Student Experiences
Lesson 3 - Case Briefing
Lesson 3. Case Briefing
There are several resources that have already been suggested for reading in Lesson One which discuss the skill of case briefing. This is a necessary skill which, once mastered, will allow the student to efficiently and effectively move through the cases she/he has been asked to prepare for class. NOTE: A case brief is what you have done to prepare for class. The faculty members will move beyond the material you have prepared in order to assist student to critically analyze material. The verbal discourse in class is called the Socratic Method of learning.
Directions:
1. Go back to the case of State v. Washington which was attached as part of the Critical Reading materials in Lesson 2.
2. Click here to go to the Case Briefing Template provided by your Legal Research and Writing faculty. Use template or one from the other materials you read to write out a case brief for this case.
3. Cink here to see a case brief for this case which a current law student created.
4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP, compare what you wrote to what they wrote. How is yours different? Assuming theirs is a more useful tool, how does yours need to adjust?
In the Bridging the Gap book referenced in Lesson 1 and others, the authors provide other cases to brief with sample responses.
Lesson 2. Critical reading
Lesson 2. Critical Reading
If you wish to be a lawyer,
Attach no consequence to the place you are in,
Or the person you are with;
But get the books, sit down anywhere, and go to reading for yourself.
[Reading for yourself] will make a lawyer of you
quicker than any other way.
Letter from Abraham Lincoln to William H. Grisgby (Aug. 3, 1858)
Most students find that reading in law school is very different than the reading they have done in the past. The biggest struggle comes when students must “read between the lines” to determine how or why a court might make the determination that they did. The good news is that students who master the skill of critical reading will be able to make the most efficient use of their time as they prepare the hundreds of pages of reading required each week.
Directions:
1. Read over the entire assignment. This includes the cover memo, problem and case.
3. Then go back to your materials to find any answers you could not remember.
4. The final step is to figure out why you missed any parts that you did. This steps moves you from critical reading to critical thinking.
Finally, read over the material here from Prof. Ruth Ann McKinney.
Lesson 1 - Preparing your mind
Lesson 1 – Preparing your mind
Depending upon when you begin your preparation for law school, you may have a couple of weeks or months to start on your journey. This first lesson allows you to pick one or more than one of the following books which will help you to begin to understand what the first year experience is all about. I fully understand that law school texts are expensive, so whether you choose to purchase the books or borrow them from a library, what is important is that you review the material.
Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School, Stropus 2001
Each of your Legal Research and Writing faculty will recommend this text as they have found it to be easy to read and it discusses many of the skills that are needed for a successful law school experience.
Law School Without Fear: Strategies for Success 2d by Helene S. Shapo and Marshall Shapo
Either The Buffalo Creek Disaster by Gerald M. Stern OR A Civil Action by Jonathan Herr.
Your Civil Procedure faculty member may require either one of these books or another book wherein the author attempts to give the reader an understanding of the process of a case. Having an understanding of the larger picture can sometimes help students as they traverse the daily grind of studies.
Press this link for a list of texts that Academic Advising has posted. REMEMBER some of the books listed are recommended for different aspects of your learning career. Focus now on the ones that might assist you with learning about the law school process.