As a non-traditional law student you have probably been living in the “real” world as it were for a little longer than other law students. You can use your life experiences as a way to reinforce legal concepts you are currently learning. For example, during my first year I was studying the concept of res ipsa loquitur. One day while I was at my office a man came in and asked to use the phone so he could contact the owner of the car wash next door. It appeared that while he was driving through the automatic wash his car was damaged by a defective brush assembly. Immediately I began to think of how the concept of res ipsa loquitur might apply.

The law is not just some abstract of principles and ideas, but it is a pervasive, “living” thing that affects every aspect of our daily lives. Look at your everyday life experiences as a way to apply the legal concepts you are learning. It will really help cement those concepts in your mind when you can apply them to real-life situations.