The life of a law student is a busy life indeed, especially a non-traditional law student.  Unlike undergraduate school you have fifteen weeks of class time (with little or no constructive feedback) followed by one exam which will determine you entire grade for the term.  This can seem very daunting, and the question often arises: when should I really begin to study?  Well, like any good lawyer would say, it depends.

It depends on what you consider the word study to mean.  In law school there is really no such thing as “cramming” for the exam.  That being said you should probably begin studying early on in the term.  But again, what does it mean to study?

There are certain things that must be memorized such as the elements of battery or the relevant factors to consider when deciding the level of scrutiny to apply to a discrimination case.  But the study of law is more; it is the analysis of fact patterns according to established principles of precedent.

Memorization is pretty straight forward.  You simply must learn the elements or rules.  This is something that you should begin to do as soon as possible.  At the end of the term there will be an overwhelming amount of information to learn in a short time if you procrastinate.  As for the areas that do not involve rote memorization you are probably studying and do not even realize it.  One of the definitions of the word study according to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary is “to read in detail especially with the intention of learning.” You are studying by simply reading your material in a critical manner.

If you pay attention to what you are reading and the reasoning the court is using to apply the law to the facts you are studying.  A few weeks before the end of the term you should have enough knowledge that a review of your notes should refresh your memory of what you have learned.  One of the best ways you can ensure that you have absorbed the knowledge you will need on the exam is to review past exams (if your school posts them) and to create your own hypotheticals and work through them in a well-reasoned manner.  This will cement the concepts in your mind and prepare you to handle the hypotheticals on the exam.

Studying in college usually meant nothing more than a lot of memorization.  In law school it is much more.  The best way to study is to read each case critically; understand what the court was doing and why; and brief each case.  In so doing you are training your mind to think like the court.  When you think like the court thinks you will be more apt to properly apply the law to the facts on an exam and be able to reason through your analysis.

God Bless and have a great day.