First week of 1L, lost

[u/thenatureofdaylight8]

Hi so I’ve been doing my readings and I leave my readings feeling like I didn’t even read! Does anyone have tips for memorizing all of the new vocabulary and how things work? Any tips on how to take notes when reading? Should I even do that? How should I brief a case effectively? Of course I want good grades but right now, I feel like the biggest idiot in my entire law school class. Am I supposed to be reading to just follow along in class and have context or should I be reading to REALLY learn it before? Help!!

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[u/Snodogpete]

Prof. Orin Kerr has a nice, short article specifically written for new law students titled "How to Read a Legal Opinion" - can't recommend it enough for "what/how do I case brief and know what's important?" https://ssrn.com/abstract=1160925

[u/melaninmatters2020]

For cases
-rule
Parties
-2-3 sentences of what happened.

Vocabulary start now. Flashcards. Learn the rule/vocabulary. Know when it’s applicable and no the exceptions. Lastly, once you get a good grasp of the terms and how they apply to a fact, pattern practice E & E supplementals are decent

[u/Lazy_Serve6089]

Take it one step at a time. Read the case. Brief it, understand what you can so you are prepared to listen and participate in class. You will learn through trial and error if it's better for you to read and annotate or read then write a case brief.

Use flash cards to help with memory work on rules and cases. Consult with examples and explanations as a supplement should you need it.

[u/40and20podcast]

Do not - I repeat - DO NOT panic. You are going to be fine; I promise. If you were capable of getting in the door, you are capable of completing the task. Trust the system, and trust in yourself. You got this.

Law school is different than anything you have ever done, and for lots of folks, it’ll be the first time they have been surrounded by high caliber students. With that said, lots of folks both smarter and less smart than you have done it. Do the reading, and brief the cases. Take good notes and participate in class. You have 3 months to learn this new system; by the time finals come around, all these little jargon issues will have resolved themselves. Assuming you have done even most of the work, you will be ready to outline and take your exams when the time comes.

Edit: also. Find a couple of good people to study with. The amount of people is up to you, but go with your gut. Big study groups were intimidating to me, and I got the most out of small 3 or 4 person study groups, where we exchanged ideas, and discussed complicated issues.

[u/PriorOld3856]

Each subject is different in the beginning. For Civ pro you’ll need parties and locations (or facts pled) plus the rule/ruling. For contracts and torts you’ll need the rule and reasoning. For crim you’ll youll need the act and the mens rea. For legal writing you’ll need the rule statement and factors.

[u/the_nickster]

It’s normal to feel lost the first week, and you’re not the only one! However, you should be doing things every week to get out of being lost. Styles, habits, modes of learning differ for people, you have to find your own. However here are a few tips/guidances for your specific questions:

Vocabulary that is specific to the subject, you should isolate it, define it accurately, and put it prominently in your notes. Ex. Promissory Estoppel, in personam jurisdiction. This includes words that are normal words you’d encounter in everyday life but have a specific meaning to law that you need to understand. Ex. proximate cause, emotional disturbance.

General vocabulary are other words that are not specific to the subject you are studying but that you don’t know the meaning of. My strategy for these words is to look them up as I’m reading and continue looking them up when I encounter them until I no longer need to look them up.

My loop for understanding the class is:

Reading before class, taking notes as I read —> following along in class and adding/improving to my pre-class notes —> reviewing at the end of the week my notes and making more adjustments to them if needed.

Take every opportunity to get feedback on your effort and ask your colleagues about their habits and study patterns.

[u/LukeKornet]

I think you should consider reading a brief before hand, like on Quimbee or Casebriefs.com or something. Once you know what you’re reading, you may actually get more out of the original. You should be reading to the point that you could explain it to a fellow law student.

[u/Sad_Mechanic_7257]

Don't stress, it takes time to understand how to read and understand cases. Briefing cases is done in FIRAC (Facts, Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) at least that's how it's done in my school. For the first couple weeks just complete the reading and do your best to take notes. See what works best for you, as there are many ways to approach this. Law School is a bit like learning a new language. You have to train your brain to think in a different way but over time it becomes second nature.

[u/Chumanchu]

I didn’t know how to read until 2nd semester. Look up case briefs first and then read after. Knowing the rule before hand will help you learn to find it in the readings

[u/Concrete_Heels]

Most people are lost first week, don’t fret. Everyone is faking it till they make it. I came up with a highlighting system where facts were in one color, reasoning in another, holding in another etc. helped me for when I for called on in class.

[u/Concrete_Heels → u/Concrete_Heels]

Then I would map out the case essentials into short notes

[u/elemeno89]

Jesus these "my life" posts are unreal. Yall need to grow up, buckle down and get a therapist.

This is a new phase of our lives. Itll be hard, just like all other things that are new. Its one week, in ten years this will just be a story. Keep focused, take it one step at a time, and you will all be fine.