1L Advice

This is a reprint of an article by Study Partner™. Enjoy.

1L Advice on the Socratic Method

TO SUCCEED IN LAW SCHOOL GET M.A.D. ™

For 1L law students law school is simply a rite of passage; you have to go to law school to be able to take a bar exam so that you can obtain a license to practice law. Law school will not teach you to be an attorney, nor to think like one, nor will it give you the business skills that will ensure your success as a practicing attorney. Law school will expose you to the law, and whether you learn anything will be strictly up to you and no one else.

The teaching methods used by professors in law school are determined by economics. The Socratic Method is used because it’s inexpensive and can accommodate the large number of students that attend law school. It has its merits, but as far as teaching someone to think and act like a lawyer it falls short of what is required. The Socratic Method is effective in teaching philosophy and that is exactly what you will learn in law school: the philosophy of law.

Learning to argue and think like a lawyer is strictly a matter of good legal research and experience. It is the art of persuasion. Such a skill can only be learned over a period of time and with experience. The Socratic Method plays no role in developing legal research skills, and only a small role in developing the art of persuasion.

It is for this reason that the vast majority of lawyers who practice law and graduate law school are mediocre. In addition, the majority of law school graduates do not practice law five years after graduation.

Most 1L students don’t know who to believe

What’s wrong? Nothing, really. It’s just that law schools have a monopoly and for the most part are enjoying it. Law schools and the practice of law are nothing more than a business. The sooner you realize this, the better off you will be.

This may seem very cynical but it was written to try and make a point. Do not be impressed by or scared about what will happen in law school. Law school is not a “Paper Chase”, although some professors love the image of Kingsfield tearing apart students causing them to melt in nervous breakdowns. Remember, the person who asks the questions using the Socratic Method wins the argument.

This short article about law school study methods from Study Partner™ will give you a clear idea of what to do.

A 1L only needs to do five things to get through law school

Memorize the law.

Learn the application of the law.

Learn the skill of issue spotting.

Learn the skill of exam writing.

Learn the methods of legal research.

So don’t get frustrated, don’t get nervous, don’t go crazy studying everything, just get M.A.D. ™

The M.A.D.™ study method is unique to the Study Partner™ law outlines. It consists of the following study methods:

* MEMORIZE

* APPLY

* DISSERTATE

The law that you need to memorize is contained in a concise and easy to learn format in the Study Partner™ law school series. Contained in these study guides are all the elements of the law as well as the definitions that you need to use to write essay exams in school and on Bar Exams. In addition, located on the even pages of the study guides are pages titled Class Notes. These pages are for your personal use in class. Use these pages to enhance the given definitions with class notes or with more details on finer points of law that you learn in class. It is important to note that if your note taking exceeds the space provided for class notes, you should stop writing and listen more to the concept of the law and its application. The Class Notes pages allow you to customize the study guides and help you to keep all of your notes in one place. This will make it easier to study for final exams and bar exams.

In addition to the memorization and application that you learned in class, you will have to spend a significant amount of time dissertating on the law. Dissertation of the law is a proprietary study method of Study Partner™. Dissertation is essential to your complete under- standing of the law and cannot be overlooked.

In order to dissertate, simply choose a topic and write down everything you know about the topic in five minutes or less. When you are finished, compare the completeness and accuracy of your writing with what is contained in the Study Partner™ Study Guides and with your own class notes on the topic. What you did not write down is what you do not know about the law. In your study group sessions you should be dissertating on the law with each other (both verbally and in writing).

The five minute time limit is important because it will help you quickly organize your thoughts on the topic into a general outline. This will give you a significant advantage on exams with time limits. Pay particular attention to the dissertation of majority and minority law as this will aid you in answering MBE questions as well as in answering essay questions.

It takes the average 1L 2 weeks to see M.A.D.™ work. Don’t trust the Socratic Method

These study methods work. Don’t let law professors confuse you! Get into a daily routine of learning the law the proper way and achieve superior results in law school and on Bar exams.

To get more free advice about law school and how to deal with all the issues you can go to www.bsmsphd.com and read the section for first year 1L students.