Taking notes on Codes/restatements etc? Forum

[lawschoolftw]

Hey guys,

So I've got a basic idea about how I want to go about preparing for class and the final and such. Here's my first flaw with that plan: I have no idea what to do with things like the UCC, restatements, etc. They're obviously going to be tested, but how do I take notes on them. Should I not bother and just familiarize where they are since in all likelihood I'll have them on the exam? Should I incorporate all the rules we're supposed to read into my outline?

Thanks for any prospective help.

[stonepeep]

It's very difficult to answer this without knowing more about your professor's exam style. In my Contracts class, we relied heavily on the Restatement (Second) and were expected to cite to it on the exam. One of our books for the class included all of the Restatement sections and we were allowed to bring that with us. If the exam had been closed-book, however, I think it is unlikely (but not impossible) that the professor would have expected us to cite to the Restatement as extensively. We also discussed the UCC in that class but our prof specifically said that we were not responsible for remembering any of the provisions except for one.

In my Torts class, on the other hand, we discussed the Restatement in class but the professor did not care about it at all and there was no expectation that we should cite to it on the exam. I think he probably would have frowned on citations, in fact, because unlike my Contracts prof, my Torts prof was not in love with the Restatement and did not treat it like the second coming of Jesus.

Short answer: look at past exams and/or ask the professor directly.