Summer Reading Before 1L Forum

[I.P. Daly]

The first case that my section had to read for one el was Pennoyer v. Neff for civil procedure. It freaked me out because it's and extremely dense case (written in 1878), and it's difficult to understand. I still think it may have been one of the most difficult cases that I had to read during 1L.

I'd recommend reading it and trying to understand it. If you can get through Pennoyer, you can get through any case in law school.

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federa ... /case.html

We didn't even read Pennoyer in my class

The prof did mention it a few times, though.

So, again, do not waste your time with pre-1L substantive reading. It's a prodigious waste of time.

(To be clear, I'm definitely not trying to recommend summer prep that involves reading cases to learn substantive law.)

[AreJay711]

Start working on your alcohol / hangover tolerance. This will help a lot when all your classmates are hungover on friday morning but you are alert and chipper.

[Borhas]

Hey there,

I will be attending law school this fall and have been recommended by some people to go ahead and purchase outlines or something else during the summer to get a head start. Is this a good idea? and if so, any good recommendation on what to get?

Thanks!

Read a torts outline

[TrojanHopeful]

Don't mind me. Just tagging as this is relevant to my interest.

[TTRansfer]

I did it. I think it prepared the fuck out of me for first semester. I felt like I knew far more than most of my classmates and I did better than them on the exams. If you're bored and neurotic, go ahead and read some E&Es. Some people will tell you that you're an idiot, but it certainly does work for some.

[Applying_Late]

If you want to be an awesome scholar and creative, read as many of the following:

HLA Hart

"The Ascription of Responsibility and Rights". Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 1949.
Definition and Theory in Jurisprudence (1953)
Causation in the Law (with Tony Honoré) (1959)
The Concept of Law Oxford: Oxford University Press: 1961.
Law, Liberty and Morality (1963)
The Morality of the Criminal Law (1964)
Punishment and Responsibility (1968)
Essays on Bentham: Studies in Jurisprudence and Political Theory (1982)
Essays in Jurisprudence and Philosophy (1983)

Ronald Dworkin

Taking Rights Seriously. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1977.
The Philosophy of Law (Oxford Readings in Philosophy). Ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.
A Matter of Principle. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985.
Law's Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1986.
Philosophical Issues in Senile Dementia. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1987.
A Bill of Rights for Britain. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1990.
Life's Dominion: An Argument About Abortion, Euthanasia, and Individual Freedom. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.
Freedom's Law: The Moral Reading of the American Constitution. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.
Sovereign Virtue: The Theory and Practice of Equality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.
A Badly Flawed Election: Debating Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court, and American Democracy. Ed. New York: New Press, 2002.
From Liberal Values to Democratic Transition: Essays in Honor of Janos Kis. Ed. Budapest: Central European University Press, 2004.
Justice in Robes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006.
Is Democracy Possible Here? Principles for a New Political Debate. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006.
The Supreme Court Phalanx: The Court's New Right-Wing Bloc. New York: New York Review Books, 2008.
Justice for Hedgehogs. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011.

John Rawls

A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971.
Political Liberalism. The John Dewey Essays in Philosophy, 4. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.
The Law of Peoples: with "The Idea of Public Reason Revisited." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1999.
Justice as Fairness: A Restatement. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press, 2001.

Jack Balkin

Living Originalism (2011)

And then you can read (or brush up on) some by Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and Hobbes. After you've done that, you can read the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers. I think this will give you a solid start into 1L, and you could really show-off academically.

[Scotusnerd]

Instead of reading, work on your cover letters/resumes. Maybe polish your formal writing style (less important, since legal writing is so different from other types, but learning the elements of an effective, formal argument is worthwhile*). Brush up on ethos, pathos logos etc.

*Poster is a 0L with no actual experience in law, merely common sense. Poster is not responsible for any lapses in logic, relation to the real world or other important factors that may or may not render advice as useless. Batteries not included. See store for details.

If you're a 0L, don't give advice in the Forum for Law Students.

And lol at your recommendations.

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=170599

[Bildungsroman]

Instead of reading, work on your cover letters/resumes. Maybe polish your formal writing style (less important, since legal writing is so different from other types, but learning the elements of an effective, formal argument is worthwhile*). Brush up on ethos, pathos logos etc.

