ProfessorEmilyRandonDirectorofAcademicSuccess

PACIFIC McGEORGE SKILLS HOUR SERIES

LEGAL SKILLS FOR LAW SCHOOL

& LEGAL PRACTICE

By

Professor Courtney Lee Associate Professor of Lawyering Skills & Director of Academic Success

Professor Tim Naccarato Principal Assistant Dean for Academic & Student Life

University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law

3200 Fifth Avenue Sacramento, CA 95817

LEGALSKILLSFORLAWSCHOOL&LEGALPRACTICETherearetenbasiclegalskillsthateverylawyermustmastertobesuccessful.Notsurprisingly,lawschoolsteachtheseskills.However,lawstudentsareoftensooverwhelmedwiththevolumeandsubstanceoftheircourses,especiallyinthefirstyear,thattheydonotrealizetheimportanceofthetenbasicskillstotheirsuccessinlawschoolandlaterintheirlegalpractice.

Thepurposeofthismaterialistoemphasizetheimportanceofthesetenlegalskillsandtohighlightthenexusbetweenlawschoolandlegalpractice.

Thetenskillsare:

1. Criticalthinking2. Criticalreading3. Criticallistening4. Casebriefing5. Notetaking6. Outlining7. Writingskills8. Organizingforsuccess9. Maintainingbalance10. Collaborating&leading

Atfirstyoumaythinkalloftheseskillsareforlawschoolonlyandthistalkofanexusbetweenlawschoolcoursesandprivatepracticeispurefantasy.Infact,thetenskillsmentionedaboveareusedvirtuallyeverydaybylawyersinalltypesoflegalpractice.1.CriticalThinking.Manylawstudentsbelievethatexamwritingisthemostimportantskillneededforsuccessinlawschool.Beforeyoucanwritelikealawyer,however,youmustbeabletothinklikealawyer.TherelevantdictionarydefinitionofthewordcriticalisAexercisingorinvolvingcarefuljudgmentorjudiciousevaluation.Inthiscontext,lawstudentsmustlearntoquestionandanalyzewhattheyhear,whattheysee,whattheyread,whattheyfeel,andwhattheythink.Firstimpressionsareoftenwrongandfrequentlychangeaftermorethoughtfulanalysis.

ManylawschoolclassesusetheSocraticmethodofquestioningstudentsaboutthecasestheyhaveread.Thisprocessisreferredtoasactivelearning.Thatis,itisdesignedtoengagethestudentsinanalyzingthefactsandlawpresentedinthecaseratherthanhavetheprofessortalkwhilestudentssitasidlespectators.TheSocraticmethodrequiresthestudentstothinkaboutthefactsandlawandthenexplainwhetheracourtsdecisioniswellreasoned.Itisanexerciseincriticalthinking,asarethehypotheticalspresentedbyyourprofessors.Theyaredesignedtostretchyourthinking.Itiscommonforsomestudentstobelievethattheirprofessorsarehidingtheballwhentheydonotgiveananswertoeachandeveryhypo;butinreality,theremaynotbeananswer.Hyposaredesignedtoexerciseyourcriticalthinkingskillsastowhatapossibleanswermightbeinthefuture(eitherbeforeanappellatecourtoronafutureexam).Criticalthinkingoftenincludesdeductivereasoningthatis,reasoningfromageneralruletoaspecificconclusion.Mostlawschoolexamsrequirestudentstoidentifyissues,statethegenerallegalrulesthat

