of cases you read.

[prettylily]

Great advice strictly, but a word of caution to the NewL's...Most law schools are cliquish.  It's hard not to fall into one or think something's wrong with you if you are not in a clique. 

I am not in a clique by the way.

[zilla]

I just graduated last week, and am now in the hell known as bar prep. I can't help but throw in my two cents for all you soon-to-be 1Ls:
1. Start preparing for your finals the first day of school. Seriously. finals are everything, and most first years (including myself) spend more time worried about looking like a fool in class. You will look like a fool in class at some point, learn to enjoy laughing at yourself. The perfect case brief may give you the appearance of a superstar in a class discussion, it won't necessarily prep you for the final. Get old exams if possible, work on IRAC, start outlining!
2. Take the LEEWS class. Look it up online. I did it first year, and it was worth every penny. They guarantee if you take the one day seminar you will get As and Bs on your finals. It worked for me. It was one of the most valuable things I did as a law student. Everyone will learn the law, not everyone will learn how to take an essay exam. This class will give you a leg up.
3. Don't take all of your class notes on a laptop. If you hand write your notes, you then have to type them in. It forces you to review, to create more concise statements of black letter law, and better organize for outlining purposes. Plus you get the added benefit of working out those hand muscles, which have to be in top shape for the hours of writing on the bar.
Law school is a marathon, don't get too caught up in the rat race aspect. Try to enjoy the law in between the drudgery!

[Monkey]

Marking this for my unreads - great advice, thanks!

[danlauer]

1. [...] Get old exams if possible, work on IRAC, start outlining!

Many teachers do not make old exams available, IRAC is pretty useless for most exams, outlining is unnecessary given the multitude of commercial outlines.

2. Take the LEEWS class. Look it up online. I did it first year, and it was worth every penny. They guarantee if you take the one day seminar you will get As and Bs on your finals. It worked for me. It was one of the most valuable things I did as a law student. Everyone will learn the law, not everyone will learn how to take an essay exam. This class will give you a leg up.

LEEWS is pretty useless. Save your money.

3. Don't take all of your class notes on a laptop. If you hand write your notes, you then have to type them in. It forces you to review, to create more concise statements of black letter law, and better organize for outlining purposes. Plus you get the added benefit of working out those hand muscles, which have to be in top shape for the hours of writing on the bar

Class notes?! What does it mean? Most of what professors say is useless and does not help a bit!

[zilla]

everyone has a different law school experience I guess, but I happened to find several classes where professors had valuble things to say, or useful hypos were presented.
As for the worth of LEEWS, i know many people who found it extremely valuable. The seminar offered tips on exam taking and efficient class note taking that I used throughout law school. There is some indepth discussion regarding this point on another section of this board.
I do agree that commercial outlines are a valuable resource, but I truly believe creating your own outline is a worthwhile exercise, especially when you have closed book exams. For me at least, it helped with the memorization process.
Most importantly, everyone learns and studies in a different way. One key to sucess in law school is trying out different approaches and seeing what works best for you.

[dgatl]

i'm not reading this whole thread, so if i'm repeating something other people have said, oh well.

1)  really pay attention to the professor when he's talking.  not necessarily when he's talking about the case, but when he's just generally discussing the topic.  he might be into economic theory (or, like in con law, is your professor a scalia-type textualist?), and if you write about it on the test, it might be something that distinguishes you from your classmates
2)  LEEWS is a waste of money if you do the live session, but not a waste of money if you buy the tapes/CDs and do it at home.
3)  figure out if you need to outline.  if your 2L mentor is on law review and aced the professor's exam last year, then just use her outline.
4)  thats it for now.

[brillo]

Good advice, eva.

[maney]

1. Orientation is a pain in the ass.

2. The books are expensive.

3. I had an uncanny ability to spot the 1Ls who wouldn't return after midterms.

4. Yellow is the only acceptable highlighter.

6. One can never have enough tabbies.

7. Don't get sick in law school. Ever.

8. Don't procrastinate on legal writing assignments. Ever.

9. A triple grande breve latte each morning is a necessity.

10. Do not de-brief after an exam with other students.

11. Policy is important. IRAC should properly be called IRAPC.

12. Every exam answer should include the word "likely" multiple times.

13. A fully charged i-Pod in the library is mandatory.

14. Leave your cell phone off or in the car.

15. The student who plays solitaire during the entire lecture will not be back after the exams.

16. Shopping for shoes online during class is tacky. Remember everyone else can see your screen. Same goes for endless AIM chats.

17. There are many opportunities for a free lunch.

18. Not partaking in law review will not destroy your career.

19. Ignore every one else's exam preparation strategy. Find your learning style and use it.

20. Keep your sense of humor.