Course summaries (outlines)

Most entering law students seem to believe that one of the toughest chores awaiting them in law school is the production of "outlines." Not very many of these students know what "outlines" are, or what their purposes are. They soon learn that their self-produced course summaries (a much more descriptive and accurate name than "outlines") provide the backbone of their study efforts.

Herb Ramy, a colleague at Suffolk University Law School, has suggested that creating your course summary "...is a journey, not a destination. Outlining is a process that should begin fairly early in the semester and one that should continue until the end of the year." He's absolutely right.

The time to begin summarizing each course is the day you finish covering your first substantive chunk of material. Usually that's more than a few days into the semester for 1Ls. But waiting until Thanksgiving break is a serious mistake. That's because preparation of a course summary in each course is so important for your continuing progress in that course. Do not make the mistake of putting off this Component of Assessment Targeted Study. Check this site's blog and the links we've provided for you for more on this essential aspect of learning law.

Outline: Contracts I

http://docs.law.gwu.edu/facweb/gmaggs/c1rev/c1slides.htm

This outline of the entire Contracts I course as taught by Professor Gregory E. Maggs of George Washington University Law School may help smooth out some of the rough edges you've encountered in your own study of this course.  Remember that the approach your professor may have to some of the topics may vary considerably from Professors Maggs' approach ... and you may have covered more or less in your class.

Outlines: it's about Time!

I was looking around the web for material about note-taking recently, and I stumbled upon a forum entry that included this sentence written by a law student:

"I recommend never taking case notes separately from lecture notes.  I did that first semester, and it added an extra layer of confusion when I had to assemble an outline."

What's wrong with this statement?  Where do I begin?

  • Case notes.  That probably means "briefs."  Briefs are written before class.  You should show up for class with a complete set of briefs for all cases that may be covered during that class period ... and it's a good idea to bring your earlier briefs along as well, to refresh your recollection if an older case is mentioned.
  • Lecture notes.  You may find yourself in a "lecture" class, but that's not likely.  Lecture notes are what many of us were used to in our undergraduate days.  Law school notes are entirely different.
  • Never separately.  Well, sorry.  Always separately.  It's a good idea to make corrections on your case briefs during class if possible, but the class notes and the case briefs are created at different times, for different purposes.
  • An extra layer of confusion.  Yes, there will be confusion.  But proper note-taking and case briefing should help mitigate the confusion.
  • And the "bottom line" ... "...when I had to assemble an outline." When do you suppose that was? That's not hard to figure out.  This student is not one who builds the outline week-by-week.  That's the explanation for the layers of confusion!

It's about TIME.  The time to construct your outline is at the end of each week, each section, each topic covered -- you choose how -- but a course summary (outline) is something that grows like a tree.  By study week, it should be YOUR BOOK on Torts, or Contracts, or Criminal Law.  It should be YOUR version of the course as taught by your professor, with additional notes, comments, mnemonic cues and exam strategies built in.

If you intend to do your personal best in law school ... to excel ... do not put off creating course summaries.  November is not the time to begin in the fall semester.  April is not the time to begin in the spring semester.  When is the time?  As soon as you have enough substance in the course to begin to summarize it.  It's about TIME.

Professional Course Outlines

http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/study/outlines/default.asp

These outlines from LexisNexis provide an overview of the essential topics of seven subjects and may be helpful to prepare for class, to organize your notes, and for helping to design your personal course summaries!  Here are the subjects covered: Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Property, Torts, and Trusts & Estates.