1

apply,andthenanalyzethefactsinlightoftherulestoformulateconclusions.Applyingageneralruletoasetoffactsisanexampleofdeductivereasoning.SherlockHolmeswasfamousforusingdeductivereasoningtosolvemysteries.RememberthecaseofthedogthatdidnotbarkinthestorySilverBlaze?Acrimetookplaceinthestableswhereadogsleptneartwostableboys.Becausethedogdidnotbarkandwaketheboys,Holmeswasabletodeducethatthedogwasfamiliarwiththemidnightvisitortothestables.Reasoningfromthespecifictothegeneraliscalledinductivereasoning.Lawyersandjudgesoftenuseinductivereasoningwhentheyanalyzeaseriesofspecificcasestodevelopagenerallegalrule.Anotherformofcriticalthinkingisreasoningbyanalogy.Thisprocessisbasedontheconceptthatsimilarfactsorprinciplesshouldleadtosimilarconclusions.Lawyersoftenlookforanalogiesinothercasesorfieldsoflawtomakeargumentsthatarebeneficialtotheirclients.Forexample,ifanemployerisnotliablefortheintentionaltortsofheremployees,thenbyanalogy,anemployershouldnotbeliableforthecriminalconductofheremployees.Theelementofintentissimilarinbothcases,thustheresultshouldbesimilar.Whenacaseisvirtuallyidenticaltothefactsandlawofyourcase,itissaidtobeonallfourswithyourcase.Inthesamevein,lawyerslookfordistinctionsinthefactsorlawwhiletheyarguethatadversecasesdonotapplytotheirclientscircumstances.Beingabletodistinguishacaseisjustasimportantasmakingananalogy.Inprivatepractice,clientswilloftencometoyouroffice,giveyouahandfulofdocumentsandalongstringofdisjointedfacts,andaskyouiftheyhaveacase.First,youmustunderstandthefactsasthoroughlyaspossible.Thenyoumustresearchthelawandthinkthroughhowthefactsandlawrelate.Onlythenareyouinapositiontoformacompetentconclusionforyourclient.Thesameprocessappliesinalawschoolexamwhereyouaregivenasetoffactsandaskedtoapplythecorrectlegalrulestoreachconclusions.Inbothcases,criticalthinkingisthekey.

Theonlysignificantdifferencebetweenlegalpracticeandlawschoolexamsisthetimeavailabletorespond.Unlessadeadlineisimminent,younormallyhaveseveraldaysorweeksinlegalpracticetogatherthefactsandresearchthelaw.Notsointhetypicalessayexam.Youoftenhaveonlyonehourtoformulateyouranswer.Sowhatgives?OnepracticalreasonforonehourexamsinlawschoolisthattheCaliforniaBarExamcontainssixonehouressayexamquestions.Thusonepurposeistoprepareyouforthebarexam.Moreimportantly,anotherpurposeistoprepareyoutothinkquickly,aswellascritically.Lawyersmustbeabletothinkontheirfeetduringtrials,arbitrations,mediations,negotiations,communicationswithopposingcounsel,andevencommunicationswithyourownclient.

Youknowyouaresucceedinginyourcriticalthinkingskillswhenyoudissectandanalyzeeverystatementorrequestfromyourparents,spouse,orroommates.Washthecar?Oh,youmeanourcar?Today?Usingourwater?2.CriticalReading.Criticalreadingisalogicalextensionofcriticalthinking.Whileyouread,youquestiontheuseofkeywords,phrases,andsentences.Youthinkabouttheorganizationofthematerialandwhetheritislogicallysequenced.Eventhepunctuationshouldnotescapeyourscrutiny.Justasimportantly,youshouldthinkaboutwhatisnotsaid.Forexample,Idontdisagreedoesnotnecessarilyequateto,Iagree.Thissoundslaborious,butitbecomessecondnaturewithpractice.Whetheryourealizeitor