*Poster is a 0L with no actual experience in law, merely common sense. Poster is not responsible for any lapses in logic, relation to the real world or other important factors that may or may not render advice as useless. Batteries not included. See store for details.

If you're a 0L, don't give advice in the Forum for Law Students.

And lol at your recommendations.

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=170599

Seriously, a 0L posting his/her opinion in the forum for law school students is worthless and just takes up space. Nobody is interested in what your intuition tells you law school is like. The fact that you recommended brushing up on pathos/ethos/logos is a solid demonstration of why 0Ls shouldn't give one another advice on law school prep and success. If you want to go to a big circlejerk subforum where 0Ls speak authoritatively despite having no experience or first-hand knowledge, there are several subforums I can rcommens.

[AZN MegaPoaster]

Instead of reading, work on your cover letters/resumes. Maybe polish your formal writing style (less important, since legal writing is so different from other types, but learning the elements of an effective, formal argument is worthwhile*). Brush up on ethos, pathos logos etc.

*Poster is a 0L with no actual experience in law, merely common sense. Poster is not responsible for any lapses in logic, relation to the real world or other important factors that may or may not render advice as useless. Batteries not included. See store for details.

If you're a 0L, don't give advice in the Forum for Law Students.

And lol at your recommendations.

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=170599

Seriously, a 0L posting his/her opinion in the forum for law school students is worthless and just takes up space. Nobody is interested in what your intuition tells you law school is like. The fact that you recommended brushing up on pathos/ethos/logos is a solid demonstration of why 0Ls shouldn't give one another advice on law school prep and success. If you want to go to a big circlejerk subforum where 0Ls speak authoritatively despite having no experience or first-hand knowledge, there are several subforums I can rcommens.

To be fair, his advice is better than the law students telling people to read substantive material. Lol at their recommendations.

[Scotusnerd]

Instead of reading, work on your cover letters/resumes. Maybe polish your formal writing style (less important, since legal writing is so different from other types, but learning the elements of an effective, formal argument is worthwhile*). Brush up on ethos, pathos logos etc.

*Poster is a 0L with no actual experience in law, merely common sense. Poster is not responsible for any lapses in logic, relation to the real world or other important factors that may or may not render advice as useless. Batteries not included. See store for details.

If you're a 0L, don't give advice in the Forum for Law Students.

And lol at your recommendations.

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=170599

Seriously, a 0L posting his/her opinion in the forum for law school students is worthless and just takes up space. Nobody is interested in what your intuition tells you law school is like. The fact that you recommended brushing up on pathos/ethos/logos is a solid demonstration of why 0Ls shouldn't give one another advice on law school prep and success. If you want to go to a big circlejerk subforum where 0Ls speak authoritatively despite having no experience or first-hand knowledge, there are several subforums I can rcommens.

Did I upset you?

[AZN MegaPoaster]

If you're a 0L, don't give advice in the Forum for Law Students.

And lol at your recommendations.

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=170599

Seriously, a 0L posting his/her opinion in the forum for law school students is worthless and just takes up space. Nobody is interested in what your intuition tells you law school is like. The fact that you recommended brushing up on pathos/ethos/logos is a solid demonstration of why 0Ls shouldn't give one another advice on law school prep and success. If you want to go to a big circlejerk subforum where 0Ls speak authoritatively despite having no experience or first-hand knowledge, there are several subforums I can rcommens.

Did I upset you?

Can't speak for him, but it is annoying seeing a 0L come in here and post about legal writing. Brushing up on pathos, ethos, and logos isn't going to do shit for you during your first year. The cover letter/resume advice is good, though.

[Holly Golightly]

Read fun things that you want to read and that have nothing to do with law school. Even though I love reading, I never read for pleasure during the school year because I'm already doing so much reading to begin with.

[bk1]

Read fun things that you want to read and that have nothing to do with law school. Even though I love reading, I never read for pleasure during the school year because I'm already doing so much reading to begin with.

Credited.

[TrojanHopeful]

How about the TLS forums. Can I read that? Is that good prep material?

[094320]

..

