If you want to know how to success in law school, you’re in the right place.
I’ve helped many people prepare for and pass the bar.
Thanks to the tips and tactics you’ll discover on this page, studying law will be easy and even fun for you.
Fun?
That’s right. And the best part is that these tips will set the stage for getting a great job at a firm.
Or if you want to go out on your own, you’ll enjoy everything related to setting up a law business on your own too.
So if you’re ready to discover how to pass law school with flying colors, let’s dig in.
The #1 Law School Tip You Need to Hear
Proper preparation.
That’s it. That’s the tip.
If you want to pass the bar with ease, you need to spend some time learning about what exactly you’re getting into.
And you need to prepare to study the law broadly without getting caught up in too many specifics – unless your state requires it.
In other words, what matters above all is the final exam. And like studying for the LSAT, being prepared to think critically, pull important facts from your memory and write in a focused manner is the key.
So with this very important tip in mind, let’s dig deeper into strategies that will help you organize your time, remember what you read and sit for that final exam in a state of relaxation, concentration and confidence.
7 More Law School Tips to Make Studying a Breeze
As we go through these tips, please keep in mind that they’re all important. There is no particular order to follow, but rather you want to put them into action holistically.
One: Personalize Your Course Outline
Outlining involves writing out an overview of the material in your courses. This is different than merely reading a standard outline of law, though doing so can be useful. Since many finals involve an “open book” format that lets you consult your notes, preparing a detailed outline will be very helpful.
There’s all kinds of advice out there regarding how exactly to do this. For example, some people say that you should never type up your course outline. Others will say that you should type it up so you can use the search function.
However, according to a part of memory science called active recall, you will learn faster and remember more when you personalize exactly how you outline. More specific to law studying and your success, this RWA study found that self-regulation promotes greater success.
Some ways to personlize and tailor your outline materials involve:
- Creating your own flash cards
- Modifying Anki decks in strategic ways
- Mind mapping
- Other advanced note-taking tactics
What’s going to matter on the exam is ultimately not your notes, however. It’s your ability to think critically and express your points that you’ll be graded on.
Two: Chunk Down Large Legal Rules
Many legal rules and principles involve multiple moving parts.
It’s of little use to try and memorize everything all at once. Yes, you often have to know all those parts. But when it comes to learning and committing them to memory, use the chunking strategy.
By breaking larger sets of information down into smaller parts in a strategic manor, you help overcome the limits of your short-term memory.
Although it’s counterintuitive, by willing to take things in smaller pieces, you’ll be able to memorize entire paragraphs with greater ease when you need to commit long passages to memory.
Three: Commit Specific Examples To Memory
Although much of law boils down to critical thinking based on specific precedents and procedures, you don’t have to rely on dry legal terminology.
Spice things up by getting into the specific narrative aspects of the case. The more you can dramatize the details, the more memorable both the narrative and the legal specifics will become.
You can go even further by learning how to use the story and linking method. This learning strategy brings even the driest information to life quickly so you can establish knowledge faster.
Now, you might be skeptical that memory techniques will work for the law. But many people use them. Everyone from the jurist Peter of Ravenna during the medieval period to the people who buy my well-received book, How to Learn and Memorize Legal Terminology.
Four: Focus on Exceptions to the Rules
A great way to remember rules is to plan enough time to study any and all exceptions.
This strategy is perfectly rational and logical, but how many people budget enough time for exceptions?
They’re so key for fleshing out your understanding of rules and they establish better memory, so make sure you get as familiar with as many exceptions as possible.
Five: Identify Problems Quickly and Act on Solutions
Unfortunately, many law students notice that they’re having issues, but wait too long to seek solutions.
One of the best law school tips I can give you is to act quickly.
Consult your fellow law students, reach out to a professor or department advisor or a family member.
There are always solutions.
Six: Review Often
Unfortunately, there’s no “magic numbers” when it comes to reviewing your material.
But there are principles. One of the most important is known as spaced repetition.
Basically, you work out a specific review pattern and stick to it. You can explore review software programs, or use older techniques like the Leitner System or Zettelkasten.
The important point is that you don’t have to leave review to chance. You can be specific about it. And that includes being specific about the places you study.
And always remember: when review is strategic, it’s easier to make it automatic. You can even wind up enjoying your review sessions so much, you crave them.
Seven: Start Writing Your Papers Early
When I was a student, I started researching and writing my papers the day they were assigned.
I did this because I could not stand the panicked feeling I got when the deadline neared and I still hadn’t gotten started.
But all it takes is the willingness to start as quickly as possible along with a few appointments on a calendar. When you block out the time needed to finish writing assignments in advance, you’ll show up and get them done.
This simple activity primes your prospective memory and has been proven to help you get more things done in an efficient manner.
Not only that, but you’ll get them done on time, which is the key to establishing and enjoying endurance. Both during law school and beyond.
How to Study Law Effectively & Efficiently
Studying the law is a challenge.
You have to read strategically and there isn’t a whole lot of time to cover vast amounts of material.
But it is possible.
Many have done it before you.
And many successful lawyers used memory techniques to help along the way.
If you’d like to explore them further yourself, get my FREE Memory Improvement Kit:
It will help you apply the most sophisticated approaches to learning that we have.
That way, you can succeed in law school while enjoying much more free time.
And that’s important. Because cramming simply doesn’t work.
Studying when you’re refreshed does, however.
So what do you say?
Are you ready to put these powerful law school tactics into action?
Enjoy!
