HELP! What exactly do I need to know about law before I start school?

[middlelanguage]

To reiterate previous posters: Do not do anything to prepare. Prep course are worthless. Ignore what other people are doing. Try to figure out, once you start school, what works best for you. Typically, people will brief cases for the first couple weeks/months and then quit. I stopped after a week or two--but some people continue to do it into 3L because it helps them in class and for outlining. I, however, am a believer that case briefs may be valuable at the beginning because they help you understand important information; i.e., if you spend to much time on them, you won't have enough time to do other subjects. But, after about a week or two, they became worthless to me.

[kilroy55]

To reiterate previous posters: Do not do anything to prepare. Prep course are worthless. Ignore what other people are doing. Try to figure out, once you start school, what works best for you. Typically, people will brief cases for the first couple weeks/months and then quit. I stopped after a week or two--but some people continue to do it into 3L because it helps them in class and for outlining. I, however, am a believer that case briefs may be valuable at the beginning because they help you understand important information; i.e., if you spend to much time on them, you won't have enough time to do other subjects. But, after about a week or two, they became worthless to me.

Exactly.  I stopped briefing after week 2.  Took up way too much time, and in the end I felt pretty worthless.  But great in the beginning just so you can understand what is important, and what isn't. 

[dandlewood]

You need to know how to take a step back, take a deep breath, and dive back in to the pile of *&^% to fish out the nugget of truth.   

[littlelisalaw]

You need to know how to take a step back, take a deep breath, and dive back in to the pile of *&^% to fish out the nugget of truth.   

Thanks for that analogy! 

[dandlewood]

glad you saw that as a comment, not a flame, lol.  After I wrote it I thought it might have sounded a little sarcastic/cynical.

[littlelisalaw]

glad you saw that as a comment, not a flame, lol.  After I wrote it I thought it might have sounded a little sarcastic/cynical.

Aw, but I am one of the few people you will see around here that enjoys a great sarcastic/cynical comment, when appropriate.  Goes back to taking oneself way to seriously.  And anyway, it resembles the whole Getting to Maybe theme.

[wesclark]

you also need to know how to be self-confident and ignore the absurdity your classmates will spew every single day.

[lwpat]

I would suggest getting a copy of Law School Confidential or Planet Law School. Both are good but use what works for you. I agree that profesors put too much emphasis on briefing cases. You need to understand the rule from the case and be able to apply the rule to a different set of circumstances or hypo. Case briefs are available online from many different sources. West and Lexis also has a brief for the case. I jsut copied the Lawyer's Edition from Lexis into my notes and then the rule into my outline. There is a good article on how to read a judicial opinion at
A Day in the Life of a Law Student

The only way to good grades is to spend your time preparing for the final exam which usually is two or three essay questions. You must know the Black Letter Law cold, quickly identify the issue and then argue both sides. You never have enough time so the only way to get faster is to practice, practice, and then practice some more. Ask your professor for some hypos and then go in and have her/him review your answers.