Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start? Forum

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GermX

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Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by GermX » Mon May 10, 2010 2:04 pm

So I want to start reading/studying over the summer, if only some of the basics. Do you guys have any recommendations on what would be good to start with (and what might give me an advantage going into the first of my 1L classes)?

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tarheelz

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by tarheelz » Mon May 10, 2010 2:05 pm

I've heard the book Getting to Maybe is helpful. I'll be starting LS this fall as well and was looking into purchasing this one. Thoughts?


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DoubleChecks

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by DoubleChecks » Mon May 10, 2010 2:08 pm

i wasnt going to do too much...read Getting to Maybe for sure, maybe read Law School Confidential or whatever, and reading Arrow's guide on this site

thats about it. highly doubt id even do a quick skim of any E&E's for term familiarity...

personally, i dont think doing the above would make me unprepared for law school...but i am afraid only doing the above will make me unprepared relative to my peers :S

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by bk1 » Mon May 10, 2010 2:09 pm

There are tons of topics already on this about 0L prep.

Summary of those threads: People think that reading Delaney's or GTM, or doing LEEWS can be worthwhile, some do not. Most people argue against substantive prep (i.e. reading Hornbooks/E&E's), but some say that it can be helpful.

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GermX

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by GermX » Mon May 10, 2010 2:16 pm

But what about actual case briefs, etc..., any certain ones that would be useful reading as a 0L?

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Always Credited

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by Always Credited » Mon May 10, 2010 2:18 pm

GermX wrote:But what about actual case briefs, etc..., any certain ones that would be useful reading as a 0L?
Reading isn't useful when you don't understand what you're reading :P

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24secure

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by 24secure » Mon May 10, 2010 2:22 pm

Always Credited wrote:
GermX wrote:But what about actual case briefs, etc..., any certain ones that would be useful reading as a 0L?
Reading isn't useful when you don't understand what you're reading :P
lol +1

GermX

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by GermX » Mon May 10, 2010 2:26 pm

Good point, that was going to be my next question. Would it be that difficult to understand some actual 1L material without class instruction? Even the most basic of it?

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Always Credited

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by Always Credited » Mon May 10, 2010 2:30 pm

GermX wrote:Good point, that was going to be my next question. Would it be that difficult to understand some actual 1L material without class instruction? Even the most basic of it?
Although you really annoy me so often, AND it could be hilarious to watch you ruin your chances of 1L success thereby increasing my own odds of 1L success at GW, I offer you this tip: don't try to teach yourself the law. I give you this information before Leeroy, Disco, and the rest of them enter this thread after their finals and rip you apart for posting this question.

0L prep should strictly follow the 3 B's:

-Beach
-Beer
-Babes (or Boys, however you swing)

Going in rested and happy >>>>> going in already tired of the law and thoroughly confused by it.

GermX

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by GermX » Mon May 10, 2010 2:34 pm

Good point I guess. Anyways, I was planning on honing my Arabic speaking skills. I'm fluent, can read and write etc... but need to learn far more advanced Arabic grammar (its intense shit, trust me, the Arabic language is pretty fucked up) so that I can hopefully take that skill with me to OCI. Heard a lot of success stories from Arabic-speaking lawyers graduating in D.C. (Georgetown and GW) who got jobs in NYC and travel a lot to Abu Dhabi/Dubai, which obviously would be pretty cool. (I have family living in Dubai, lived there for 7 years as well).

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by katjust » Mon May 10, 2010 2:35 pm

GTM is difficult to understand until you've had at least a little bit of law instruction (at least a few weeks).


I think E&E's can be helpful. They can only hurt if your professor has a lot of different ideas from the E&E. In that case you may have to un-brainwash yourself.

You should be fine whether you prep or not. It won't give you a huge leg up.

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Always Credited

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by Always Credited » Mon May 10, 2010 2:38 pm

GermX wrote:Good point I guess. Anyways, I was planning on honing my Arabic speaking skills. I'm fluent, can read and write etc... but need to learn far more advanced Arabic grammar (its intense shit, trust me, the Arabic language is pretty fucked up) so that I can hopefully take that skill with me to OCI. Heard a lot of success stories from Arabic-speaking lawyers graduating in D.C. (Georgetown and GW) who got jobs in NYC and travel a lot to Abu Dhabi/Dubai, which obviously would be pretty cool. (I have family living in Dubai, lived there for 7 years as well).
That's a good example of something that could really pay dividends down the road without messing up your motivation for/understanding of the law at all.

Also a really cool soft.

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GermX

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by GermX » Mon May 10, 2010 2:39 pm

I'm just really eager to take law school as seriously as possible. Considering my undergrad gpa sucked (3.53), basically because--honestly--I probably put in about 10 hours of total study time over the 4 years at UCLA, I really want to give myself the chance to prove the "well if I had studied more I would've gotten that 4.0!!1101on11!!!" theory. lol. Even if its a phail theory.
That's a good example of something that could really pay dividends down the road without messing up your motivation for/understanding of the law at all.

Also a really cool soft.
Thanks. Yes I figured it would be very useful to take Arabic classes (ungraded etc...) and that would give me an advantage at OCI, basically at least will allow me to apply for some Big Law positions that most students wouldn't be considering. Anything to help in this really shitty economy.

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by GermX » Mon May 10, 2010 2:46 pm

Non-fos7a I'm pretty much fluent, got intermediate knowledge of fos7a and plan on taking lessons=).