[ben4847]

Definitely read 1L by Scott Turow. You need to know what you're up against.
Also, make sure you are up to date on the show Suits.

[AreJay711]

Also, while Applying_Late is probably trolling, I did take a class that had me reading stuff like Dworkin, Kennedy, etc. and I thought it was worthwhile. I definitely wouldn't read it as an 0L, though, and unless that stuff really grips you, wouldn't read it unless assigned.

This is more the kind of thing I think a 0L should read. Substantive stuff is pointless but this stuff might be interesting to a law nerd and it is something that you will probably lose interest in reading once you are a law student and realize that no one gives a fuck about the nature of law or shit like that.

[094320]

..

[Doorkeeper]

Also, while Applying_Late is probably trolling, I did take a class that had me reading stuff like Dworkin, Kennedy, etc. and I thought it was worthwhile. I definitely wouldn't read it as an 0L, though, and unless that stuff really grips you, wouldn't read it unless assigned.

This is more the kind of thing I think a 0L should read. Substantive stuff is pointless but this stuff might be interesting to a law nerd and it is something that you will probably lose interest in reading once you are a law student and realize that no one gives a fuck about the nature of law or shit like that.

This is true, though if you do spend your time reading this stuff over the summer, be sure not to be obnoxious and talk about it when you start 1L. Most people aren't interested and won't care. I found it worthwhile from an academic perspective. I found that stuff from that class ended up seeping into one of the exams I wrote for another class--the best one I wrote in law school. However, I don't think it's necessary and I don't think it's everybody's cup of tea--some people are never going to like it, 0L or not, but for people who do, it adds depth to the other substantive classes that you might not really think about otherwise.

As someone interested in legal theory, this makes me sad.

(But I understand the reason)

[jim-green]

Can anyone please post the best website to learn speed typing?

[emkay625]

Can anyone please post the best website to learn speed typing?

as an incredibly slow typer, I would like this too.

[PennBull]

I did it. I think it prepared the fuck out of me for first semester. I felt like I knew far more than most of my classmates and I did better than them on the exams. If you're bored and neurotic, go ahead and read some E&Es. Some people will tell you that you're an idiot, but it certainly does work for some.

Since 1L year is so goddamn important, I think this isn't a terrible option. As long as you go into it knowing you'll have to do it again once classes start, I think getting familiar with some E&Es (but NOT Civpro. Doing anything Civpro over the summer is completely useless) is aight.

Don't do anything super intensely, because that won't help. But, for example, the torts E&E is pretty easy to read and could help prepare you a bit.

I simply agree that some people might get something out of it, and with the importance of 1L, why not try everything? It could be useless for some people, but not all. The only thing that matters in law school is the final exam for each course; I found it very helpful to know on Day One what a law school exam looked like and how it tested.

[PennBull]

How about the TLS forums. Can I read that? Is that good prep material?

This actually is a lot more credited than you think. I thank TLS for erasing all misconceptions out of my head before I started.

[AZN MegaPoaster]

Can anyone please post the best website to learn speed typing?

as an incredibly slow typer, I would like this too.

Just go to best buy and purcase one of their typing programs for 20$. I used Mavis Beacon the summer before 1L. I got to 60-70 wpm before school started, and then from typing throughout the semester I got up to 80-90 before exams. So i though it was definitely worth it.

[Bildungsroman]

Can anyone please post the best website to learn speed typing?

as an incredibly slow typer, I would like this too.

Just go to best buy and purcase one of their typing programs for 20$. I used Mavis Beacon the summer before 1L. I got to 60-70 wpm before school started, and then from typing throughout the semester I got up to 80-90 before exams. So i though it was definitely worth it.

Yeah, don't get too paranoid about typing speed. I'm a pretty slow typist (idk how many wpm, but my typing style is embarrassing and it can't be more than 60wpm), and I didn't feel disadvantaged by my typing speed at all. Getting up to 70-80 wpm is likely plenty. Some people swear by typing 120 wpm for the entire exam, but there's a reason, at least in my experience, you don't see a lot of 30 page model answers.

Edit: Just checked the longest exam I wrote 1L year. I spent about 1/3 of the time reading and outlining, so I averaged 36 WPM.