UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[sundance95]

I was being sarcastic. However, I'm actually just surprised at how many people do show up to these events considering all the reading and shit we have to do. Even married people come. I've met a few spouses. I am assuming this will die down at some point in the semester but right now I am thoroughly enjoying all the social events.

Ah sorry, you chasmed me.

[icouldbuyu]

So I started to type up my notes and combine them with the notes I took while reading the casebook and supplement? Should I exclude anything that was assigned from the supplement, but never actually covered in class? Thanks in advance

[ThreeYears]

So I started to type up my notes and combine them with the notes I took while reading the casebook and supplement? Should I exclude anything that was assigned from the supplement, but never actually covered in class? Thanks in advance

I have similar questions: how much attention and effort should I devote to materials that professors assigned but either did not mention at all in class, or very briefly touched?

Thanks in advance.

[Puttanesca]

What is the general consensus on the effectiveness/necessity of case briefs? I've done case briefs for most of the cases but did just book briefing for a few cases because I was short on time. I'm not trying to cut corners, and I generally read each case 3 times, but if book briefing is good enough, I'd rather do that since it saves a lot of time.

[vamedic03]

What is the general consensus on the effectiveness/necessity of case briefs? I've done case briefs for most of the cases but did just book briefing for a few cases because I was short on time. I'm not trying to cut corners, and I generally read each case 3 times, but if book briefing is good enough, I'd rather do that since it saves a lot of time.

Fall 1L: 1st 6 weeks, I briefed every case. Over the course of the next 3 weeks, I stopped briefing in Crim, then Torts, then Contracts, and finally Civ Pro. I did not brief for the final 3 weeks. I highlighted relevant material in the casebook and took some notes in the margins.

Spring 1L: No briefing. I highlighted relevant material and took some notes in the margins.

Fall 2L: No briefing. Highlighting and some notes.

Spring 2L: Highlighting only.

I'll also add that I:

(1) I use only 1 color highlighter

(2) I do not take reading notes

(3) I construct my outlines almost solely from my class notes. I'll occasionally look back at the casebook and I'll use supplements only where my notes are unclear.

[vamedic03]

So I started to type up my notes and combine them with the notes I took while reading the casebook and supplement? Should I exclude anything that was assigned from the supplement, but never actually covered in class? Thanks in advance

I have similar questions: how much attention and effort should I devote to materials that professors assigned but either did not mention at all in class, or very briefly touched?

Thanks in advance.

I only reference what the professor says in class.

[planQ]

I was wondering how much of the reading material is out of casebooks/textbooks/things you buy at the book store, vs how much is online material that you are supposed to print out/read online.

I only ask because at my Undergrad 50% of my reading was stuff I had to print out.

Also does it change from 1L to 2/3L years the type of material you are reading?

Thanks!

[bgdddymtty]

I was wondering how much of the reading material is out of casebooks/textbooks/things you buy at the book store, vs how much is online material that you are supposed to print out/read online.

I only ask because at my Undergrad 50% of my reading was stuff I had to print out.

Also does it change from 1L to 2/3L years the type of material you are reading?

Thanks!

Virtually none of it will be online stuff. If there's stuff from odd sources, you'll probably have a packet at the copy center. And it'll be free.

[dailygrind]

A lot of my classmates have their readings coming primarily from the copy center (ie they don't have to buy many books), and I guess that's one way things can change as you become an upperclassman.

[wackjickham]

12 Minutes into Bankruptcy with Walt: Any ideas on the best hornbook?

[jawsthegreat]

12 Minutes into Bankruptcy with Walt: Any ideas on the best hornbook?

--ImageRemoved--

[RVP11]

12 Minutes into Bankruptcy with Walt: Any ideas on the best hornbook?

Is it that bad?

While boring and dry, he's generally very easy to follow.

[joemoviebuff]

I had a facepalm moment and overlooked a pretty easy rule synthesis in my first LRW memo. I was thinking of emailing a corrected paragraph to my Dillard, even though I know it wouldn't really make a difference, just to save a little face. Alright, or should I just not worry about it due to the pass/fail-ness of LRW?

[desertlaw]

I had a facepalm moment and overlooked a pretty easy rule synthesis in my first LRW memo. I was thinking of emailing a corrected paragraph to my Dillard, even though I know it wouldn't really make a difference, just to save a little face. Alright, or should I just not worry about it due to the pass/fail-ness of LRW?

I was given advice that you should find out what amount of work will get you passed and get no more. Unfortunately, finding that fine line often causes you to visit extra with the prof as she scolds you for lack of effort. But that's probably better than putting in a ton of hours in. So I'm not sure to find the balance, but no employer is going to hire you during OGI because you wrote a good memo. You've got to perform in your other classes first, and worry about LRW last.

[vamedic03]

I had a facepalm moment and overlooked a pretty easy rule synthesis in my first LRW memo. I was thinking of emailing a corrected paragraph to my Dillard, even though I know it wouldn't really make a difference, just to save a little face. Alright, or should I just not worry about it due to the pass/fail-ness of LRW?

Don't worry about it. Unlike your other classes, LRW is about trial and error. Just make your best effort and learn from your mistakes.