2

not,mostlawstudentsduringtheirfirstsemesterbegintoanalyzeeverythingtheyreadinmuchmoredetailthanincollege.Lawyersareexpectedtobewordsmiths.Clientsexpectlawyerstobeexpertsincommunicatingbothorallyandinwriting.Lawyersareexpectedtoknowandexplainthemeaningofwordsinlawssuchasstatutes,ordinances,andregulations,andinlegaldocumentssuchascourtopinions,contracts,deeds,andwills.Criticalreading,alongwithagooddictionary,advancesyourskillasawordsmith.Asalawstudentandalawyer,youmustthinkaboutwhycertainlanguagewasused.Whywasaparticularwordchosen?Isitatermofartwithaspecialmeaning?Shouldthecommondictionarydefinitionbeapplied?Doesthewordhavelegalsignificance?Forexample,inaContractspracticeexamthatwasusedinthefallSkillsHourprogramforseveralyears,studentswerepresentedwiththefollowingsentenceandhadtodecidewhetheritconstitutedanoffer:Cal:Ihavelookedatthecabin.Icantearitdownandremovethedebrisfor$7,000.Indecidingwhetherthesetwosentencesconstitutedanoffer,studentshadtoanalyzewhetherCalmanifestedanintenttobebound.Oneimportantkeywastheuseofthewordcan.Caldidnotsay,Iwilltearitdownclearwordsofpromise.Instead,Calusedthewordcan,whichcommunicatescapability,butnotnecessarilyapromisetoteardownthecabin.ThewordcanwasspecificallyusedintheexamtospurdiscussionofwhetherCalsufficientlymanifestedintent;yetmanystudents,newtotheartofcriticalreading,passedrightoverthisissue.Otherstudentsignoredthefirstsentence,Ihavelookedatthecabin.ThissentencehighlightedthefactthatHarryandCalhadmetbeforeanddiscussedthecabin,andthenCalinspectedtheproperty.Aftertheinspection,hemadethephonecalldescribedabove.Tobetterunderstandtheintentbehindthewordcan,itwasimportanttounderstandthecontext,thatis,Calusedthewordinaphonecallafterheconductedhisinspection.Thismadethecallsoundverymuchlikeabidoroffer,eventhoughheusedtheambiguouswordcan.Oftenlawyersinprivatepracticewillarguethatastatuteorcaseappliesordoesnotapplybyemphasizingthespecificlanguageusedbythestatuteorthecourtopinionandtheintendedmeaningofthatlanguage.Manycaseshavebeenwonorlostbasedonwhetherastatuteiswordedusingtheconjunctive(and)ordisjunctive(or).Finally,lawstudentsmustcriticallyreadthecallofthequestionandthefactsonallexams.Oneofthemostcommoncomplaintsfromlawprofessorsandbargradersisthatthestudentorapplicantdidnotanswerthespecificquestionaskedinthecall.Readcriticallyanddonotfallintothattrap.3.CriticalListeningJustascriticalreadingisimportanttothewrittenword,criticallisteningisimportanttothespokenword.Peoplecanlistenataratefourtimesfasterthanpeoplecantalk.Yetfewlistenershavetrainedthemselvestolistencarefullyandanalytically.Duringclass,noncriticalstudentlistenersbecomelazyandbored.TheydoodleorsurftheInternet.Whiledoodlingdoesnotnormallybotherotherstudents,usingalaptopfornonclasspurposesisdistractinganddisrespectfultootherstudentsandtheprofessor.Moreover,itindicatesthatyouarenottrainingyourselftobeacriticallistenerbydigestingandanalyzingeverywordandsentence.

3

Forinstance,asdefensecounselattheendofalongtrial,askyourselfwhytheDistrictAttorneysaidinhisclosingargumentthatthepeoplebelievethedefendantcommittedthemurder,ratherthansimply,Thedefendantcommittedthemurder.Seemslikeaninnocuouspoint.Butisit?Istheevidenceweak?Isthereaholeinthecase?Thecleverdefenseattorneywhoislisteningcloselycanexploittheuseofthewordbelieveandchallengethegovernmentsproof.ShemightarguethattheDAdidnotsay,Thepeoplebelievebeyondareasonabledoubtthedefendantcommittedthemurder.BeliefbeyondareasonabledoubtisthestandardandtheDAsomuchasadmittednosuchbeliefexistsbasedonthewordschosenforhisclosingargument.ShemustonlyconvinceonejurorthattheDAscaseisweaktohangupthejury.QuotingbacktheDAsinartfullanguagemaydoit.Triallawyerswilltellyouthatlisteningcarefullyattrialissoimportantthattheyhavesystemsfortheircocounselsandparalegalstocommunicatewiththemwhenwitnessesaretestifyingoropposingcounselismakinganopeningstatementorclosingargument.Thesystemusuallyinvolveswrittennotessoasnottodistractthetriallawyerfromhearingandevaluatingeverywordandphrase.Criticallisteningiscrucialtomakingtimelyobjectionsandcounterarguments.Initially,criticallisteningrequiresseriousconcentration;butlikeotherskills,itbecomeseasierovertime.Trainyourselfineachclasstobeacriticallistener.Testyourselfinyournextclassbytryingtolistentoeachwordandmakinganoteeachtimeyourmindwanders.Youmaybesurprisedhowoftenyouarenotlistening.4.CaseBriefing.Lawschoolshavebeenusingcasesastheprimaryvehicletoteachlawfordecades.Itmakessense;courtopinionsdealwithasetofrealworldfacts,discusstheapplicablelawandthecourtsrationaleforapplyingthelawtothefacts,andthenreachaconclusion.MostcourtopinionsareonebigIRACexercise(issue,rule,analysis,conclusion)oraseriesofIRACdiscussions.Caselawprovidesaninterestingandinformativecontextforthegeneralrulesoflaw.Canyouimaginenotreadingcases,buttryingtolearnthelawbyreadingstatutes?TheFederalstatuteshave50differenttitlescoveringthousandsofpages.TheCaliforniaCodehas31differentcategoriesofstatutesalsocoveringthousandsofpages.Ifstatuteswerethemodeforlearninglaw,ourschoolwouldbenamedThePacificInstitutefortheBoredandInsane.Caselawiscriticallyimportanttoalllawyers.Everylargecityhasalegalnewspaperthathighlightsthelatestcases(SacramentosisTheDailyRecorder).Thesenewspapersarewidelycirculatedthroughoutlawfirms.WestlawandLexisNexisadvertisehowquicklytheypostthelatestcasesandoffercasenotificationservicesbyemail.Lawyersusetheseresourcestostayontopofthecaselaw.Tomanyfirstyearlawstudents,courtopinionscanbefrustratingattimesbecausestudentsarenewtotheprocessofidentifyingkeyfactsandlaw,aswellasunderstandingthedistinctionsmadeintheopinion.Thisiswheregoodcasebriefinghelps.Acasebriefsummarizesthekeyfacts,law,andholdings.Forlawschoolpurposes,agoodbriefshouldbenomorethanapage,andoftencanbeshorter.Forallbutthelongestopinionsinatypicalcasebook,afirstyearlawstudentshouldbeabletoreadandbriefacaseinabout30minutes.Manystudentssaytheyspendonetotwohoursbriefingasinglecase,andarethereforestrugglingtokeepupwithdailyclasspreparationandoutlining.Thesolutionistobecomemoreefficientatcasebriefing,i.e.,identifyingthekeyfactsandrulesoflawthatwerethebasisforincludingthecaseinthebook.Thewrongsolutionsare:1)stopbriefingcasesaltogether;2)relysolelyoncommercialbriefs;and3)relysolelyonbookbriefs.Reallearningoccursduringthewrittensummarizationprocess.Donotshortcutthisprocess!!Itisfinetousecolorfulhighlightersorbookbriefacaseaslongasyoualsoprepareawrittensummary.

