Madmen321 wrote:Anyone have any insights on Prof Ortiz for Civ Pro or Duffy for Torts?
I had Professor Ortiz my 1L year, and I am surprised that the administration has allowed him to teach Civ Pro again. Look up the course evaluations for him for 2011 fall on Lawweb for an inkling of the backlash. He is extremely brilliant in a way that makes him qualified to teach SCOTUS Lit clinic but he just lacks the ability to break down really difficult abstract concepts in a more accessible way for 1Ls who have no idea what they're reading. He also left town for a week right before the Civ Pro final, which was that year's first 1L final ever, without any way of contacting him for last-minute questions, and was generally unhelpful during review sessions, answering 75% of the questions people had with, "I'm sorry, I can't discuss that without everyone present, because it would be unfair."
I think I learned the bulk of civ pro by asking other people and wikipedia-ing stuff for a basic framework, but the best approach, in hindsight, would be:
1) Stop by Ortiz's office hours as soon as any questions crop up so you can get a handle of his style of explaining things.
2) Strength in numbers. Grab a bunch of relatively competent people and review things every few weeks. It helps to explain concepts aloud and to hear other perspectives.
3) Some people used Emmanuel's civ pro BLL outline.
4) Pray that he does not give you a 5-page fact pattern for the final with very strict word limits for the answers.
