SMU C/O 2017 Forum

(housing, friendships, future exams, all things 2017)
Post Reply

I'm bored so I'm making a new pole. What type of law do you want to practice?

Transactional
14
56%
Litigation
5
20%
Public Interest
1
4%
Government
2
8%
Undecided
3
12%
 
Total votes: 25

User avatar
BVest

Platinum
Posts: 7887
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:51 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by BVest » Mon Jul 28, 2014 4:58 pm

kalvano wrote:
TheJanitor6203 wrote:You can also rent a locker at the gym fyi.
You can also just go to your car in between classes.
And a lot of people do, but my locker was always much better organized than my car. Plus I did most of my work on campus.
Last edited by BVest on Sat Jan 27, 2018 6:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

Stevoman

Bronze
Posts: 186
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:28 am

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by Stevoman » Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:34 pm

I suppose it depends on how your schedule works out, but I personally wouldn't study on campus. The law library to me seemed to be a pressure cooker of unnecessary stress, competition, and distractions.

I studied at my apartment in my 1L year, did just fine, and felt I had a far lower stress burden than most of my classmates.

Stevoman

Bronze
Posts: 186
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:28 am

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by Stevoman » Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:21 pm

I thought I'd give a little info on the professors I know, to ease the 0L nerves here.

Taylor - Puts everyone's name on notecards, and rotates calling on you for cases. That's the only calling he does, never cold called people otherwise when I had him for contracts. Expects you to be prepared and asks tough questions, but is pretty soft if you aren't prepared. If we didn't know an answer, he just asked for a volunteer to help with it. Exams are absolutely brutal; work fast, he's not looking for deep analysis, just issue spotting.

Palacios - Nice lady. Not a very interesting professor. No real "cold calling"; she does review questions before each class, and the people she chooses to answer the review questions are the people who get called on for cases that day. If I recall, getting called on consisted of reciting the facts, and her asking how you felt about the outcome. Pretty easy. Her exam was half MC and half essay. At least half the MC was the review questions she did before class. (Literally, they were the exact same questions and answer choices.) It's an easy final, so the curve will be very tight.

Gaba - I had him for Environmental Law, not Property. He's a funny hippie that looks like he smoked too much pot. Kind of boring, but he's really smart. His exam was easy, and he didn't call on anyone in my upper level class. I imagine he'll call on people in the 1L classes. Pretty typical essay exams.

Bridge - Never had him, but he's an SMU legend. I've been told he's a pretty classical Socratic hardass: cold calls all over the room, makes you stand and recite, and gives very difficult exams. Don't envy y'all in section 2, I've managed to skate by without ever having him.

Dorsaneo - Entertaining, and probably certifiably crazy. I had him for his upper level Texas Civil Procedure courses. He "cold called" for practice questions and some cases, but didn't care if you didn't know answers. I've been told he calls on people more in 1L Civil Procedure. Both his 2L exams I took were pure MC and open everything (book, notes, old outlines, etc.). Easy exams, tons of war stories. He's racist, sexist, and completely politically incorrect. Loved him.

Martinez - Likes to facilitate long classroom discussions. Sometimes he'll spend an entire day letting you argue over something pointless, then he'll spend the next day racing through lecture to catch up. His lectures follow exactly "The Martinez Bible," which I'll be uploading with other outlines soon. Literally, the questions he asks and answers are straight from it. Just print a copy of it out and use it when you're called on. Exams will be essay and can be done purely with canned answers, so make them in advance.

User avatar
BVest

Platinum
Posts: 7887
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:51 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by BVest » Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:45 pm

Stevoman wrote:I thought I'd give a little info on the professors I know, to ease the 0L nerves here.
Rather than repeat myself, here's what I (and Kalvano) said last year. Specifically re:

Crespi
Palacios
Rogers
Bridge
Ryan
Anderson
Thornburg
Gaba
Martinez

The Link
Last edited by BVest on Sat Jan 27, 2018 6:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
emmy463

New
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:36 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by emmy463 » Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:08 pm

BVest wrote:
Stevoman wrote:I thought I'd give a little info on the professors I know, to ease the 0L nerves here.
Rather than repeat myself, here's what I (and Kalvano) said last year. Specifically re:

Crespi
Palacios
Rogers
Bridge
Ryan
Anderson
Thornburg
Gaba
Martinez

The Link
I love this! Thank you guys for going out of your way and being so helpful. It is truly appreciated!