4

Thereisnosinglerightwaytobriefacase.Findthemethodbestforyou.ManyuseaFIRACmethod:facts,issue,rule,analysis,andconclusion.InFIRACingthecase,thinkaboutthecaseinthreestages:1)thefactsthatbroughtthecasetocourt;2)theactionsbythetrialcourtandthemistakesallegedagainstthetrialcourt;and3)theactiontakenbytheappellatecourtandwhy.Underfacts,includetheproceduralposturethatbringsthecasebeforetheappellatecourt.Theproceduralpostureoftenwilldictatethestandardofreview.Forexample:JuryVerdict:Basedonthelawprovidedbythejudge,thejurydecidedthefactsandwhowon.Inordertoappeal,thelosingpartymustallegeerrorsbythejudge,e.g.,wrongdecisiononamotiontoexcludeevidenceorerroneousinstructionstothejury.Lookfortheseallegationsoferrors.Theywillbethekeytotheappellatecourtsopinion.MotiontoDismissorDemurrer:Thismotionisusuallymadebyadefendantafterreviewingthepleadings.Ifgrantedtothedefendant,thetrialcourtfoundthatevenifallofthefactsinthecomplaintweretrue,theplaintifflosesanyway.Forexample,theremayhavebeeninsufficientfactstostateacauseofactionorthestatuteoflimitationshadrun.MotionforSummaryJudgment:Thismotionisusuallymadeafterreviewingthepleadingsandconductingsomediscovery.Ifgranted,thetrialcourtfoundnodisputesofmaterialfactsandviewingtheevidenceinthelightmostfavorabletothenonmovingparty,ruledasamatteroflawforaparticularparty.Onappeal,thelosingpartywillnormallyallegemanydisputesofmaterialfacts.MotionforJudgmentasaMatterofLaw(formerlyMotionforaDirectedVerdict):Thismotionisusuallymadeaftertheplaintiffhaspresentedhis/hercase.Ifgrantedonthedefendantsmotion,thetrialcourtfoundthatnoreasonablejurycouldhavefoundagainstthedefendant,sothecourtdecidedthecasewithoutsendingittothejury.Thismotionisoftenmade,butseldomgranted.Notallowingthejurytodecidethecaseisratherunusual.Itwillbereviewedverycloselyonappeal.MotionforJudgmentNotwithstandingtheVerdict:Obviouslythismotionismadeafterthejuryhasrendereditsverdict.Thelosingpartyallegesthatthejurysverdictisagainsttheclearweightoftheevidence.Inotherwords,thejurycametothewrongdecision.Ifgranted,thetrialcourthassubstituteditsjudgmentinplaceofthejury.Thisisanothermotionthatisoftenmade,butseldomgranted.Itwillalsobereviewedverycloselyonappeal.Theissuepartofthecasebriefmayneedtoremainopenuntilyouhavereadtheentirecase.Ideally,youshouldreadthecasethroughbeforebriefing;however,youmaybeabletobriefsectionsofthecaseasyouread,e.g.,thefacts.Ifyoubriefasyouproceedsectionbysection,leavetheissueblankuntilyoucanformulateacorrectstatementoftheissue,whichisusuallyrelatedtothelegalruleforwhichthiscaseisincludedinyourbook.Therulesummaryisveryimportant.Inmostinstances,thecasebookauthorselectedthecasefortheruleitpropounds.Lookforaclearstatementoftheruleandcopyitverbatiminyourbrief;butalsotrytosayitinyourownwordstoensurethatyoutrulyunderstandit.Theanalysisportionofthebriefshouldincludeatightsummaryofthecourtsrationalealongwiththekeyfacts.Thisisoneofthemostimportantpartsofanopinion,andoftenincludesexamplesofthecourtusingthecriticalthinkingmethodsdiscussedabove.Payattention,becauseyouwilldothesamethingonexamsandinpractice.

