Torts casebook problem Forum

[slapshot01j]

My professor is using Epstein's casebook for torts. This casebook presents many fragments of cases, rather than a few long ones. So in any given 15 pages of reading, there will be something like 3 or 4 cases listed in the table of contents, and then tons and tons of squib cases mentioned in the "notes" - but the professor always asks us about even the squib cases - so clearly we have to know them.

Granted, I'm in my first week - but is there any more efficient way to mastering the squib cases than briefing every single one of them? I wind up having to brief like 18 mini-cases per reading and it's so tedious/potentially unnecessary.

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated - thanks!!

[Columbia Law]

Google/wikipedia. Dead serious.

[usuaggie]

My professor is using Epstein's casebook for torts. This casebook presents many fragments of cases, rather than a few long ones. So in any given 15 pages of reading, there will be something like 3 or 4 cases listed in the table of contents, and then tons and tons of squib cases mentioned in the "notes" - but the professor always asks us about even the squib cases - so clearly we have to know them.

Granted, I'm in my first week - but is there any more efficient way to mastering the squib cases than briefing every single one of them? I wind up having to brief like 18 mini-cases per reading and it's so tedious/potentially unnecessary.

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated - thanks!!

type the citation in lexisnexis. each case will be briefed for you on there already. copy and paste that into your notes, and the lexisnexis headnotes too. these are the important pieces of law that the cases decide.


i apologize to your classmates who already figured that out, i should have made you figure it out too.

[GoodToBeTheKing]

My professor is using Epstein's casebook for torts. This casebook presents many fragments of cases, rather than a few long ones. So in any given 15 pages of reading, there will be something like 3 or 4 cases listed in the table of contents, and then tons and tons of squib cases mentioned in the "notes" - but the professor always asks us about even the squib cases - so clearly we have to know them.

Granted, I'm in my first week - but is there any more efficient way to mastering the squib cases than briefing every single one of them? I wind up having to brief like 18 mini-cases per reading and it's so tedious/potentially unnecessary.

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated - thanks!!

type the citation in lexisnexis. each case will be briefed for you on there already. copy and paste that into your notes, and the lexisnexis headnotes too. these are the important pieces of law that the cases decide.


i apologize to your classmates who already figured that out, i should have made you figure it out too.

+1 to lexisnexis... what is great about that feature is the rules of law that are pulled from the cases are straight from the case, and are not reworded at all.

[slapshot01j]

sarcasm appreciated. Unfortunately they don't give us a lexis/westlaw login until mid-november.

And for what it's worth, the case summary books don't brief (or even touch on) the squibs. I'm sure I'll figure out my own system (like I said, still the first week.)

[Baylan]

My professor is using Epstein's casebook for torts. This casebook presents many fragments of cases, rather than a few long ones. So in any given 15 pages of reading, there will be something like 3 or 4 cases listed in the table of contents, and then tons and tons of squib cases mentioned in the "notes" - but the professor always asks us about even the squib cases - so clearly we have to know them.

Granted, I'm in my first week - but is there any more efficient way to mastering the squib cases than briefing every single one of them? I wind up having to brief like 18 mini-cases per reading and it's so tedious/potentially unnecessary.

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated - thanks!!

type the citation in lexisnexis. each case will be briefed for you on there already. copy and paste that into your notes, and the lexisnexis headnotes too. these are the important pieces of law that the cases decide.


i apologize to your classmates who already figured that out, i should have made you figure it out too.

You should be apologizing... I figured it out within 10 minutes of adding myself to Lexis/Westlaw, thanks to TLS

[mmmadeli]

My torts professor wrote his own casebook. We cover about 7-10 cases for each class (all very short excerpted or summarized opinions in the reading), meet 4 days/week. They are all tested. Not an issue-spotting exam, though, apparently.

[charlesjd]

.

[Duralex]

Except that in that situation you don't have to wonder about the space between the prof and cb editor's scholarly orientation and for anything that doesn't seem clear (in substance or selection for inclusion) you can literally ask the guy who wrote the book. And know in advance what's going to be tested (even if it's too much, being told w/certainty is pretty unusual.) I kind of have the former advantage in one of my classes, as although the prof I have isn't great so far, the CB editors are at the school as well. I may go ask them questions soon.

I'm worried about profs who pretty much assign the whole of someone else's casebook, front to back. After finding the BLL, it's hard to know what they agree with and don't or which grey areas they're more interested it when their lectures don't telegraph their views (or when the end of the lecture is compressed due to time.) At least when profs assign sections out of printed order and omit certain cases you can kind of tell what they care about.

[Pablo Ramirez]

Epstein's Torts cb is dreadful. My Torts prof took the same approach as the OP's. I'd rather be waterboarded with water taken from the Ganges than go through that again.

[Baylan]

Epstein's Torts cb is dreadful. My Torts prof took the same approach as the OP's. I'd rather be waterboarded with water taken from the Ganges than go through that again.

Wonderful. This is my casebook.