[desertlaw]

Except don't make your best effort. Because if you put your best effort in LRW then you've put too much time in LRW and it's for a very small benefit.

[5ky]

I had a facepalm moment and overlooked a pretty easy rule synthesis in my first LRW memo. I was thinking of emailing a corrected paragraph to my Dillard, even though I know it wouldn't really make a difference, just to save a little face. Alright, or should I just not worry about it due to the pass/fail-ness of LRW?

Absolutely no need to do this. They'll go over it with you, I think, and if he/she brings it up, just say you realized you had missed something but recognized it needed to be there.

[jawsthegreat]

I had a facepalm moment and overlooked a pretty easy rule synthesis in my first LRW memo. I was thinking of emailing a corrected paragraph to my Dillard, even though I know it wouldn't really make a difference, just to save a little face. Alright, or should I just not worry about it due to the pass/fail-ness of LRW?

Please don't do this. I passed LRW and I'm not even sure what a "rule synthesis" is.

[5ky]

I had a facepalm moment and overlooked a pretty easy rule synthesis in my first LRW memo. I was thinking of emailing a corrected paragraph to my Dillard, even though I know it wouldn't really make a difference, just to save a little face. Alright, or should I just not worry about it due to the pass/fail-ness of LRW?

Please don't do this. I passed LRW and I'm not even sure what a "rule synthesis" is.

+1

[showNprove]

I had a facepalm moment and overlooked a pretty easy rule synthesis in my first LRW memo. I was thinking of emailing a corrected paragraph to my Dillard, even though I know it wouldn't really make a difference, just to save a little face. Alright, or should I just not worry about it due to the pass/fail-ness of LRW?

I was given advice that you should find out what amount of work will get you passed and get no more. Unfortunately, finding that fine line often causes you to visit extra with the prof as she scolds you for lack of effort. But that's probably better than putting in a ton of hours in. So I'm not sure to find the balance, but no employer is going to hire you during OGI because you wrote a good memo. You've got to perform in your other classes first, and worry about LRW last.

But no employer will hire you if you fail LRW. Not saying this guy has anything to worry about, but a U in LRW probably looks worse than a C+ in Torts to most employers.

Not to mention, if you can't write well, you may still get a summer offer, but good luck getting a full-time offer and/or moving up in your career.

[itsirtou]

I had a facepalm moment and overlooked a pretty easy rule synthesis in my first LRW memo. I was thinking of emailing a corrected paragraph to my Dillard, even though I know it wouldn't really make a difference, just to save a little face. Alright, or should I just not worry about it due to the pass/fail-ness of LRW?

I was given advice that you should find out what amount of work will get you passed and get no more. Unfortunately, finding that fine line often causes you to visit extra with the prof as she scolds you for lack of effort. But that's probably better than putting in a ton of hours in. So I'm not sure to find the balance, but no employer is going to hire you during OGI because you wrote a good memo. You've got to perform in your other classes first, and worry about LRW last.

But no employer will hire you if you fail LRW. Not saying this guy has anything to worry about, but a U in LRW probably looks worse than a C+ in Torts to most employers.

Not to mention, if you can't write well, you may still get a summer offer, but good luck getting a full-time offer and/or moving up in your career.

Do people actually fail LRW? I don't know anyone who did -- I knew one person who got a not-passing notice from the professor midway through, essentially, but he passed in the end. Plus, no one's advocating you work so little that you fail, just not stressing out and working so hard that you take time away from the work you put into other classes.

[esq]

So I'm in Sprigman's class for Torts, and he has this habit of dropping 40-50 pgs, 8-12 cases, of reading the night before class. This would be fine if we all operated in a vacuum, but this is 1L at UVa Law. Considering that he only covers 40% of the cases in class and that Torts can be fairly summed up in one week - " what would the reasonable person have done?" - does anyone who's had Sprigman have advice about how to approach this class? I'd like to focus more on jotting down and understanding how to apply the rules, but his heavy reliance on cases (which will be literally 100s by the time the test comes around), has me worried that his tests will be case specific, rather than just an application of the rules. I also think he's new at Torts, so no prior test history in the library.

[sundance95]

^ damn.

and here I was getting salty about 5 cases of CivPro.

[albanach]

^ damn.

and here I was getting salty about 5 cases of CivPro.

+1 to this. That's a crazy amount of reading for Torts. We've usually been averaging about ten pages and normally have them well in advance.

Can one of your class reps approach the prof? If the reading's required it'd still be reasonable for it to be announced with slightly more notice. Especially if you ever have back to back days with torts.

[vamedic03]

^ damn.

and here I was getting salty about 5 cases of CivPro.

+1 to this. That's a crazy amount of reading for Torts. We've usually been averaging about ten pages and normally have them well in advance.

Can one of your class reps approach the prof? If the reading's required it'd still be reasonable for it to be announced with slightly more notice. Especially if you ever have back to back days with torts.

I would recommend having a 'class rep' approach a prof about the reading assignments. I can't envision that discussion going well. Sprigman is known for assigning pretty heavy reading loads. See his evals for Trademark, Fall 2010.