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


squee116

New
Posts: 98
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:18 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by squee116 » Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:23 am

That's some extensive knowledge being related. I'm really anxious to get my schedule, just so I can go read up on my profs. :)

User avatar
emmy463

New
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:36 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by emmy463 » Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:44 pm

Hey guys! Looks like schedules & section numbers are up finally :D :D :D

I'm section 2...how is it looking for y'all?

User avatar
jts723

Bronze
Posts: 146
Joined: Tue May 21, 2013 8:31 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by jts723 » Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:59 pm

Section 1 whattup

User avatar
TheJanitor6203

Silver
Posts: 879
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:12 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by TheJanitor6203 » Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:34 am

Section 2 here.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


User avatar
TheJanitor6203

Silver
Posts: 879
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:12 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by TheJanitor6203 » Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:48 am

Any past/current students have any incite on Robinson for Property?

User avatar
TheJanitor6203

Silver
Posts: 879
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:12 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by TheJanitor6203 » Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:24 pm

What are the recommended supplements for section 2 professors?

Crim Law- Bridge
Contracts- Rogers
Torts- Ryan
CivPro- Dorsaneo
Property- Robinson

User avatar
kalvano

Diamond
Posts: 11951
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:24 am

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by kalvano » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:04 pm

TheJanitor6203 wrote:Any past/current students have any incite on Robinson for Property?
Keith Robinson? He's super nice and a good professor, from what I hear. You should not be disappointed in him.

User avatar
kalvano

Diamond
Posts: 11951
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:24 am

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by kalvano » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:06 pm

TheJanitor6203 wrote:What are the recommended supplements for section 2 professors?

Crim Law- Bridge
Prayer.
TheJanitor6203 wrote:Contracts- Rogers
Ask if he recommends anything.
TheJanitor6203 wrote:Torts- Ryan
Torts E&E (I love Ryan, by the way. Super nice lady.)
TheJanitor6203 wrote:CivPro- Dorsaneo
Just sit back and watch the show. But the CivPro E&E is really good.
TheJanitor6203 wrote:Property- Robinson
I liked the Property E&E, as well.

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


User avatar
emmy463

New
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:36 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by emmy463 » Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:00 pm

kalvano wrote:
TheJanitor6203 wrote:Any past/current students have any incite on Robinson for Property?
Keith Robinson? He's super nice and a good professor, from what I hear. You should not be disappointed in him.
It says his name is Walter Robinson on my.SMU, but maybe he goes by Keith? Idk.

rad21

New
Posts: 29
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:26 am

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by rad21 » Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:34 pm

emmy463 wrote:
kalvano wrote:
TheJanitor6203 wrote:Any past/current students have any incite on Robinson for Property?
Keith Robinson? He's super nice and a good professor, from what I hear. You should not be disappointed in him.
It says his name is Walter Robinson on my.SMU, but maybe he goes by Keith? Idk.
Right. It's Walter, but he goes by Keith. He's a great professor. One of my favorites. He lays out the material in a very accessible and logical manner, which is nice to have in the first year. However, beware: the final exam is EXTREMELY difficult. He designs it so that the average grade is about 50%. This means you could probably get an 'A' with a score of 70% or so, but walking out of an exam where you only knew 6 or 7 out of 10 questions is very unnerving.

For a supplement, I've always liked the Gilbert outlines (I prefer the outline format to walls of text).

User avatar
YYZ

Bronze
Posts: 139
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:39 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by YYZ » Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:39 pm

I wouldn't spend any money on supplements at this point. There's a very good chance you won't have time to look at them. Wait until later in the semester and see if you need them.

If you need them, the most recent copies of most supplements (e.g. E&Es, Nutshell) are available in the SMU law library. They don't allow students take them out of the library, so they are almost always available for your use (for free).

rad21

New
Posts: 29
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:26 am

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by rad21 » Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:43 pm

YYZ wrote:I wouldn't spend any money on supplements at this point. There's a very good chance you won't have time to look at them. Wait until later in the semester and see if you need them.

