Will I pay for briefing in the book in the long run??

[templeace]

Okay so I have given up briefing cases outside of my textbook. What I do is make notes in the margins and use a highlighter and I do just fine in class. I have a very good grasp of what I read when I get to class. If I dont remember, I usually dont have any problem finding things in the book with the way I highlight.

Now when it comes time to begin outlining, which from what I have heard, is refining the mass of my semesters notes into a something manageable to guide me thru the final, will I be at a disadvantage by not having case briefs to print out?

I do make comments on the cases issues, and write down questions I have about things I dont understand in the opinions on my computer. But I just wanna know if briefing the case inside the book is going to make things difficult in the long run?

 

[jacy85]

You won't need case briefs.  You will need the rules distilled from the cases, maybe one sentence on the crux of the reasoning justifying the ct's decision, and sometimes policy issues the ct mentions.  These should hopefully be in your notes from class and notes you take on the reading.  Having a typed case brief won't help at all on the exam.

[templeace]

That's good to know. Plus it will give me a reason to go my professor's office hour, since my class never seems to get to the real issues in an opinion because people want to hear themselves talk for fifteen minutes to an hour. Damn TTT's.

[brightline]

Believe it or not, something akin to this happens at the T14 I attend now (I transferred from a tier 2), in a class full of 2Ls. The difference is that it's mostly the prof that wants to hear himself talk, and wants to play armchair political philosopher instead of discussing the law.

If your prof allows the class to get off topic, I doubt he's going to be helpful in office hours. He'll probably just act annoyed when you show up.

Better get your hands on some good supplements and get used to teaching yourself the law.

That's good to know. Plus it will give me a reason to go my professor's office hour, since my class never seems to get to the real issues in an opinion because people want to hear themselves talk for fifteen minutes to an hour. d**mn TTT's.

[brightline]

I'd also agree that you don't need printed case briefs, but I'd also say you don't need book briefs either. All you need is a one sentence summary of the facts, a one sentence summary of the black letter rule, and the understanding of how to apply that rule to other fact patterns in your brain.

[templeace]

I'd also agree that you don't need printed case briefs, but I'd also say you don't need book briefs either. All you need is a one sentence summary of the facts, a one sentence summary of the black letter rule, and the understanding of how to apply that rule to other fact patterns in your brain.

I wouldn't go that far simply because I would then begin to worry about how well i am remembering things. I think I could get by with just a few sentences but I would never be able to participate in discussion because I would be secind guessing myself, even though I more than likely would be on the right track. It's funny when you get to that point in life when you are intelligent enough to know that you aren't as intelligent as you think you are lol.