Reading Court Cases Forum

[danshim]

So I recently just got into a law school and am preparing to go, but I was told that other than reading those pro-tip books to prepare myself, I should also try to read court cases - not just summaries but what the judges actually wrote.

I tried to google for right websites that succinctly shows the court cases for me to read, but that's been a bit difficult. Is there a go-to website that shows all the court cases as written by the judges?

And also, are there books that have good information on the cases? any recommendations?

thank you, this is my first post on this forum, but TLS has helped me tremendously in getting into law school.

[xael]

i suggest not partaking in this activity

[acr]

I don't know who told you this but this is bad advice

You have 6ish months until you start and reading cases now will do absolutely nothing to serve you

[BasilHallward]

Calling flame.

But if you're serious, don't worry about this. Enjoy yourself. The perceived advantages that you think you can gain by perusing through case law are so negligible and perhaps a net negative. You need to enjoy your free time before hell begins. Read "Getting to Maybe" if you want. Should you feel SO compelled to read some crap before school, pick up a Civil Procedure E&E because, generally speaking, the course is pretty formulaic and structured. Don't start reading Cardozo are some crap. Seriously

[BigZuck]

You have plenty of time to get sick of reading judicial opinions, there is no reason to start now. It won't help you. The best thing you can do to prep for law school is to do nothing to prep for law school and just enjoy yourself for the next six months so that you're totally rested and fresh for your 1L year.

[kaiser]

Bad advice. No need to be reading court cases before law school and no benefit to gain from it.

[danshim]

Ahaha is that so? Thank you for the advices. I am looking for that book "Getting to Maybe." I also have the book "Law School Confidential" that I have not read yet.
Other than that, yea I am spending my time enjoyably, leisurely reading and hanging out and stuff. So perhaps I'll continue doing that

[arose928]

You have plenty of time to get sick of reading judicial opinions, there is no reason to start now. It won't help you. The best thing you can do to prep for law school is to do nothing to prep for law school and just enjoy yourself for the next six months so that you're totally rested and fresh for your 1L year.

^^ this. Don't read cases. Especially unedited ones, straight from reporters? Doesn't make any sense. Don't do it. When you read cases in class you read them for a specific reason, to illustrate some legal principle. That's why you read edited versions, to focus on whatever that principle is rather than get bogged down in other details. This is why just reading cases on your own would be less than helpful.

[Squirm]

I did not do it but have heard that answering conceptual questions about key areas of the law within each class can help. The idea is that to perform well in academia you have to think in terms of answering questions. Plus, the exposure to the key concepts can help quicken the learning curve when exposed to them in the classroom setting. Again, I didn't do this but have several different friends who went to a few different T20 schools and said this strategy helped quite a bit.

Any thoughts?

[woodchuck78]

I did not do it but have heard that answering conceptual questions about key areas of the law within each class can help. The idea is that to perform well in academia you have to think in terms of answering questions. Plus, the exposure to the key concepts can help quicken the learning curve when exposed to them in the classroom setting. Again, I didn't do this but have several different friends who went to a few different T20 schools and said this strategy helped quite a bit.

Any thoughts?

I think I understand what you're asking, but feel free to tell me if I'm off track. 0L here for disclosure

I was privileged at my undergraduate institution in that, in my Political Science major, there were law courses that I could take that would count towards my major. Even more, the professors who taught these courses were either adjuncts who were currently in the field or had a JD, so the course was taught based around the case method of study.

What I've been taught (which could very well change once we all hit law school) is that the point of reading a court case is to answer a question--as you have noted--not to read the case for the sake of reading, as we do in literature. The point of a case is to figure out a) what issue the court is trying to tackle, b) how the court ruled on the issue, and c) why the court ruled the way it did. It takes a lot of time reading cases to really hone these skills, and that's why we spend so much time reading in 1L--not because there's a ton to read (which is true), but because we don't have the skills to know exactly what to look for. Once we get those skills, then we'll know what parts of an assigned case are/are not important and things will speed up.

So, in reference to OP's question, as everyone else has said, don't do it. Just like golf (if you've ever played), it's best to come in with a clean slate and be taught the right way to swing a club (or read a case) instead of trying to learn on your own and developing bad habits. It's just a waste of time. Enjoy what will be your last few months of freedom!

[Mullens]

Yeah don't read any court opinions before law school. Also don't listen to what 0Ls say about reading opinions. Blind leading the blind.

[Squirm]

There was a basic online class (about 1-2 hours of lecture and instruction) that I know several people took that helped them reading cases. It helped them hit the ground running. I don't know if the class is still offered on a online platform but if I can find it I will post a link.

I took the class and the point of it was to approach the case the same way with the same method, and that not all parts of the case are made the same. I had a buddy who graduated at the top 10% at a Ivy League school and said the class was spot on. It really helped me the first year too.