If you need them, the most recent copies of most supplements (e.g. E&Es, Nutshell) are available in the SMU law library. They don't allow students take them out of the library, so they are almost always available for your use (for free).
It looks like SMU purchased the Study Aids Subscription from Westlaw again this year, so all the supplements you'll need will be available for "free" (the electronic versions anyway).

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


User avatar
kalvano

Diamond
Posts: 11951
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:24 am

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by kalvano » Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:45 pm

I looked back on a lot of the professors discussed in this thread (and other SMU threads), and I have to say that, for all my bitching about SMU, they have a large amount of really, really good professors.

User avatar
TheJanitor6203

Silver
Posts: 879
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:12 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by TheJanitor6203 » Wed Aug 06, 2014 4:10 pm

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

Stevoman

Bronze
Posts: 186
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:28 am

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by Stevoman » Wed Aug 06, 2014 6:20 pm

I wouldn't buy any supplements, recommended books, or statutory books until after your first day of class. Just buy the casebook. All the statutes (Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Uniform Commercial Code, Restatement of Torts, etc.) are available free online. Unless there's a good reason to need them, there's no reason to pay an extra $50-75/class on them.

Some professors will only allow you to bring the statutory supplement into the exam. I'll spend the $50 for that, but the rest I'll just get what I need on WestLaw.

slayerhn

New
Posts: 80
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:32 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by slayerhn » Sat Aug 09, 2014 2:42 pm

.
Last edited by slayerhn on Thu Aug 28, 2014 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.

Register now, it's still FREE!


User avatar
emmy463

New
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:36 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by emmy463 » Sun Aug 10, 2014 5:14 pm

Hey guys, this might be a stupid question, but do you keep the same section and profs for the whole year?
I noticed that they estimated $2,000 for books for the year so I'm just wondering if that means you keep the same books for the year, or do you buy additional books for the spring semester? I spent about $1,200 on books for this fall so I'm just wondering if I should budget about the same for the spring as well. Thanks.

slayerhn

New
Posts: 80
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:32 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by slayerhn » Sun Aug 10, 2014 5:46 pm

emmy463 wrote:Hey guys, this might be a stupid question, but do you keep the same section and profs for the whole year?
I noticed that they estimated $2,000 for books for the year so I'm just wondering if that means you keep the same books for the year, or do you buy additional books for the spring semester? I spent about $1,200 on books for this fall so I'm just wondering if I should budget about the same for the spring as well. Thanks.
The only class that changes for the spring is Con Law (which replaces Crim Law). Other than the books for con law, you will need a few new books and a new binder for legal writing. The books you use for the other classes will be the same for the spring. (As will be your section and professors).

User avatar
swilson215

Silver
Posts: 1109
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:35 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by swilson215 » Sun Aug 10, 2014 7:27 pm

Hey y'all. Recent SMU grad (c/o 2014) here. I'm happy to answer any questions y'all may have about law school in general or SMU or the Dallas area, but I have a bit of a wanted ad to post.

I'll be working at a law firm in Plano starting in the next few weeks, and I'm needing to hire a dog walker to come let my sweet (hyper) dog out around midday three times a week (he goes to daycare the other two days). I live RIGHT across the street from campus and it would be easy money for a 1L especially, since it will be right around the time you'll be getting out of class. I was thinking that I would pay $50 a week for three 15 minute walks? So, I thought I'd offer TLS peeps first dibs. Shoot me a PM if you're interested at all! Thanks!!!

User avatar
swilson215

Silver
Posts: 1109
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:35 pm

Re: SMU C/O 2017

Post by swilson215 » Sun Aug 10, 2014 7:49 pm

TheJanitor6203 wrote:Any past/current students have any incite on Robinson for Property?
Had him for Property his first year teaching at SMU. LOVED him. I also took him for IP, just because I wanted to take another class with him (plus he's an IP guy, so you could tell during Prop that he preferred the IP stuff, and his teaching in IP was even better).

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


Post Reply

Return to “TLS Class of 2017 Forum”