Law school is quite distinct from college. The classroom atmosphere tends to be less boisterous, and law students tend to have a more career-oriented outlook than their undergraduate peers.
However, it’s essential to remember that law school isn’t just difficult; it’s demanding. To succeed in this demanding environment, you must develop healthy stress-management techniques and surround yourself with an encouraging support network.
Class Prep Time
Class prep time is an integral element of law school success. Studies show that students who maximize their preparation efforts tend to have more successful first years than those who don’t.
Law school courses demand a substantial amount of reading and studying, unlike undergraduate classes. Students often read up to 100 pages per class, plus they need to create outlines in order to better absorb the material.
Though it may seem like a lot of effort, students who prepare their reading and studying habits for law school will find that this time is well worth it. Establishing good study habits during law school not only helps you learn faster but it can also make classes more enjoyable and engaging.
In addition to readings and lectures, many law students need to practice for class presentations. Although these can be daunting tasks for some, they also offer an opportunity for practice with skills and increased confidence levels.
One of the best ways to prepare for class effectively is taking excellent notes. These notes can serve as a great way to recall information in the future and also aid in analysing what you have read.
Students should strive to hone their writing abilities as this will serve them well both in the classroom and as attorneys. You can practice your craft by working with a writing instructor, taking advantage of writing night classes or joining a workshop.
If you are a student looking to enhance their reading comprehension, consider taking a speed-reading course. These programs teach how to speed read so that dense material can be digested faster and assignments come more easily.
Law students who need to hone their note-taking abilities before beginning law school should invest the time in doing so. Not only will these abilities help you stay abreast of information during classes, but they will also be beneficial during legal internships and as a lawyer.
First-Semester Exams
First semester exams are an integral part of law school life, so it’s critical to start preparing early. The most efficient way to prepare is by creating a study plan and outlining each class individually.
Effective study plans will help you manage your time more effectively and prioritize classes accordingly. Furthermore, they guarantee that you focus on studying for each class’s final exam with dedication and precision.
Your grade will largely be determined by how well you perform on these first semester exams, so it’s essential that you are prepared. Practice answering questions ahead of time so that you feel confident answering them on test day.
Your first semester exams require you to critically analyze judicial opinions that address legal matters. Your objective should be to identify key concerns, accurately state the law and apply it to facts in order to come to a well-reasoned conclusion.
Furthermore, you will be required to create an essay or memo outlining the legal issue. While this may seem intimidating at first glance, it actually presents a great chance to practice researching and crafting legal memoranda.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the workload, reaching out to your professor for assistance can be a wise idea. They will be more than willing to provide advice and assist with any difficulties that arise.
Reviewing past exams prepared by your professor can be extremely helpful. This will give you insight into their writing style and allow for comparison between questions they ask and answers they provide. Be sure to request a sample exam answer so that you can examine both sides’ work more objectively.
After reviewing your exam, if you still feel uncertain about your grades, make an appointment with your professor to discuss the outcomes. This could be an invaluable chance to identify what went wrong and enhance future performance.
Moot Court Exercises
Moot court exercises are an integral part of law school, helping students hone essential legal research and writing abilities. Furthermore, these activities offer students valuable firsthand experience advocating legal and policy matters before judges.
Moot court competitions typically involve students prepping and advocating an appeal before a panel of judges. These courts are modeled after real appellate courts, and they aim to test students’ capacity for effectively and persuasively presenting facts of a case.
Some moot court competitions focus on a particular area of law, such as public international law or human rights law. Others cover an array of topics like arbitration and international criminal law.
Most law schools host moot court competitions beginning in the fall and concluding in early spring. Many students participate in multiple competitions during their time at law school.
At moot court, students are presented with a hypothetical fact pattern that poses a legal question. After conducting legal research and crafting a written memorial, they orally argue the case before an impartial panel of judges.
When advocating a case, lawyers must overcome legal authority (statutes, regulations and cases) that contradicts their position. Moot court offers students the chance to develop skills in recognizing which statutes, regulations and cases support their argument most persuasively and which ones could potentially detract from it.
As a student, I had the distinct privilege of participating in Michigan State University College of Law’s highly-ranked moot court program. Despite state quarantines and cancellations due to COVID-19, competition continued to grow and eventually MSU Law became the highest-rated moot court program nationwide.
This article proposes that the ideal moot training should eliminate undesirable psychomotor activity while still fostering training in both affective and cognitive domains. To accomplish this goal, staged practices must be conducted under the guidance of a coach familiar with pedagogical theories related to each domain of mental activity.
Moot court exercises provide invaluable training in how to think quickly and creatively in response to challenging circumstances. When a judge poses an impossible-to-answer question, students need the ability to quickly adapt their responses – especially during early stages of legal education when it can be challenging to anticipate what a judge might ask.
Reading Court Cases
Reading case law can be an intimidating and time-consuming task, but it is absolutely essential for all law students to practice their legal research skills while in school. This ability will serve them well throughout their careers as legal professionals and will be immensely beneficial to potential employers.
Though you can learn much about the law by reviewing textbooks and online summaries, judicial decisions provide many key rules and principles in written form that are difficult to interpret for non-lawyer students. Unfortunately, these cases tend to be written in a language unfamiliar to most students, making them particularly challenging to interpret.
Confusion and misunderstanding often arise when trying to decipher how the court interpreted the law in a case. To make reading a case easier, review its table of contents or your professor’s syllabus beforehand so you understand how to read it and what lessons it teaches you.
Furthermore, it’s essential to know where a case originates and which court decided it. Knowing these details will give you insight into the scope of the decision and its application to specific jurisdictions.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many courts provide multiple reasons for their decisions. This may not be immediately evident, but with careful consideration it will become apparent eventually.
Once you have identified the reasons that are pertinent to your case, the next step is to decide which of them are most pertinent and why. This can be a difficult task when judges are reluctant to share their reasoning; however, understanding this case better and preparing for class will give you a better perspective of the proceedings.
Once you have a thorough understanding of the case, it is essential to craft a brief for each assigned case. This should contain several sentences outlining legally significant facts, the holding in the case, and your reasoning behind why the court reached its decision.
A well-written case brief can not only save you time by cutting back on reading, but it will also enhance your comprehension by clarifying the issues and arguments in a case. Furthermore, it gives you insight into how the case fits within larger discussions of law and gives you necessary context for further analysis of it.
