General Tips and Tricks for Law School

HOW TO STUDY FOR LAW SCHOOL IN GENERAL

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3. Create a daily routine. Law school requires tedious preparation and dedication. As teachers and alumni often put it, law school is indeed a jealous mistress. Set aside time within your day to really study for the next day’s upcoming class. Confidence in class comes from adequate preparation.

As much as possible, always come to class having read every case and provision assigned for that day. Telling your professor that you were not able to read a case is law school’s biggest mortal sin. It can be a one-way ticket to your professor walking out on your class. Not to mention, getting a singko for recitation can be pretty nasty.

When studying, always have 4 things on your table - your class syllabus (which contains your case assignments for that day), your codal (where provisions can be found), your commentary (where legal authors expound on the provisions found in the codal), and your cases (whether it be a digital copy via the internet or your plain, old, stack of hardcopy readings). A good routine would be to read the provisions assigned from your codal, then to read the commentary in order for you to have a better idea of what the provision means, then to proceed to reading the case, so you can see how the Supreme Court applied that particular provision to a set of facts.

SYLLABUS

PROVISIONS

CASES COMMENTARY

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5. When reciting, refrain from looking down on your table and just reading your notes/ digest. Stand alert, know the case and provisions by heart, and only glance at your notes once in a while. This is important because recitation is in many ways a performance - your professor has to see that you know your material well. A student who mumbles, stutters, and plainly reads his notes is one who obviously lacks preparation. You’ve never seen Harvey Specter lose his cool, have you?

In connection to number 4, always remember that in law school, confidence is key. We promise you that no matter how hard you study, there will be a day that a professor will ask you a question you just do not know the answer to. DO NOT BE FAZED. Law

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10. students must be quick on their feet. Never show that you do not know the answer to a question and think of a way to answer based on the things you do know. Remember that the goal of recitation is to impress upon your professor that you have prepared well for his class. Fake it until you make it.

Always be responsive to your professor’s questions. Professors in the College of Law are notorious for requiring their students to answer a question squarely and concisely. To illustrate, If your professor asks you for the requisites of murder, do not not answer him with an example. It also goes without saying that part of being responsive to a professor’s questions would be actually listening to and understanding your professor’s questions. Besides, how can you properly answer a question you never even heard?

When reading, practice highlighting only the important things. It is recommended to highlight only the word or phrase that encapsulates or triggers in your memory the topic or main idea of the provision. Remember that when everything is a priority, nothing really is.

The provisions in the codal under the same chapter are generally interrelated, and, therefore, should be read in relation to each other so you can have a grasp of the topic as a whole.

Memorizing laws and cases are boring enough as they are. Learn to make your own mnemonics or guides to memorize and understand the topics. It is the best way to infuse your studies with creativity, wit, and humor.

When making a digest, it would be best to adopt the “FACTS - ISSUE - RULING” format. For the ruling, make sure to indicate the law which the Supreme Court used as the basis for deciding the way it did. Digests are important. Practice how to make your own. Digests are just guides or prompters of doctrines, concepts, or topics you are discussing. They are not substitutes for reading the original cases or the cases in full. State only the relevant facts as well when reciting.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW I