How to Study Law
HOW TO READ AND REVISE FOR A LAW DEGREE
When you begin law school, you will certainly be inundated with huge reading lists. I was supplied with a list of "important" Contract Law readings that included over 300 pages, and in my naiveté, I assumed it was actually vital to speed-read through all the cases, some of which were hundreds 50-60 pages long. Do not be fooled. In reality, it is quite uncommon for a case to require careful reading in its whole. It has been done before you and will be done after you by another student. Take the advice of someone that has done it before you. Simply said, it is unneeded. Secondary sources of case summaries in notes or textbooks are generally sufficient. If you need to read the judgement or have been directed to do so browse through cases using the find function in Chrome, Adobe or Word.
This article will also disclose what, in my opinion, is the most effective method for memorising large amounts of knowledge. When we think about revision, we may think of flashcards, mind maps, and textbook highlighting. But which of them is the most effective method for transferring the law and commentary from your books into your brain? None I would argue. All the typical suspects when it comes to editing, in my view, are very inefficient and time-consuming. This article will provide you with access to the best way to revise and put to memory. This is more effective and efficient than blindly highlighting or creating hundreds of flashcards.
READING AND TAKING NOTES ALL THROUGH THE YEAR
Your technique to reading and taking notes will vary based on the module and instructor. Some professors will offer you with excellent handouts that summarise almost all you need to know and will provide extra information on crucial cases during their lectures. Others, however, will just supply you with a reading list and little written content. With the former sort of law tutor or lecturer, the handout may serve as your main resource. You should do this by reading the material carefully and expanding upon it throughout class.
I would suggest opening a Word.doc on your laptop and taking highlighted notes throughout each class. If the lecturer or law tutor talks too quickly for you to take helpful or comprehensive notes, you should always record the lectures on your phone (if they have not already been recorded) so that you may complete your notes afterwards. Lastly, with this sort of law tutor or lecturer you should also review the suggested reading to see if there are any additional information or holes in your comprehension that may be filled.
However, for the latter type of lecturer, your primary resource is the lectures. Without a good lecture handout, you initially will have no idea which areas you should focus on or what parts of the general reading will be tested in your exam. Your lecturer is likely to be the one who writes your exam paper, so it is vital that you take note of the specific areas they cover and highlight in the lectures. It is also very important to look through and understand the reading they set. After that, you can make your own notes using a combination of the lectures and the reading. Have a look at our law notes to give you at headstart.
ONLY READING AND REVISING CLOSER TO THE EXAM
Lets be practical m any law students choose to create their review notes towards the end of the academic year. This seems to be the greatest choice amongst most students since it requires them to do extensive study on each subject before writing their notes, so a student’s comprehension and memory will be enhanced. However, it may be more prudent to create revision notes throughout the year so that you may devote all of your revision time to memorise. It also eliminates the tension of knowing you haven't made your revision notes all year. This is a matter of individual preference, thus the decision is yours. A point worth making is that exams are changing where trite learning is being abandoned for open book exams and more practical based multiple choice type exams like they have in the US.
Understanding is the initial stage in this revising process. You cannot create revision notes until you have mastered the subject. Understanding is crucial. The rest will follow. However, how does one go about comprehending the law? First, approach each subject inside a module as a puzzle; consider what the topic name says and what you do not know. Initially, this could be everything. Therefore, approach comprehending it as an exercise in investigation. You must understand 1) what the legislation intends to accomplish, 2) the regulations, and 3) the exceptions.
The lecture handout should be your first point of contact for understanding the material. Here, you will likely discover the essentials of the legislation, as well as exceptions and maybe academic commentary. However, law is a difficult topic, therefore the significance of the handout may not be immediately apparent. If this is the case, see your textbook for further information. This should provide further information on the cases and clarify the most complex aspects of the law. If you still lack comprehension, you may choose to consult the whole case and read the judgment. Make sure you use the find function to search see for the answers to your problems. Additionally, you may search for case summaries and journal articles.
The next stage, which you should do after collecting all of the relevant materials on a subject, is to condense the knowledge you already know about the subject into brief notes that address the following content areas:
The general principles of law.
The important cases and their exceptions that is relevant to the general principle of law.
Commentary from the academic community on continuing controversies within the legal system This may be as simple as writing down the name of an academic and providing a brief summary of their position in just one phrase. If you want to know which sections of the law need scholarly commentary, look at past exams to see which subjects were covered in essay questions and use that information to guide your study. It is not necessary for you to do study on scholarly commentary on 'black letter' areas of the law that are evaluated via the use of problem questions.
Lastly, and this is very important in order to make your answers to the test appear decent, the names of the judges who presided over the cases, as well as the court where the case was heard (i.e. Court of Appeal, House of Lords, etc). In around 1 in 4 instances, you should additionally mention the judge who authored the leading ruling and/or the court. Note any significant dissenting opinions and who expressed them. By mentioning a judge or court, you seem more knowledgeable about the situation. It shows the examiner you've done your study and adds context to the point of law you're addressing (e.g. a Supreme Court ruling).
REVISING FOR THE EXAM
Most law students do not make an effort to memorise the names of the judges or the courts, this aspect of your response will also help it to stand out from the crowd. Keep in mind that you are not required to do this for each and every case; nevertheless, if you are able to include the names of a few different judges and courts into your test response, this will contribute to the overall impression that you know what you are talking about and are deserving of a first.
Depending on the module that you are taking notes on, the proportions of each of these components will need to be adjusted accordingly by you. For instance, the majority of the material in your notes on Contract Law will consist of rules and instances, but the majority of the material in your notes on Jurisprudence will contain intellectual commentary. After you have studied up on and gained knowledge of every subject covered in a module, you should consider writing down your notes. For example, if the Tort Law module you were working on had ten different subjects, I would advise you to finish taking notes on the first issue before moving on to the reading required for the second topic. After that, you would complete the revision notes for the first subject before going on to the second topic, and so on and so forth. It is far more beneficial to break down each module in this manner as opposed to having to read and comprehend the whole thing before writing notes on it. If you need digestible law notes have a look at here.
LAST REMARKS
I want to express my gratitude for the time you spent reading through this article. I truly hope that the material was informative for you, and that you are able to put it to good use in order to get an first class in law. To conclude, I do not have any especially insightful words to share, but one thing that you should keep in mind is that there are other things in life that are more important than law essays and outcomes. It's great when you succeed in what you set out to accomplish and get the grade you wanted, but you shouldn't let it cause you to lose sight of the rest of your life.
Feel free to send me an email at any time if you need any more assistance on dissertations, managing your time, selecting courses, or anything else related to law school, and I will respond to you as fast as I can. You can WhatsApp me through the link below. In addition, I have extensive experience working as a law tutor, and I am now offering private lessons through video call. I am able to assist with the subject as well as the exam technique.
