LEEWS/GTM question Forum

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stoicjustice

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LEEWS/GTM question

Post by stoicjustice » Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:45 pm

Anyone who has gone through this system and read 'Getting to Maybe'......would you recommend reading/completing these ASAP or waiting until a little bit closer to class commencement so that the information is still fresh? (I am a 0L matriculating this year)

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kings84_wr

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by kings84_wr » Fri Jan 29, 2010 11:36 pm

I would wait. I really doubt you will retain very much at all this early. But if you are really interested it probably won't make a whole lot of difference.

What I would recommend regardless of when you read it first, is re-read or go over the main points at semester break or halfway through or so. When I read it in the summer I didnt really re-tain much during the first part of law school. But when i re-read it in October, suddenly it made a lot more sense and some of the ideas and argument suddenly fit.

Leews I would say can really be done anytime. Probably better closer to the summer, but probably best before classes actually start.

BobSacamano

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by BobSacamano » Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:18 am

Getting to Maybe doesn't really make a whole lot of sense until you're actually in law school. You can go ahead and give it a read now (although closer to the start of the school year would probably be better, doing so now isn't going to get you ahead or anything), but I would re-read it sometime before finals. I didn't really find it all that helpful but I know a lot of people do.

dcz222

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by dcz222 » Sat Jan 30, 2010 4:25 am

Take LEEWS before law school if possible. I did. It helped me - big time.

Miller (LEEWS teacher) is sensitive to what the audience's status is.. he's kind of off putting, but he knows his stuff.

GTM is cool, gives you good insight into what professors are looking for, but LEEWS is really the toolkit you want to use for kick-ass exam taking.

Trust me, I came into the exam knowing 70% of the law (not by choice, rough situation), and I kicked tail on the exams with one leg.

Do LEEWS before law school. For one, you ain't gonna have TIME to kill a whole day on a seminar when you're in law school.

tikitavi

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by tikitavi » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:25 am

I would do LEEWS before school starts. Do some of the practice exams in the back of the primer to give you an idea of how to go about it. Seeing how to take a law school exam will let you approach the semester in a much more productive way, i.e., everything you are doing/studying/thinking about should be related to how the class material will be tested on the exam and how you will use what you have learned to write a good answer.

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stoicjustice

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by stoicjustice » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:53 am

Thanks everyone - very helpful. LEEWS can be done in a just a couple of dedicated days - correct?

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Cole S. Law

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by Cole S. Law » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:54 am

Perhaps the most helpful part of LEEWS is the toolbox concept for organizing the law as you learn it. You need to know that before the semester. Get the tapes if you have the discipline to listen to them on your own.

Snooker

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by Snooker » Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:28 pm

I recommend the concepts and insights series followed by GTM over the summer. They will read like romance novels but will fill you in on lots of useful legal concepts. It's 4 books at 200-300p each.

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sayan

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by sayan » Sat Jan 30, 2010 4:58 pm

Snooker wrote:I recommend the concepts and insights series followed by GTM over the summer. They will read like romance novels but will fill you in on lots of useful legal concepts. It's 4 books at 200-300p each.
I remember you recommending 3 C&I (Contracts, Torts and Civ Pro) and 1 non- C&I crim book. What's the 4th?

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pandacot

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by pandacot » Sat Jan 30, 2010 8:36 pm

If you want to have a productive summer then get a hold of outlines from the professors that you will have first semester. Type those outlines over and over to work on memorizing and typing speed.
LEEWS is ok. Get the audio CD if possible, and learn that the most important thing is all law school exams, regardless of the call of the question, are asking you to type the IRAC method. Sans some professors who will be more policy/casebook oriented -- but those types of professors are few.
Reading Arrow's posts will also be amazingly helpful, as they skip the bullshit and get straight to the point of what 1L classes are all about -- the test.
GTM is a good book. The main point to garner from GTM is to look for forks in the law. Difficult to understand before you are in law school, but you will understand by the end of your first semester.
I read a ton of stuff as a 0L... and anything relating to the understanding torts/property/civ pro/crim law/con law are a waste of time. If anything, check out books similar to thinking like a lawyer or the bramble bush. Books that give a general view of legal thought, but nothing that is particular -- unless it's the outlines/typing speed as mentioned above.

stoicjustice

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by stoicjustice » Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:36 pm

This is all great advice, thanks again. I already have my copy of GTM and plan on purchasing the audio system for LEEWS. How much time should I give myself to go through the LEEWS system? Can I do it over a dedicated weekend or should I give myself longer?

pandacot

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by pandacot » Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:41 pm

I did LEEWS in probably 2-3 days. A lot of the information is generic and not very relevant. Don't get over involved in LEEWS, just learn how to write quick and concise answers to exams. The two things I took from LEEWS are professors will write the call of the question in a manner that is intended to trip you up (even though all professors are looking for Issue, rule, analysis of both side, conclusion) and case briefs can be done in 3 sentences or less.

pandacot

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by pandacot » Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:48 pm

As an aside, I REALLY REALLY recommend that every 0L read The Bramble Bush. The book was written in the 1600's (kidding, but maybe 1950?), but is still VERY relevant today. I really felt that that book gave me a lot of insight into law school, as well as understanding that reading casebooks should be done in sections and not case by case. Check it out. Also, I recommend 5 Types of Legal Arguments. An excellent book that will come in handy if you utilize it (sparingly!) when making arguments on your law exams.

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stoicjustice

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by stoicjustice » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:40 pm

pandacot wrote:As an aside, I REALLY REALLY recommend that every 0L read The Bramble Bush. The book was written in the 1600's (kidding, but maybe 1950?), but is still VERY relevant today. I really felt that that book gave me a lot of insight into law school, as well as understanding that reading casebooks should be done in sections and not case by case. Check it out. Also, I recommend 5 Types of Legal Arguments. An excellent book that will come in handy if you utilize it (sparingly!) when making arguments on your law exams.
I actually had the Bramble Bush written down in my "To-Read" list.

I will be driving from Alaska to the east coast a month or 2 before the fall semester starts, could LEEWS be done while driving? Or do I need to be referencing/writing while listening?

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Cole S. Law

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Re: LEEWS/GTM question

Post by Cole S. Law » Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:00 am

stoicjustice wrote:
I actually had the Bramble Bush written down in my "To-Read" list.

I will be driving from Alaska to the east coast a month or 2 before the fall semester starts, could LEEWS be done while driving? Or do I need to be referencing/writing while listening?
I would do LEEWS sitting with a pen and paper. It takes you through exercises that clarify/solidify the techniques. Also, I would suggest you read Glannon's Examples and Explanations section on intentional torts before doing LEEWs. Most of the exercises were based on an intentional tort hypo and you'll get less out of the program if you're completely unfamiliar with the intentional torts.

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