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DoubleChecks

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by DoubleChecks » Mon May 10, 2010 2:49 pm

the arabic idea really sounds like a good one. i plan on doing the same w/ mandarin chinese, which i am already a fluent speaker in...but not so much reading/writing lol

i hear knowing certain languages can certainly open doors and looks great for firms

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by cigrainger » Mon May 10, 2010 2:51 pm

http://www.amazon.com/History-American- ... 0684869888

What about that? I study history and wrote my undergraduate dissertation (I'm in the UK) on legal/intellectual history.

And I was told this is recommended by one of the torts profs at Berkeley:

http://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Creek-Dis ... ZG8UQ9NOWN

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by jayn3 » Mon May 10, 2010 2:57 pm

agreed, practicing a [useful] language can only help you get a job later on. anyone have suggestions for good programs to start from scratch? i've heard good things about rosetta stone, but it's mad expensive....

GermX

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by GermX » Mon May 10, 2010 3:14 pm

I'll check those out=).
the arabic idea really sounds like a good one. i plan on doing the same w/ mandarin chinese, which i am already a fluent speaker in...but not so much reading/writing lol

i hear knowing certain languages can certainly open doors and looks great for firms
Yes and I did quite a bit of research and it seems that Arabic is extremely useful in getting those few big law jobs that are reserved to Arabic speakers, great paying positions in NYC as well as abroad. I know one lawyer who lives most months in NYC and a few months in Dubai (as well in London) doing legal work for US firms represented there. And with my actual work experience in Dubai I think I can be competitive for those jobs if I do well in school=).
agreed, practicing a [useful] language can only help you get a job later on. anyone have suggestions for good programs to start from scratch? I've heard good things about rosetta stone, but it's mad expensive....
Where do you live? If you're in L.A. I can recomend some great places.

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by stinger35 » Mon May 10, 2010 3:14 pm

GermX wrote:But what about actual case briefs, etc..., any certain ones that would be useful reading as a 0L?
I would read every single Constitutional Law case brief that I could get my hands on. Maybe Torts and Contracts as well. If you can, email your teacher to find out what book they plan on using, then get the Legalines Canned briefs that corresponds to that book and just got to town. It would be helpful for every class, but certainly for the ones I named. Once you have those down, it wouldn't hurt to just go to the actual cases themsevles and read most of them.

For LRW, I would read the bluebook cover to cover 4-5 times before school started. Will give you a huge huge headstart for the class.

If you want more: (this would be somewhat gunnerish though)
Read, higlight, take notes of Chemerinsky (A con law supplement)
Read the E&E's and do the questions
Get Gilberts AND/OR Emmanuels and go through the first year subjects, cover to cover

Aside from that, theres not much you can do. Still, it would certainly guarantee you top 10-15%

GermX

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by GermX » Mon May 10, 2010 3:16 pm

^ Thank you, I definitely will, if at least just light reading of it all.

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by 270910 » Mon May 10, 2010 3:18 pm

betasteve wrote:
Always Credited wrote:
GermX wrote:Good point, that was going to be my next question. Would it be that difficult to understand some actual 1L material without class instruction? Even the most basic of it?
Although you really annoy me so often, AND it could be hilarious to watch you ruin your chances of 1L success thereby increasing my own odds of 1L success at GW, I offer you this tip: don't try to teach yourself the law. I give you this information before Leeroy, Disco, and the rest of them enter this thread after their finals and rip you apart for posting this question.

0L prep should strictly follow the 3 B's:

-Beach
-Beer
-Babes (or Boys, however you swing)

Going in rested and happy >>>>> going in already tired of the law and thoroughly confused by it.
TITOCR
--ImageRemoved--

Leeroy Jenkins

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by Leeroy Jenkins » Mon May 10, 2010 3:19 pm

For 0L Summer prep, I'd go with disco's suggestion because I feel he is onto something. I only did one of these E&E's, and barely scratched out top half of my class so if you do all three you might end up in the top 12.5%
disco_barred wrote:I'd do at least fed courts, federal income tax, and conflict of laws before you start. Topics from those courses come up a lot in 1L courses and it'll help to know them. At least tax and fed courts had major doctrine shifts in the past year so you should pick up the E&Es (maybe another supplement or two for each subject as well) new.

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Always Credited

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by Always Credited » Mon May 10, 2010 3:19 pm

stinger35 wrote:
GermX wrote:But what about actual case briefs, etc..., any certain ones that would be useful reading as a 0L?
I would read every single Constitutional Law case brief that I could get my hands on. Maybe Torts and Contracts as well. If you can, email your teacher to find out what book they plan on using, then get the Legalines Canned briefs that corresponds to that book and just got to town. It would be helpful for every class, but certainly for the ones I named. Once you have those down, it wouldn't hurt to just go to the actual cases themsevles and read most of them.

For LRW, I would read the bluebook cover to cover 4-5 times before school started. Will give you a huge huge headstart for the class.

If you want more: (this would be somewhat gunnerish though)
Read, higlight, take notes of Chemerinsky (A con law supplement)
Read the E&E's and do the questions
Get Gilberts AND/OR Emmanuels and go through the first year subjects, cover to cover

Aside from that, theres not much you can do. Still, it would certainly guarantee you top 10-15%
0/100

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Re: Starting LS in the fall at GW Law. How to get a head start?

Post by tbo123123 » Mon May 10, 2010 3:20 pm

This is all bogus advice. You cannot realistically prep for law school before law school starts without wasting a giant amount of time. You have to understand what the professor is looking for, what doctrinal areas they focus on, what the major cases are, and it has to be a 16 week effort.

You are going to DILUTE what you know going into a 3 hour exam if you fill your brain up with mush that the prof doesn't care for.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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