5

Theconclusionstatestheholdingofthecaseandactiontakenbytheappellatecourt,e.g.,affirmed,reversed,orremandedtothetrialcourt.Itshouldanswerthequestionaskedbytheissue.Studentsshouldhaveawrittenbriefforeachcasetobediscussedinclass.Ifproperlyprepared,thebriefcanbeusedtorecitethefacts,explainthecourtsrationaleandholding,andgivethedispositionofthecase.Thesearethebasics.(Ifyourprofessorwantsadetailedlistoffacts,eitherincludeinyourbrieforhighlightinyourbookasasupplementtoyourbrief.)Briefshelpensurethatastudentcanrespondeffectivelyinclassifcalleduponbytheprofessor.Ideally,eachstudentshouldtakefiveminutesaftercompletingthebriefandthinkaboutwhetherthecourtsopinionwouldchangeifthefactswerechangedjustslightly.Inotherwords,testthecourtsrationalewithyourownhypos.Considerwhyacasewasincludedinthecasebookandthenplaywiththefactstoseewhetherthecourtsrationaleholdsup.Ifyouareinastudygroup,playingthehypogamewiththepastweekscasesandthenextweekscaseswillpaydividendsatexamtime.Alsothinkabouthowthecaseissueswillcomeupthatis,howyouwillrecognizetheissue.Trytoanticipatehowyourprofessormightframetheissueinanexam.5.NoteTaking.Goingtoallclassesisimperative.Ifyoumustmissaclassduetoillnessormedicalappointments,makearrangementsaheadoftimeforanotherstudenttosharehisorhernotes.Professorsworklongandhardtoprepareeachdaysclassdiscussion.Classdiscussionsarewindowsintotheirthinking.Mostexamscomefromclassmaterialanddiscussions.Aimtogetfivethingsfromeachcasediscussedinclass:1)therulefromthecase;2)thereasoningusedtoarriveattherule;3)thepolicybehindtherule;4)keyfactsinthecase;and5)theprofessorsopinionaboutthecaseorrule.Goodnotetakingwillmakeyourlifeeasier.Onceagainthereisnosinglerightwaytotakenotes,sofindwhatworksforyou.Consideramodifiedcourtreporterstylewithliberaluseofsymbolsandabbreviations.Trytocaptureallofthekeypoints,arguments,andhyposinsufficientdetailsothattheymakesenselaterwhenyoureviewyournotes.Whatdoeslatermean?Ifyouaresmart,latermeansthatday.Spendtenminutesafterclassgoingoveryournotes,addingpoints,clarifyingissues,andlightswillcomeonthatyoudidnotknowexisted.Considerusingadifferentcolorinkwhenannotatingyournotessoyoucanseewhatyouwroteinclassandwhatyouaddedlater.Thepurposeofclassnotesistohelpunderstandandrecordthediscussionsabouttheassignedcases.Thisisanotherinstancewhenyouaresummarizingkeypointsfromtheprofessorandotherstudents.Again,learningoccursduringthesummarizationprocess.Obviously,takingnotesdoesnotstopwhenyougraduatefromlawschool.Youstartscribblingnotesfromthefirstdayaclientwalksintothelastdayofyourpractice.UsingPforplaintiff,Dfordefendant,Kforcontract,andothercommonsymbols/abbreviationswillhelp.6.Outlining.Thisisthebigenchiladaofsummarizing.Hereastudentsummarizesallofher/hiscasebriefsandclassnotesintousableinformationforexams.Theconceptofusableinformationmeansdefinitions,clearrulesoflaw,andexceptionstotherule.Italsomeanslistingkeycasesintheareawithfactsthat

