Hello all, I am a 1L right now and have already started feeling the pressure of final exams.

I am curious: what are your tips/strategies for this last month stretch before finals to get the best grades?

My thoughts:

LSV (Legal writing):
I have got one last big legal memo to do in the next 3 weeks, which is always a looming concern. Legal writing is a 3 credit class vs. the others being 4 credits. I would like to wrap this memo up ASAP so I can spend most of my time reviewing. Problem is our 2nd memo is worth 60% of the final grade. Ugh.

Torts, Contracts, CrimLaw:
These are my 3 core classes. Am I wrong for wanting to stop reading the remaining cases (fall back on canned/others briefs and/or skim cases instead), get the rules, and devote most of my time to outlining and reading supplements?

I have a plethora of resources for these classes - commercial outlines, supplement books, outlines from former 1Ls.

Practice Exams
When should I start aggressively taking practice exams to get the writing part down for the final? We've been doing small writing exercises along the way, none of which I have scored particularly great on.
I started doing LEEWS 2 days ago, after putting it off (at the worst/most busy time, but not too late hopefully).


At the risk of sounding cocky, I feel like I have a significant advantage over many of my classmates given the loose nature of my school's admission process. I've realized after starting LEEWS that we are hardly given any direction for writing further than explaining IRAC, and having some edge will certainly help.

I go to a 4th tier school (waitlisted at my first choice, took the scholarship here), and I would really like to transfer out after the 1st year to the much higher ranked and cheaper state school.

So what are you all doing to prepare now that finals are about a month away?

Open memo due in about 2.5 weeks... want to wrap it in about a week. Will attempt to get ahead in reading after that. Breeze through GTM again... then spend last 2.5 weeks (w turkey break) outlining and practice problems. Have already been doing some E&E problems, but mainly will operate like: learn law -> learn to apply law. Rinse and repeat.

LRW is done. Have gotten ahead on reading in 2 of 3 remaining classes.

Tried my first real CALI lesson tonight. ugh, ugliness.

would like to get perfunctory outlines done in the next 10 days so I can spend from Nov 15th - Dec 9th on practice tests and E&Es exclusively, but thats likely wildly optimistic.

still would like to get at least a good first round of resume/letters out 12/1 also. oh well.

Isn't it awesome how schools collaborate so that you have to worry about jobs and finals at the exact same time?

The 11/01 deadline is the stupidest thing I've experienced so far in law school. And we've already read Bush v. Gore.

ignore the open memo. if you don't know how to write a simple argument by now, you are really why law school is a joke.

i have heard smoking weed while studying can shoot scores through the roof.

open memo due in 2 weeks. I am done with most of the research and am doing an oral presentation tomorrow, so I have a outline of the memo done. I will probably finish it sometime next week.

I have my torts outline done. Contracts, I have only outlined the material covered in the first few weeks, so I have work to do there. I haven't started outlining for property yet which worries me. The goal is to finish all the outlines by thanksgiving, which seems possible. I also have to finish a torts practice exam this weekend (professor volunteered to provide feedback), but I am saving the practice exams for the thanksgiving week and the reading week after that.

The one thing I need to find time for is E&E's. I am very comfortable with torts and property but Contracts scares me because our class is very UCC/Restatement focused. I need to start writing out answers instead of just going through the arguments in my head. According to our prof., a 60% on the final would probably be an A for the class, so I have that to look forward to.

I don't get it. Are these both jokes? If so, you are really why law school is full of unfunny jokes.

I normally can't wait for thanksgiving...but it's coming too fast this year

Oh you hit the nail on the head....
this deadline is definitely the dumbest thing a room full of JD's has ever thought up.

Okay, maybe not...but it's pretty f**King stupid.

that was a pretty amazing costume dude

Ah, why thank you!

When is the right time to start taking practice exams?

cocaine

yesterday
gogogogoggogogogogogggogogogo

it is the idiotic NALP guidelines...focus on studying. what bullshit. Our very awesome UT career services dean has given me lots of innovative ways to improve my cover letter and resume, in a sense turning me from impending roadkill into a job search superman of sorts. Too bad I am going to be working this stuff in at freaking midnight!

I've been doing Cali all term. Finished about everything... Moving onto essay type stuff.

University of TTTexas? You're still roadkill.

I know a guy who did better during fall semester 1L year smoking pot everyday than he did during spring semester when he stopped smoking to prepare for possible internship drug tests that never happened...Not kidding. Its a stress reliever and helps you sleep, during which time your mind can "file" what you learned that day. So I've heard.

Also, caffine pills are easier than coffee, but watch how much you take. Oh, and don't panic, but be fricken very afraid and use that fear to study more.