Congrats Sands on Law Review...

[seu2002]

extension of the 1L thread.

tag.

[lex19]

thanks sands

[smujd2007]

Hate to butt in, but I wanted to suggest another supplement. A supplement that I found to be extremely helpful second semester were the Siegels books. They aren't very popular, but I think that is because most people procrastinate and they don't have time to actually do questions and problems, they are still outlining, not because they aren't helpful.  They have multiple choice questions for each subject and essay questions for each subject as well. Whether your exam is multiple choice or essay, I would work as many of those as you can.  Test taking is a skill, its not necessarily a reflection on the amount of law that you know. These can be pricey, like sands said (25-30 a pop), but you might be able to get them on amazon.com or used at your schools bookstore. And he's right.  I was sick of buying books, but by second semester, I realized that supplements are helpful, even though everyone may tell you that they aren't.  

If there are used bookstores in your area, get very familiar with them.  I was very, very, very upset when I went to a used bookstore near my house and found my casebook for $40, with very few notes in the margins, and I had just paid $80 for mine, about a week after school started. Numerous other texts have shown up at the same bookstore throughout the year. Used E & E's for 4.98.  I was upset. But I pass this along to you in hopes that you will save money and check out that option, if you have it.

I would also get some tapes / CDs to listen to--if you have a commute, listen in the car or on the train, or wherever. It doesn't matter who they are--gilberts, barbri,pmbr . . .they will break down the concepts of law for you a lot simpler and in a much more organized fashion than other teachers would. Also look for these in the audio section of a used bookstore before you commit to buying them half price. You would probably listen to them throught the semester as well.  I have started listening to some tapes to review, and I wish I had spent time listening to tapes while studying (or not studying, like if you are working out, or cooking, or on LSD  ).  

Oh, and Sands is right. No prepping in the champagne room. ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE JUST COME FROM UNDERGRAD OR A MASTERS OR DOCTORATE PROGRAM. Please trust us on this.  
 
Continue the discussion. . .

[lex19]

thanks smu

[elegantpearl01]

Sands, was your Law Review an automatic grade-on, write-on or combo? If it had a write-on component how did you go about doing it?

shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit...

Girl, that's a story and a half!!!  real quick, my school's Law Review is a combo of both grades and write-on.  I'll have to give you the story later cuz I gotta run.

I'm so proud of you dude...who would have thought back in 04 you'd be sitting on law review with those tight grades??? You need to really laugh now looking back at your engineer days!

[Fabyahluss]

Yeah, thanks smu for the info. BTW, please don't feel as though you are butting in. Those of us going into our first year rarely receive such helpful advice regarding 1L experiences on BLSD. If you have info that you feel would be helpful for us, please don't hesitate to post it-regardless of whether it's on this board or any other board in the BLSD...

[jdohno]

I'm sorry Sands. I have to disagree with you below. I prepped last summer and it helped out big time this year. I did very well. You don't learn the law in the casebooks because the law isn't in the casebooks. When you prep in the summer that's your first exposure to the law. By the time, you start school, read the cases, go to class and then use the E&Es, Gilberts and other study aids, you have gone over the material 3 or 4 times. So I agree with you that the repetition to the material is key because most fact patterns are recurring. You start to memorize the stuff after seeing it multiple times.

This combo law review thing must be catching on at many schools. My former school was straight grades. But now that I'm transferring, I have to do the write on. Did you use one of those "How to write a Law Review Article" books to help you with the write on?

Let me get this out of the way right now - NO PREPPING IN THE CHAMPAIGNE ROOM!!!  NONE!!!  But you don't want to chill.  You want to Prep.  But there is NO PREPPING in the Champaigne Room. 

So just relax before law school.  Your life as you know it will be over soon enough.  And besides every professor is different and will add their own twist to what they want you to know.  Spending weeks before law school reading stuff you will not be tested on is a waste of your time.  Not only that, but you just can't learn "The Law" without going through the cases.  Its the constant repetition of case after case after case that you are not yet able to understand at this point, even if you were to pick up an E&E and read it cover to cover.

[seu2002]

SMU QUIT BUTTING IN!!!

i'm just kidding, lady.  of course your opinions matter!  keep them coming!!!   

[Nadege]

What did you use to prep? I'm contemplating getting the LEEWS series before starting this fall. I know that you've posted on the benefits of the program before. Is that what you used to prep over the summer or did you save it midterms/finals season?

I'm sorry Sands. I have to disagree with you below. I prepped last summer and it helped out big time this year. I did very well. You don't learn the law in the casebooks because the law isn't in the casebooks. When you prep in the summer that's your first exposure to the law. By the time, you start school, read the cases, go to class and then use the E&Es, Gilberts and other study aids, you have gone over the material 3 or 4 times. So I agree with you that the repetition to the material is key because most fact patterns are recurring. You start to memorize the stuff after seeing it multiple times.

This combo law review thing must be catching on at many schools. My former school was straight grades. But now that I'm transferring, I have to do the write on. Did you use one of those "How to write a Law Review Article" books to help you with the write on?

Let me get this out of the way right now - NO PREPPING IN THE CHAMPAIGNE ROOM!!!  NONE!!!  But you don't want to chill.  You want to Prep.  But there is NO PREPPING in the Champaigne Room. 

So just relax before law school.  Your life as you know it will be over soon enough.  And besides every professor is different and will add their own twist to what they want you to know.  Spending weeks before law school reading stuff you will not be tested on is a waste of your time.  Not only that, but you just can't learn "The Law" without going through the cases.  Its the constant repetition of case after case after case that you are not yet able to understand at this point, even if you were to pick up an E&E and read it cover to cover.

[jdohno]

I read Leews a few weeks before school started. And I did the program throughout the semester along with Delaney's How to do your best on Law School exams. In Leews, he instructs you to do several exercises a few times every week. Because learning how to do legal writing is at first difficult. I basically just prepped following PLS2's schedule using the E&Es and a few other books. Everyone has a different opinion about the book, etc. Either way, when I started school I wasn't lost like my classmates and I was able to adjust to school quickly.

Many people use the E&Es first year. By the time most of my classmates found out about them, I had already been using them for about 4 to 5 months. Some other things: by doing hypos last summer, I was ready to make my own early, I started outlining from day one, I talked to 2Ls and 3Ls on law review who had my professors, etc. For the multiple choice tests I had, I used the Finals Law School Exam Series. But between Siegels and Finals, it's like Emmanuels and Gilberts--either you prefer it or not. It's all about getting into a routine or system for school and repeatedly exposing yourself to the subject over and over again. Don't depend on class time giving you the repetition because most times if the professor doesn't get to all the cases in class that day then he is moving on to the next readings.

What did you use to prep? I'm contemplating getting the LEEWS series before starting this fall. I know that you've posted on the benefits of the program before. Is that what you used to prep over the summer or did you save it midterms/finals season?

I'm sorry Sands. I have to disagree with you below. I prepped last summer and it helped out big time this year. I did very well. You don't learn the law in the casebooks because the law isn't in the casebooks. When you prep in the summer that's your first exposure to the law. By the time, you start school, read the cases, go to class and then use the E&Es, Gilberts and other study aids, you have gone over the material 3 or 4 times. So I agree with you that the repetition to the material is key because most fact patterns are recurring. You start to memorize the stuff after seeing it multiple times.

This combo law review thing must be catching on at many schools. My former school was straight grades. But now that I'm transferring, I have to do the write on. Did you use one of those "How to write a Law Review Article" books to help you with the write on?

[