6

raiserelevantissues,alongwithasummaryofhyposdiscussedinrelationtoeachcase.Oftenclasshyposreappearonexams.Somestudentssaythattheirsemesteroutlinesareover100pageslong.Yikes!Thatistoolong;butfivepagesistooshort.DeanNaccaratosoutlineswereabout2535handwrittenpages,andProfessorLeeswereabout2025typedpages.Reducingthelargevolumeofmaterialintothissmallnumberofpagesishardbutnecessarywork.Itrequiresthatastudentunderstandtheissuesandthelawwellenoughtosummarizeeffectivelyagroupofcasesandclassnotesintoshortstatementsoflaw.Rememberthatthejobofyouroutlineistogetyoureadytowriteessayexamsandtakemultiplechoicetests.Letsstandbackforamoment.Whynotuseacommercialoutlinewhereallofthehardworkisalreadydone?Thequestionanswersitself:becauseyou,thestudent,didnotdothehardbutnecessaryworktotrulyunderstandthematerialanduseiteffectivelyonanexam.Thereisnothingwrongwithbuyingacommercialoutlineasanotherresourcetohelpyouunderstandthelaw.Justdonotrelyonittotheexclusionofyourownwrittenoutline.Theyarecalledsupplementsforareason:Theyaremeanttosupplementyourownwork.Thesamegoesforusinganotherstudentsoutline(whichmightcontainoutdatedand/orincorrectinformation).Beware.Onceyouprepareyour2535pageoutline,reduceitdowntoaonepageattacksheetofkeytopicsthatyoushouldmemorize.Afterreadingandoutliningthefactpattern,thinkbacktoyourattacksheettoseeifyoumighthavemissedanyissues.Alternatively,assoonasyoureceiveyourexamandbeforereadingthequestion,writedownthekeytopicsonasheetofblankpaper.Thisisaneffectiveanxietymanagementtechnique.7.WritingSkills.

Forlawschool,thesixlegalskillsdiscussedaboveculminateintakingexamsandpreparingyouforanystatesbarexam.Forlegalpractice,theyculminateinwinningcasesthroughwellwrittenbriefs,persuasivearguments,andexcellenttrial/arbitrationskills.TheGlobalLawyeringSkillsprogramwilldevelopyourletterandbriefwritingskills.Ourfocushereisonlawschoolexams.Lawschoolexamscommonlycomeinthreeforms:1)factpatternessays;2)shortanswer;and3)multiplechoice.

EssaysEssayexamsarecommoninlawschool,especiallyinrequiredcourses.TherearealsosixonehouressayquestionsontheCaliforniaBarExam.Essayexamsaredifferentfromcollegeexamsinthattheyrequireissuespotting,rulestatements,andreasoningthroughasetoffactstoreachcertainconclusions.Unlikecollege,tellingtheprofessorallyouknowaboutatopicwillnotwork;infact,itwillprobablyharmyourgradesinceyouwouldlikelybedeviatingfromthespecificcallofthequestion.MostlawstudentsuseIRACasatooltoorganizetheirthoughtsandanswers.IRACisaveryhelpfultechniqueandisrecommendedformostfactpatternessayexams.Rule#1,however,istoalwaysdowhatyourprofessorswant.Theyareyourgraders.MostbelieveIRACcanhelpstudentsorganizeandwriteabetteranswer,sotheyeitheradvocateorallowitsuse.(Moreover,IRACisrequiredontheCaliforniaBarExam.)

