What do we need for law school!?

[walk it out]

Is Black's Law Dictionary really a necessity?


I read somewhere that you can access it on lexis Nexis.


Perhaps, it could be useful to have a hardcopy at all times though?

If so, where do you guys buy the pocketsize one from?

My law school wont let you access Lexis Nexis until 2nd semester so this isn't an option. From what I've heard from other law students, the dictionary is best for the first couple of weeks of school- until you get used to what all the words mean

Well that's weird.  You aren't going to have to write a memo your first semester?

Black's can be accessed by Westlaw and probably Lexis-Nexis as well, although nobody uses Lexis-Nexis so I have no idea.

[tacojohn]

If you don't want to buy Black's use http://dictionary.law.com until you can access Lexis and Westlaw.

To Dr. Pepper: If you don't like the idea of highlighting, you must hate the idea of cutting books.

Binders aren't that necessary.  I haven't had more than maybe one class where the volume of handouts was so high I felt I needed a binder to manage it.  Buy a pack of folders, and wait until a folder for a class fills up before springing for binders.  Unbound course packs are more likely to need a binder than anything.

Use something to keep all your assignments straight.  It sucks to get decently far ahead in a bunch of classes only to show up and find out you hadn't read for one class.  Outlook, iCal, Remember the Milk, a day planner, Windows Calendar, piece of paper, anything is fine.

If you see a sale, stock up on resume paper and ink, for when you start mass mailing in December.

Buy a comfortable bag (rolling or otherwise) that can carry at least two books, your laptop, and anything else you might bring along with you to class.

If you highlight, you shouldn't need an insane amount because you shouldn't be highlighting that much.  Almost every "system" that suggests highlighting suggests the same thing: read the case twice and highlight the second time through.  You shouldn't be pasting whole paragraphs of text on the first pass through; that is just passively reading and ruining the book for no good reason.

[highjumper]

I think it is amusing that someone would not mark in their law book.  It is simply an instruction manual to teach you a subject.  They have no long-lasting intrinsic worth.  If you learn best without marking, then don't.  But if it helps, by all means brush up on your scribbling skills.  Why would you invest $150,000 into an education and be afraid to mark up $2,000 in text books so you can sell them back at 1/3 of their price rathter than 1/5? 

So, in short, use those books any way that will help you learn their content.....highlight, write, fold, tear, cut & paste, even boil that S.O.B. down and make a witches brew that you drink before going to bed if it magically teaches you the law! 

[Last King of Edinburgh]

How much should I put aside for the cost of books in the fall only? Anyone?

[TrashCat]

How much should I put aside for the cost of books in the fall only? Anyone?

Your school should have this listed on their cost of attendance page, and if not it should be adressed in your fin aid package?
.....
Ok, I just looked and didnt see it on the WUSTL page.. perhaps contacting the fin aid office and asking them to ballpark a number for you?

[lawschoolboundlady]

Most schools I've looked at are around 500-600 a semester. Generally give 1,000 or so per year in loans for books. I applied to a lot of schools lol

[Jen2bJD]

Does anyone know of anything else we might need that no one has mentioned?

[likewise]

I've just been through this an spent alotta money I didn't need to, so I'll break it down for y'all.

You'll need:
1) A laptop, preferably PC not Mac, preferably with XP, not Vista.  This is cuz if your school is anything like mine, a laptop with XP is the fanciest thing they'll be compatible with.
2) A boatload of highlighters.  You won't need these by 2nd semester, cuz you highlight a whole lot less by then, but in the 1st semester, I went through 2 or 3 highlighters a week.
3) A good bag. Hopefully, your school has lockers like mine, but in either case, get a bag that hold a laptop and two casebooks.  And, for the love of Christ, don't get a frickin wheeley bag.  Those things just piss everybody else off. Messenger bags can be a pain in the butt when you have fifty punds in them, too.
4) Some good black pens.

That's it, folks.  Nothing more.  When you buy your books, get them at the bookstore where you can check whether or not they're over-highlighted. Also, buy no "recommended" books at first; buy only those that are "required." This will save a buncha of ducats, and you can always buy these later on, if you think they'll help.

Your books should cost you LESS than $500 if you do it this way. If you get the syllaboy prior to the start of school, buy NO book that doesn't have an assignment listed for it.

Final piece of advice:  Read the table of contents in you casebooks and the intro matter.  I didn't even understand why I was reading cases certain halfway through the first semester.  Getting an understanding of how the prof/text is organing the material helps immensely.  Oh, and get outlines from outline banks for your specific classes if ya can find 'em.

[Jen2bJD]

That sounds like good advice, thanks.

[Last King of Edinburgh]

I'm very jittery about LS not cos of the workload but because it will be the first time since I turned 16 that I will not receive a check every friday. This is going to test my ability to be frugal and I'm scared to death. Thanks for the advice LSD.