5 Tips in Dealing with Case Assignments

 Case list

We law students know the drill.  Every waking hour while we are in law school we will always be bombarded with tons of cases. These cases breathe life to all those laws that we read, they make everything come to life in full color to help us appreciate and learn how the law is applied in real life.

The case assignments come in all shapes and lengths.  Like you,  I dread those long cases.  Who could ever forget that plunder case against an ex-President which ran for hundreds of pages.  Did you read it?  Even if seeing how thick it was almost gave me a minor heart attack,  I attempted to read it somehow! Finishing it is another story though.

Fact is, there is simply no substitute to reading the full text of a case.  I know, I post digests of some cases here but that's because I've read the full version.  Here are a few strategies I use when it comes to reading and tackling those gazillions of cases.

1.  My first rule is to always read the full text of cases.  At least make an attempt to do just that.  This is quite a struggle for most people (like me) but there are ways you can improve your reading speed and still understand what the content is all about.  I have written a post before on speed reading please click here or on the link below.

2. If I have no time left,  as it usually happens during those semesters that I work and study,  I would get to my class earlier and ask a friend (who's good at summarizing) to give me a brief about a case.  I would always ask first what's the issue, then the details will just follow.  Knowing the ISSUE will guide you on what to look for and what to ask.

3.  I know you have had those cases that are just cray and hard to understand.  I am talking about those that contain multiple issues.  If it is a long case and it is possible for me to get a rough outline or digest about the issue, then that's when I would resort to a digest just to give me an idea of what it's all about. But still I would, if I could TRY to read (somehow) the full text of that case.

4. On digests,  I use them sparingly and only as a last resort.   I know some people live on digests, some CAN survive on digests and I have nothing to say bad about them.   Based on my own experience,  I always get this nagging voice in my head reminding me that if it is some big, significant or landmark case, then I owe it to myself to at least put an effort to read its full text.  That is the only way for me to really understand how the case progressed and how it was resolved.

5.  Finally, you should be able to recognize which long cases you should read because there are those cases you will encounter that run for pages but actually tackles a really simple issue.  Sometimes you get drowned in the details of the case that you actually get lost and lose time reading it.  Be aware of these kinds of cases.

There was a time when I wished I had a secretary or case reader who can simply digest all my cases for me to save on time (haha, wishful thinking).  After my first year in law school, I learned better. Always strive to read your full texts my dears.

I Don't Have an Option to Fail the Bar Exams

Hi,  everyone!!!  Best of luck to those taking the Philippine Bar Examinations this year.  A little bit of luck will help nudge you but hard work that you put into those earlier years in law school will be the greatest factor to determine if you make the cut or not.  I know. I should know. (Of course, I'm just kidding.)

I haven't been blogging much lately because I am trying (TRYINGGG HARD!) to read more books. Time is gold,  my dear fellow law students.  Another reason for my inactivity is again,  my awful internet connection.  By the way I am rescinding my contract with my internet provider before I suffer a heart attack. Okay, I gotta stay focused on this post, it has to be law school-related, right?

The other day I saw a statistics about the bar takers this year and one of the data indicated that around 500 or so people did not push thru taking the exam on the first week.  It made me wonder what could have made these people forego their seats this year?  There could be a myriad of reasons for any of them but if there is one possible reason in my case, it would only be one word and it starts with letter 'C'. 'C' for camel, because sometimes I just refuse do some things for the sake of not doing it.

Anyways,  I have a few classmates in my review class that are doing it as a refresher and some have taken the bar once or thrice or more.  After learning this bit of information,  I took the time to chat up with some of them.  I could not imagine how tiring it must be to review over and over to retake the bar more than once.   I really intended to get something out of their experiences and I was not disappointed.

One of them let's call her Ms. A, she is a graduate from my Alma Mater and she is also a working student.  I think she might have taken the bar twice or thrice to no avail. So I asked her a lot of questions, like how it was, what she thinks she did wrong or did right, etc.

She told me that taking the bar and then failing it could wreak havoc not only on one's emotional well-being but also on one's finances.  Unless you are on a scholarship or your parents are fully supporting you, you have to contend with the financial burden of the review and everything during those 4 or 5 months in preparation for the bar.  Imagine doing that twice or thrice.  If you have a little bit of savings, it would be wiped out in no time!

That's one of the reasons why I haven't really thought of the possibility of failing.  In my case, failure is not an option. Not that I have a choice,  I DON'T.  I have to fully support myself for this endeavour so I CANNOT fail.  I told myself that if I fail my exam when the time comes, I'd have a 360 degree career change --- become a skydiver,  a writer,  a dancer,  a chef,  makeup artist, fashion designer, cyber expert slash YouTuber, whatever. See, I don't have an option.

For all of us still hoping and waiting for our time to hurdle this exam, it would be not only to marvel at the successes of those who top it or passed it with flying colors,  but also to think about those who have failed it and gain insight why. To my refresher classmates,  just stay positive and fight, fight, fight!

Am I making sense?  I hope so.

Time Flies Fast When You're in Law School

Have you ever had that feeling that time is spinning faster than usual?  I do, these days in particular. This might have been caused by a myriad of factors.  Perhaps I have become more organized and now preoccupied with lists (both daily & yearly) that accomplishing each item as much as I can made time whirl as if on fast forward.

In line with my countdown to projected future phases in my law school life,  I downloaded this application called 'Countdown' (see screengrab above) which literally counts down to the last second of any event you find worth remembering or preparing for.  That is on Blackberry by the way but I am sure you can also download the same app on Android phones.

Based on the application's calculation I realized that I have only a little bit more than 200 days to finish the current school year and double that number of days before the major bar exams next year, oh la la!

These just puts my brain on survival and countdown mode and made me frantic for a few days now.  I would review my list of daily tasks all leading to these two major events and each time feel that I am doing barely enough.  I realized that I need to up the pace if I want to be on track.

How I Make a Study Time Table

Making a time table a year ahead is easy of you are clear about your study goals.  I just think of what I need to accomplish at particular dates in the future and work from there backwards.  What I do on a daily basis is to do something all leading to that study goal.  This is my effective way of eating my 'frog' one chew at a time.  Start mapping out your time table if you intend to take the bar soon.

Since I have a very light load this time,  I intend to advance my readings into those subjects I will get the next semester to make use of the precious time I have.  If I stay on course and follow strictly my task list,  I would finish reading all my materials by 31 October 2015.   This leaves me with about 75 days more to go!  Then after this,  I would give myself a fresh round of 3 months to re-read the material and finish it by 31 January 2016.  Still pushing with the time schedule I have for the following semester I will finish my 3rd reading by 30 April 2016.

Tall order, eh?  It is better to put all these things in perspective as early as now.  Knowing and realizing the urgency will make you study efficiently.  How about you?