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I wanted to hear from people who have finished their 1Ls about their experiences with E&Es and Hornbooks. I plan on getting supplementals for all my classes but wanted to know if getting both E&Es and Hornbooks was overkill. Also if I was to just choose one or the other, which would be the better option? I hear that Hornbooks, though much larger, is a better resource. What do you think?

gtrwanka wrote:I wanted to hear from people who have finished their 1Ls about their experiences with E&Es and Hornbooks. I plan on getting supplementals for all my classes but wanted to know if getting both E&Es and Hornbooks was overkill. Also if I was to just choose one or the other, which would be the better option? I hear that Hornbooks, though much larger, is a better resource. What do you think?

The E&E's are only effective in a limited number of subjects. Subjects such as ConLaw and Criminal Law have far more effective supplements, and there is no need for a hornbook in either. Don't limit yourself so early. You should go to the professor once class starts and see what he/she recommends. Just blindly buying what other people recommend may not be what is best for you in particular.

Well let me ask this: When should I get supplementals? Do you guys use them along side your syllabus, or do you read them at the end to get a more cohesive review of the course?

Also, if a casebook is written by author X, should I get the E&E/Hornbook written by author X? For instance my contracts casebook is Farnsworth, should I Hornbook by Farnsworth as he doesn't have an E&E??

Sorry to be annoying but looking for some general guidance.

What I used:

Torts: Emanuel (really the best)
Contracts: E&E (heard Gilberts was also useful)
Civil Procedure: E&E/Glannon Guide (Law in a flash was also helpful for practice)
Criminal Law: Dressler's Understanding Crim (especially if you're using Dressler's book)
Property: too many, find one keyed to your book (mine was Emanuel [Massey] keyed to Dukeminier)

Get them early in the semester so if you stumble across a topic that you can't comprehend or struggle with, then you'll have it as a fallback.

I loved Farnsworth on Contracts (I also had the Farnsworth casebook). But I didn't buy it. I read it at the library -- all of the best supplements were on reserve.

I'd buy supplements after you've sat through a week of class, so you can get a feel for your professor, the subject, and your style of ingesting the material. Then you can look at a few different ones and decide which, for you, will be the most helpful.