UChi Students & Alumni Taking Questions Forum

[Ricky-Bobby]

Thanks.

And I'm gonna learn the shit outta it now so I can be a LRW all-star when I get there. I'll be the one italicizing all my periods. Come at me, bro.

But really I'm really lazy and won't be doing shit until October.

[beepboopbeep]

So I've decided to get a jump on learning legal citation before classes start (this is a joke, I'm not actually doing this). Does everyone still learn Bluebook citation in Legal Writing? Only the journals use the Maroonbook, right?

I have no real need to know this, just general curiosity.

Yes, it's all bluebook in LRW.

I don't recommend spending time learning citation. It will make intuitive sense when you're reading cases and seeing lots of citations. And proper bluebooking is a really minor factor w/r/t LRW grades. Like, I think ours was one point out of forty for the winter memo. I completely botched my short citations for that one and still did very solidly.

If you want something that you can actually improve on before lawl school, learn to write clear, persuasive sentences without needing to go back and revise them into making sense. This also helps on exams. If you can take a MOOC on professional writing or even just read a book on writing persuasively, that's probably the only 0L prep that might actually be helpful. I did one senior year of undergrad that I feel has had a tangible positive effect so far this year.

[bearsfan23]

So I've decided to get a jump on learning legal citation before classes start (this is a joke, I'm not actually doing this). Does everyone still learn Bluebook citation in Legal Writing? Only the journals use the Maroonbook, right?

I have no real need to know this, just general curiosity.

Yes, it's all bluebook in LRW.

I don't recommend spending time learning citation. It will make intuitive sense when you're reading cases and seeing lots of citations. And proper bluebooking is a really minor factor w/r/t LRW grades. Like, I think ours was one point out of forty for the winter memo. I completely botched my short citations for that one and still did very solidly.

If you want something that you can actually improve on before lawl school, learn to write clear, persuasive sentences without needing to go back and revise them into making sense. This also helps on exams. If you can take a MOOC on professional writing or even just read a book on writing persuasively, that's probably the only 0L prep that might actually be helpful. I did one senior year of undergrad that I feel has had a tangible positive effect so far this year.

+ 1

Learn how to write, not how to Bluebook. Bluebooking isn't hard, its just tedious. Apart from learning the material, your performance in law school, whether its finals or LRW, pretty much comes down to your writing ability

[elterrible78]

So I've decided to get a jump on learning legal citation before classes start (this is a joke, I'm not actually doing this). Does everyone still learn Bluebook citation in Legal Writing? Only the journals use the Maroonbook, right?

I have no real need to know this, just general curiosity.

Yes, it's all bluebook in LRW.

I don't recommend spending time learning citation. It will make intuitive sense when you're reading cases and seeing lots of citations. And proper bluebooking is a really minor factor w/r/t LRW grades. Like, I think ours was one point out of forty for the winter memo. I completely botched my short citations for that one and still did very solidly.

If you want something that you can actually improve on before lawl school, learn to write clear, persuasive sentences without needing to go back and revise them into making sense. This also helps on exams. If you can take a MOOC on professional writing or even just read a book on writing persuasively, that's probably the only 0L prep that might actually be helpful. I did one senior year of undergrad that I feel has had a tangible positive effect so far this year.

+ 1

Learn how to write, not how to Bluebook. Bluebooking isn't hard, its just tedious. Apart from learning the material, your performance in law school, whether its finals or LRW, pretty much comes down to your writing ability

Double +1

And "good writing" isn't what most people come in thinking it is. Bluebooking isn't hard, and like Boop says, if you pay attention, it's not even particularly tedious. Unless you're trying to get fancy (and there's really almost never a good reason to do that), it's just the same thing over and over again.

[Ricky-Bobby]

Well now I feel like I probably should do some short writing booster. I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't going to try to Bluebook, though.

[Leo]

Glad to here all I have too do in law skewl is write good! Order of the coif, Leo be coming.

[elterrible78]

Well now I feel like I probably should do some short writing booster. I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't going to try to Bluebook, though.

It's not rocket science, and I wouldn't worry too much about it. You just need to be able to write clearly, concisely, and persuasively, with some kind of sense of organization. I think a lot of people come in with the idea that if they can use as many $3 words as possible, and maintain a 4:1 comma-to-word ratio that'll make them good writers, and that's just wrong.

As an example: my LRW instructor wrote on a classmate's winter memo "Would you ever say this out loud in real life?" I think that really hits the nail on the head.

[beepboopbeep]

Glad to here all I have too do in law skewl is write good! Order of the coif, Leo be coming.

It's certainly not sufficient, but it's as close to necessary as any other skill I can think of. And it's pretty much the only 0L prep that might actually end up being productive.

"Would you ever say this out loud in real life?"

That's probably the best one-sentence summary. But it's also about sentence- and paragraph-level organization. Connectors, topic sentences, etc.

[bearsfan23]

Well now I feel like I probably should do some short writing booster. I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't going to try to Bluebook, though.

You sound really fun.

