MUST HAVE reading materials for 1Ls

[dkast]

All:

I have composed a list of what I believe are "Must Haves" for advanced entering 1L students.

Primers
Black Letter Law Outlines
ABC's of the UCC
Restatement of contracts 2nd
Restatement of torts 2nd
Law Dictionary

I would put the LEEWS tapes in the list but i have not researched it to the extend where i can make a qualified decision on it.

Advanced students please let me know if I am missing anything.

Thanks everyone and good luck with your study and analysis of the law.

[YankyKitten]

Thanks!

[lincolnsgrandson]

no - some might think Restatements are must reads (I highly recommend RS for Torts, but I'm sure many have done well without touching it), but no one should think they are a must have.

Big must have is a laptop. 

[squarre]

Just make sure you don't get too much "stuff" because you will never have time to look over it. 

Although some would disagree I think it is best to stick with 1 supplement per class - whether it be a primer or a commercial outline.  For example I think Examples & Explanantions for Civ Pro is more than enough without any sort of commercial outline. 

Restatements - At my school we used the Rest. of Contracts in class, but I never touched nor knew anyone that read the Rest. of Torts.

Never even heard of the ABCs of the UCC so I don't know if it would qualify as a must have. 

[kristin1644]

I think that "must haves" are going to depend largely upon your school and what methods your professor uses to teach.  We also used the Restatement for Contracts, but our Torts teacher didn't use it at all.  In fact, she told us it wasn't helpful since so much was different in our state.

[dkast]

I think the restatements are important not necessarily for your class, but more along the lines of legal analysis.  Enabling you to apply the law i.e., restatements to fact situations.

[squarre]

You aren't going to have that much time to read extra materials during the school year.  For most entering students I think the Restatements are only necessary if the teacher requires or possibly if they recommend buying them.

If your professor doesn't emphasize the Restatement then applying the code sections to a fact pattern will not do you a lot of good.  Also remember that often times the Restatements are not the law in a given jurisdiction or for that matter in any jurisdiction.  My Property professor refused to ever discuss the Restatement because he considers it to be a few academic types opinion of what the law should be and not what the law actulaly is.       

I think the restatements are important not necessarily for your class, but more along the lines of legal analysis.  Enabling you to apply the law i.e., restatements to fact situations.