Outlining - It's the Journey, not the Destination.
Spring break is right around the corner. And for law students, of course, thoughts turn to warm weather getaways, late nights with friends, and catching up on the latest thriller. Caught your attention, didn't we? Let's be truthful--spring break is that wonderful time when the law student's thoughts turn to catching up on (or beginning?) course outlines in preparation for finals. So let's review some basics:
Why should I outline?
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Theory-- You learn the law when you outline. Outside of the classroom, outlining is the perfect opportunity to review and organize one’s notes, help you reveal points and connections that may not have been apparent, and synthesize the concepts and materials into a larger picture that makes sense to you.
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Practice -- You are putting all the bits and pieces that make up your notes, your notes on your case briefs, your notes on your notes into a comprehensive and well organized document. Otherwise, how else are you going to master this stuff, let alone memorize it?
How should I do it?
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Obviously, you want to start early and keep your outlines updated each week. However, if you're not the "ideal law student" (and who is?), you want to find some large chunks of time (think spring break!) to sit down and work on each outline to bring them fully up to date.
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Assemble your materials-your notes, your case briefs, supplements and other outlines (be careful on the last two-they can also harm you in being too comprehensive or mistaken in their understanding of a particular legal rule or concept). The bigger your kitchen table, the more you're able to create that master document that reflects EVERYTHING you need to know for your courses.
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Use the syllabus (or your textbook table of contents) to help organize the large concepts for which all of your notes must fit.
Tips & Techniques
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Organize your outline around concepts and rules, rather than merely listing cases. But don't just recite rules verbatim. Think of the "buzz words" -those special words that help define a rule (try to crate the perfect sentence rule-a one sentence explanation of a rule in your own words with the buzz words part of it).
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Hypos-add a few to help you understand the rule and its application to a particular fact pattern.
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Don't forget the policy discussion, if applicable. If your professor likes to tell you how particular rules evolved, then, by all means, add this to your outlines.
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Remember you are not just outlining a generic law school course, you are outlining Professor ____'s course. Keep this in mind when organizing your understanding of the rules and their placement in the larger concepts that are discussed by your professor that makes up the framework of your course.
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And finally, remember your beautiful outline is only the beginning. After it's done, you should revise and revise it again-it's your working document to get you ready for finals! How do you know when it's done? When it is more than adequate in assisting you answer any practice problem or exam that you undertake (which is what we'll be doing, right?).