Bluebook Tips Forum

[pottedplants]

Sup TLS!

Do ya'll have any tips for Bluebooking? I've read it cover to cover twice, but still forget/miss things when reviewing my legal writing.

I've made tabs for my edition, which helps for quick reference, but I'm still pretty slow.

Any of ya'll have suggestions for maximizing efficiency and remembering rules?

Thanks!

[ph14]

Sup TLS!

Do ya'll have any tips for Bluebooking? I've read it cover to cover twice, but still forget/miss things when reviewing my legal writing.

I've made tabs for my edition, which helps for quick reference, but I'm still pretty slow.

Any of ya'll have suggestions for maximizing efficiency and remembering rules?

Thanks!

Subscribe to legalbluebook.com, you can search stuff and it is much more useful than the hard copy, imo. Master the basics and that's the vast majority of citations. Instead of looking up how to cite in the Bluebook, look up an article in the Harvard Law Review database on Westlaw (HLVR), and it should be properly Bluebooked. Use Heinonline if you need to check formatting (e.g., typeface).

[prezidentv8]

I've read it cover to cover twice

Not sure whether to be impressed or appalled.

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Are you citing a lot of stuff other than cases and statutes in your 1L writing class?

[Seminole_305]

Unless you're on Law Review (even then that is a stretch) you should not be reading the bluebook cover to cover. They created an index and you should use it.

[mushybrain]

Just look stuff up when you need it and you'll eventually just remember the main stuff through repetition. You're not going to remember any of it just from reading it cover-to-cover (which is insane, btw... did you read every state's rules re reporters/statute abbreviations/etc. too?).

[Micdiddy]

Use the same cites other materials use, don't Bluebook anything yourself unless you have to.

[UnderrateOverachieve]

Use the same cites other materials use, don't Bluebook anything yourself unless you have to.

Probably best to force yourself to be meticulous at first. Once you get an idea for how things are then you can take shortcuts. Also, Westlaw copy and paste citations are usually pretty damn close.