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I imagine it varies by professor. I have a prof who has multiple choice and true false on the exam. I imagine the text between is more important for that class than for a class where the prof historically gives the standard issue spotting hypo

Depends on the class and prof really. For some areas of the law, where there are many different jurisdictional nuances or majority and minority rules (often more than one) the notes after cases can be extremely important. Sometimes these pages explain the evolution of the law, which once again can be important depending on the structure of the final. I would definitely pay attention to all of the notes following your assigned cases, and remember, if your prof assigns the reading it is fair game for the final.

I would peg the notes in between cases in order of importance as follows:

1. Torts
2. Criminal Law (tied for 1. if you aren't focusing on the MPC)
3. Property
4. Civil Procedure
5. Contracts (maybe tied for 4. if you don't focus on the Restatement / UCC)
6. Constitutional Law

emorystud2010 wrote:How important is this? I've been doing my readings, and usually about a few pages between the cases seem kinda like filler. I know the focus is to get what u need for the exams, so is it even worth the time to skim?

It's never important except the one time you don't read it, and then you are guaranteed to get called on in class about it and see it on the exam.

Also depends on the casebook. My contracts casebook was a waste, whereas my property casebook was better than any supplement I found.

Renzo wrote:Also depends on the casebook. My contracts casebook was a waste, whereas my property casebook was better than any supplement I found.

This sounds good. I've found the non-case stuff in the casebooks to be pretty helpful so far, but I'm sure this isn't true of all of them.

Zugzwang wrote:I would peg the notes in between cases in order of importance as follows:

1. Torts
2. Criminal Law (tied for 1. if you aren't focusing on the MPC)
3. Property
4. Civil Procedure
5. Contracts (maybe tied for 4. if you don't focus on the Restatement / UCC)
6. Constitutional Law

lol, what? How could you possibly do this on the basis of subject alone.

stonepeep wrote:

Zugzwang wrote:I would peg the notes in between cases in order of importance as follows:

1. Torts
2. Criminal Law (tied for 1. if you aren't focusing on the MPC)
3. Property
4. Civil Procedure
5. Contracts (maybe tied for 4. if you don't focus on the Restatement / UCC)
6. Constitutional Law

lol, what? How could you possibly do this on the basis of subject alone.

Pretty easily. It goes in order of the descending number of differing major jurisdictional rules. If you focus on a specific code like the MPC or the UCC, there are less ways to answer the same legal issue, and the notes will be less important in contributing to your overall understanding of the law.

Zugzwang wrote:

stonepeep wrote:

Zugzwang wrote:I would peg the notes in between cases in order of importance as follows:

1. Torts
2. Criminal Law (tied for 1. if you aren't focusing on the MPC)
3. Property
4. Civil Procedure
5. Contracts (maybe tied for 4. if you don't focus on the Restatement / UCC)
6. Constitutional Law

lol, what? How could you possibly do this on the basis of subject alone.

Pretty easily. It goes in order of the descending number of differing major jurisdictional rules. If you focus on a specific code like the MPC or the UCC, there are less ways to answer the same legal issue, and the notes will be less important in contributing to your overall understanding of the law.

And if your prof doesn't give a shit about jurisdictional splits (like, say, my Torts prof) then your list is completely wrong.

Considering that policy discussion/exploration makes up the bulk of what comes between the cases in all of my casebooks I'd suggest perhaps it's more the proportional taste of your professor for law vs. doctrine that should guide your allocation of attention to the material if you're feeling stretched. But really, it doesn't take that long to read it.

I've been skimming the interstitial material at first reading to get a sense of its major points and flow but I carefully read all of the the assigned cases first. Then I return to the discussions that link them as they make more sense when I know what they're driving at. You deprive yourself of that 'aha' moment that (I think) the casebook editors are trying to generate by mystifying you with their Ns&Qs and discussions before resolving them with the next case--but you still learn the material, and it becomes more straightforward and so less exhausting.

At least, that's what I've found. YMMV of course.

stonepeep wrote:And if your prof doesn't give a shit about jurisdictional splits (like, say, my Torts prof) then your list is completely wrong.

Yes, I'm sure your professor doesn't give a shit about the differences in duty owed by landowners to licensees, invitees, and trespassers.

stonepeep wrote:

Zugzwang wrote:

stonepeep wrote:

Zugzwang wrote:I would peg the notes in between cases in order of importance as follows:

1. Torts
2. Criminal Law (tied for 1. if you aren't focusing on the MPC)
3. Property
4. Civil Procedure
5. Contracts (maybe tied for 4. if you don't focus on the Restatement / UCC)
6. Constitutional Law

lol, what? How could you possibly do this on the basis of subject alone.

Pretty easily. It goes in order of the descending number of differing major jurisdictional rules. If you focus on a specific code like the MPC or the UCC, there are less ways to answer the same legal issue, and the notes will be less important in contributing to your overall understanding of the law.

And if your prof doesn't give a shit about jurisdictional splits (like, say, my Torts prof) then your list is completely wrong.

There is nothing to teach in torts if you don't teach jurisdictional splits.

revolution724 wrote:

emorystud2010 wrote:How important is this? I've been doing my readings, and usually about a few pages between the cases seem kinda like filler. I know the focus is to get what u need for the exams, so is it even worth the time to skim?

It's never important except the one time you don't read it, and then you are guaranteed to get called on in class about it and see it on the exam.

This. I got slaughtered more times than I can count b/c of this stupid text. It's the worst.

Burger in a can wrote:

Renzo wrote:Also depends on the casebook. My contracts casebook was a waste, whereas my property casebook was better than any supplement I found.

This sounds good. I've found the non-case stuff in the casebooks to be pretty helpful so far, but I'm sure this isn't true of all of them.

I like that information too. Sometimes it helps clarify things that are going on and what the case is actually talking about or gives important definitions or questions to think about. I kind of miss it when I'm doing Contracts since we aren't using a casebook .

This depends primarily on the casebook's author.