The Law Lifestyle

As I have mentioned before, I took a year off in between undergrad and law school. I've always had the idea in my mind that most people go straight into law school after they graduate from college, but I've learned that's not the majority. At least in my class, there seems to be a relatively even split between the K-JDs and those who took time off from school before heading back. I don't regret that I took a year off in before starting law school. Of course, not everything was always peachy, but I think it was best for me. Pros of Taking a Gap Year When I was in undergrad, I was involved in a TON. There were leadership positions up the wazoo and normal member duties for my student organizations. Don't get me wrong, memories from those student orgs are some of my favorites from college, but they did take up a lot of my time. Looking back at all my commitments, I never would have had any extra time to devote to studying for the LSAT and working on my law sc

Reading a casebook so you know what you're supposed to be pulling out of a case to understand it can be hard. Opinions excerpts can be long and dry sometimes, and keeping yourself interested can be a challenge, especially if you're not entirely sure what you should be looking for. Today's blog is filled with what I like to focus on when I read my casebooks, and I hope you find them to be useful! Pay attention to the procedural history At the beginning of a case there is usually some procedural history because most opinions in casebooks are appellate opinions. The facts that I like to pull out in general are who sued who and why, as well as who won in the trial court and why. For certain classes, like Contracts, I also pay attention to timelines, which can be essential when you're trying to understand why a court says there's a valid contract or not. Determining what is relevant enough for you to include in your case brief can be tough to figure out when

If you're anything like me, sometimes you get tired of the law building and the law library as your only place to study. However, I've been branching out a bit more to find spaces to visit when I just can't sit in yet another windowless study room. Undergrad Library This might seem odd, but if you're someone who has trouble focusing in a cafe or somewhere else that has a lot of background noise, hitting up another library on campus is super helpful. Before I got wifi at my apartment when I first moved to Denver, I spent a ton of time at DU's undergrad library to work on this blog and my orientation homework. Public Library Similar to what I said above about the undergrad library, you can also venture off campus to get your study on. Sometimes it can get a little loud in the undergrad library (ah, to be young and not have a care in the world), so going to the public library can also be a great idea. Coffee Shops These are my personal favorite places to