[Ricky-Bobby]

Well now I feel like I probably should do some short writing booster. I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't going to try to Bluebook, though.

It's not rocket science, and I wouldn't worry too much about it. You just need to be able to write clearly, concisely, and persuasively, with some kind of sense of organization. I think a lot of people come in with the idea that if they can use as many $3 words as possible, and maintain a 4:1 comma-to-word ratio that'll make them good writers, and that's just wrong.

As an example: my LRW instructor wrote on a classmate's winter memo "Would you ever say this out loud in real life?" I think that really hits the nail on the head.

The only thing that semi-worries me is I take a while to write anything because I don't do drafts and have this neurotic compulsion to revise everything as I write. I tell myself I'll figure this out before exams, but whatever.

[elterrible78]

Glad to here all I have too do in law skewl is write good! Order of the coif, Leo be coming.

It's certainly not sufficient, but it's as close to necessary as any other skill I can think of. And it's pretty much the only 0L prep that might actually end up being productive.

"Would you ever say this out loud in real life?"

That's probably the best one-sentence summary. But it's also about sentence- and paragraph-level organization. Connectors, topic sentences, etc.

Yeah, organization at all levels is key. What I have found strange - not just in law school but in life in general - is that people who are very articulate when speaking contemporaneously often manage to fuck things up royally when they actually have time to think and write.

[beepboopbeep]

Glad to here all I have too do in law skewl is write good! Order of the coif, Leo be coming.

It's certainly not sufficient, but it's as close to necessary as any other skill I can think of. And it's pretty much the only 0L prep that might actually end up being productive.

"Would you ever say this out loud in real life?"

That's probably the best one-sentence summary. But it's also about sentence- and paragraph-level organization. Connectors, topic sentences, etc.

Yeah, organization at all levels is key. What I have found strange - not just in law school but in life in general - is that people who are very articulate when speaking contemporaneously often manage to fuck things up royally when they actually have time to think and write.

When I have terrible, inarticulate coldcalls, I try to comfort myself by thinking that the reverse is also true.

[2014]

CJIL uses bluebook fyi, the other 2 use maroonbook.

Also I don't and never have owned a bluebook, I didn't use one for LRW and did fine.

[Mal Reynolds]

Westlaw's "copy with reference" is pretty much all I ever used.

[2014]

Westlaw's "copy with reference" is pretty much all I ever used.

Yeah no matter how much they say it's not accurate, it's pretty damn accurate.

[Mal Reynolds]

The only time it gets you is SCOTUS opinions when it cites S.Ct. and U.S.

[Crowing]

CJIL uses bluebook fyi, the other 2 use maroonbook.

Also I don't and never have owned a bluebook, I didn't use one for LRW and did fine.

Legal forum is moving to Bluebook next year also apparently

Which means if I do the write-on I get to learn how to MaroonBook for one goddamn assignment before forgetting it forever

Cool.

[Ricky-Bobby]

CJIL uses bluebook fyi, the other 2 use maroonbook.

Also I don't and never have owned a bluebook, I didn't use one for LRW and did fine.

Legal forum is moving to Bluebook next year also apparently

Which means if I do the write-on I get to learn how to MaroonBook for one goddamn assignment before forgetting it forever

Cool.

It's cool though, apparently Maroonbook is simple and easily adaptable. Says so right on the UChi LR website. Should be no sweat.

[applelover]

What's dating scene like in Chicago?

[elterrible78]

What's dating scene like in Chicago?

At the law school itself? A bad idea, regardless.
In the city? No idea.

[applelover]

What's dating scene like in Chicago?

At the law school itself? A bad idea, regardless.
In the city? No idea.

The city. I get sick of people too quickly to date someone I would have to see almost everyday.

[Crowing]

What's dating scene like in Chicago?

At the law school itself? A bad idea, regardless.
In the city? No idea.

The city. I get sick of people too quickly to date someone I would have to see almost everyday.

A lady in an elevator told me she saw Alshon Jeffery driving around in his Porsche downtown playing hard to get so maybe that's a good place to start

In all seriousness I have no idea. I think most of us came in married, engaged, or otherwise in a long-term relationship.

[elterrible78]

What's dating scene like in Chicago?

At the law school itself? A bad idea, regardless.
In the city? No idea.

The city. I get sick of people too quickly to date someone I would have to see almost everyday.

I mean, it's the third biggest city in the country. And I get where you're coming from, but for me, I'd truncate that sentence to say "I get sick of people too quickly to date someone."

[20141023]

.

[beepboopbeep]

What's dating scene like in Chicago?

At the law school itself? A bad idea, regardless.
In the city? No idea.

The city. I get sick of people too quickly to date someone I would have to see almost everyday.

I mean, it's the third biggest city in the country. And I get where you're coming from, but for me, I'd truncate that sentence to say "I get sick of people too quickly to date someone."

Says the married dude.

But yeah a lot of the '16 TLSers came in in committed relationships. Not sure any of us will be able to help. But srsly don't worry. People get laid in Chicago.