Dear 1L, “Have you started your ‘Outline’ yet?”
Some gunner with a briefcase asked me that during my very first week. I didn’t even know what an “Outline” was.
Here’s what I wish I knew then:
🔷 It’s not the Outline itself that matters. It’s the PROCESS of creating the outline that prepares you.
👉 You must create your Outline.
—DO use supplements and commercial outlines, but do so ONLY to clarify your own thinking and enhance your own outline.
🔷 There is no one “right” or “best” way to outline. There are as many approaches as there are law students.
—You will want to experiment with different approaches to see what works best for you.
You don’t have to abandon what worked for you in school before. Throughout high school, college, and law school, I did the very same thing:
1️⃣ Each weekend, I neatly recopied my daily class notes so I would be able to read and understand them months down the road.
👉 The point was to complete professor sentiments that I had scribbled in abbreviated form, fill in any gaps in my, delete anything repetitive, and create “final notes” that I could study from and eventually memorize.
2️⃣ For each course topic, I consolidated all of my notes from readings and supplements into a single place and made sure they were legible.
3️⃣ Then, to OUTLINE in law school, I simply married 1️⃣ + 2️⃣.
My end-product was the start of a master document organized by topic, rather than by class date.
👉 It ultimately became my “Outline” that I whittled down to study for exams.
I hope the above will be helpful for you.
🗳️ 2Ls, 3Ls & JDs: What outlining approach worked best for you?
Fondly,
💌 Amanda
#Dear1L