[pancakes3]

there's no gaming the system by trying to get a leg up on your classmates. law school will start. everyone will learn the law by the end of the semester - head start or not. the ones who write the exams better will get better grades. it's as simple as that. a prep class very well could be "spot on" but you won't even know how to make sure you applied it correctly until after the exam.

the curve is real. 0L prep is a lie. that's the bleak reality of it all.

i guess the only thing that could help that not everyone in law school does is pester your prof at office hours in an attempt to get in their heads but few people have the time, persistence, and shamelessness to keep that up for all the profs, all semester long.

[Squirm]

there's no gaming the system by trying to get a leg up on your classmates. law school will start. everyone will learn the law by the end of the semester - head start or not. the ones who write the exams better will get better grades. it's as simple as that. a prep class very well could be "spot on" but you won't even know how to make sure you applied it correctly until after the exam.

the curve is real. 0L prep is a lie. that's the bleak reality of it all.

i guess the only thing that could help that not everyone in law school does is pester your prof at office hours in an attempt to get in their heads but few people have the time, persistence, and shamelessness to keep that up for all the profs, all semester long.

This short class saved me massive amounts of time preparing for class because it showed me how to read a case much quicker and more effectively. There was trial and error but starting slightly ahead really helped. The case reading method was predicated on efficiency. I never took a 0L course but don't think this would fit as whatever those are. Worth every penny of the 20 bucks (or whatever it was) and my buddy from Harvard said the same thing.

[silenttimer]

I recommend Palsgraf v. Long Island RR, available free at: http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/ ... f_lirr.htm

It's a good introduction to a basic tort concept.

[RedGiant]

So I recently just got into a law school and am preparing to go, but I was told that other than reading those pro-tip books to prepare myself, I should also try to read court cases - not just summaries but what the judges actually wrote.

I tried to google for right websites that succinctly shows the court cases for me to read, but that's been a bit difficult. Is there a go-to website that shows all the court cases as written by the judges?

And also, are there books that have good information on the cases? any recommendations?

thank you, this is my first post on this forum, but TLS has helped me tremendously in getting into law school.

Recommend "How to Do Your Best on Law School Exams" by Delaney. It actually breaks things down. He has another book that is also excellent.

[MKC]

I recommend Palsgraf v. Long Island RR, available free at: http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/ ... f_lirr.htm

It's a good introduction to a basic tort concept.

Pennoyer v. Neff

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
























Don't actually read this. Seriously. You will have three years to read more cases than you ever wanted to. Relax. Read Getting to Maybe. Drink beer. And don't do anything you'll have to explain for character and fitness.

[Trippel]

If you really don't value your time, then here's another civ pro case:

Sibbach v. Wilson & Co.

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

Literally the first case I read 1L year... Please pm if you understand it, cuz I'm not sure I ever did.

[kade]

My recommendation is reading books on health and fitness

[mornincounselor]

I couldn't imagine making the choice to attend law school without having read a single case. It just seems so foreign to me. Before I made a decision that would put me six figures in debt (granted your financial situation could be much different), I would want to be pretty damn sure I knew what I was getting myself into.

Have you never had the inclination to walk into a law library and open a reporter, or to read the briefs and listen to a SCOTUS argument, or to find the gavel-to-gavel coverage of a trial, or to work as a paralegal first to make sure the path is a correct one for you? Its probable that I'm the strange one here, but those things were critical for me as I made the decision to set forth on the journey to a JD.

You can find cases: https://www.law.cornell.edu
You can find SCOTUS oral arguments: http://www.oyez.org
You can find archives of televised trials: http://www.wildaboutrial.com

[psu2016]

This is one of the worst ideas, yet.

The cases they make you read for class have been carefully chosen (so you (probably) aren't just going to randomly stumble upon some random, poorly written decision), reviewed for general correctness (judges, especially trial judges, often get things wrong - don't just read an opinion and memorize it like it's necessarily a correct statement of the law), and heavily edited to present you with only the most relevant information.

Dude, just no.

[MKC]

I couldn't imagine making the choice to attend law school without having read a single case. It just seems so foreign to me. Before I made a decision that would put me six figures in debt (granted your financial situation could be much different), I would want to be pretty damn sure I knew what I was getting myself into.

Seems like he already made that decision. Reading cases now isn't going to help him be better at law school, which is what he's shooting for.

[Chris4943]

How about learning how to write? I'm a business major and never wrote more than a couple pages in a bluebook.
Would looking into learning proper grammar and sentance structure be beneficial?
Me not writz good #fml lolz

[EDIT- Not trolling, actual question]

[3pianists]

OP is like

[gazorpazorp]

.