7

NoticewecategorizedIRACasatool.Thatisallitis.Youmuststillspottheissue,produceaclear,crispstatementofthelaw,analyzeallofthepertinentfactsinthecontextofthelaw,andstatealikelyconclusion.Notetheimportanceofsavingtheconclusionforaftertheanalysis.InwritingpersuasivebriefsforGLS,youmaystartwithconclusorythesissentences.Avoidthisinwritingessayexams,whichareobjective,notpersuasive.Statetheissue,givetherule,analyzethefacts,thenofferalikelyconclusion.(Dontwaffleandwrite,Thiscouldgoeitherway.Duh!Thatswhyitsontheexam.)Manystudentspanicorgoblankwhentheyfirstreadanexamquestion.SometimesIwonderedifIwasintherightclassroom.Asnotedabove,onetechniquetoovercomethisistowriteoutyourattacksheetorthekeyheadingsonasheetofscratchpaperbeforeyoueventurntothefirstquestion.Thisaffirmativeactwillcalmyournervesandensurethatanyblankoutisofshortduration.(Justbesuretowaituntiltheproctordirectsyoutobegin.)Onceyoubeginreadingthequestion,youmustzoneoutallothermattersnoises,otherstudents,pastandfutureexams,andwhatsfordinnerlater.Gofirsttothecallofthequestionandnotewhatyourtaskisforthequestion.Thenreadthequestionseveraltimespayingparticularattentiontothefacts.Thefactswilltellyouwhatissuesarepresentandrequireyourcompleteattention.Youmustunderstandallofthefactsanduse95%ofthefactsinyouranswer.Why95%?Somefactsmerelyadvancethenarrativefactpatternandarenotlegallysignificant.Countupthenumberoffactsinoneofyourexamsandthencountupthenumberinyouranswer.Ifthereisalargedisparity,youprobablydidnotscorewell.Afteryoufeelyouunderstandallofthefacts,evenidentifyingthelegallyinsignificantfacts,beginpreparingyouroutlineoftheanswerbylistingtheissuesineitherchronologicalorderorbypartyorlawsuitasindicatedinthecallofthequestion.Payparticularattentiontodatesandquotedstatements.Listkeyfactsundereachissue.Nomatterwhat,youmustOUTLINEyouranswerbeforestartingtowrite.Itseemscounterintuitive,buttakingthetimetooutlinewillactuallyhelpyouwritemoreefficientlyitwilltakelesstimetowriteabetteranswer!Next,notehowmanyissuesyouhaveidentifiedandhowmuchtimeexiststodiscusseachissue.Thisiscalledweighting.Thereareusuallyfivetosixmajorissuesinaonehourquestion,soyouwillhaveonlyeighttonineminutesperissueintheapproximately48minutesremaining.Yikes!Whilethiscanbeadauntingprospect,understandingitupfrontmeansyoucandealwithitandpracticeaccordingly.Timemanagementispartofeffectiveexamwriting.Neverlosepointsbecauseyouranoutoftime.Foranormalonehourexam,takeapproximatelytentotwelveminutestoreadthequestionseveraltimesandoutlinetheanswer.Becausethereistimepressure,thisrequiresconsiderablediscipline.Dontjumpthegunbecausethestudentnexttoyoubeginstowritefiveminutesafterreceivingtheexam.Professorswantashort,wellorganized,wellreasoneddiscussionoftheissuesnotarambling,unorganizeddiscourseofwhateverjumpsintoyourhead.Useheadingsandshortparagraphsinexamanswers.ThereisnoneedforlongflowingparagraphsofprosethatwouldhavedazzledyourcollegeEnglishprofessors;infactthatmightharmyouinlawschool.Headingsarevital(inlawschoolandonthebarexam)becausetheyhelpyourreadernavigateyourdiscussion.Makeyouransweraseasytoreadandfollowaspossible.Remember,yourgraderhastogetthrough50,100,ormoreanswerstothesamequestioninalimitedperiodoftime.Thefirstlineofyouranswershouldbeanissueheading.Youdonotneedanintroduction.Thereisnoneedforanopeningsentencethatsayssomethinglike,Inordertodecidewhetherthereisacontract

8

betweenHarryandCal,onemustdiscusswhethertherehasbeenanoffer,acceptance,consideration,andwhetherarevocationoccurred.Suchanintroductiongetsyounopointsandwastesvaluabletime.Remember:eighttonineminutesperissue!

Onceyouhaveidentifiedtheissue,youneedtoprovideaclear,accuratestatementofthelaw.Thisislessanareafortechniqueorstyle,andmoreanareawhereyouneedtohavetherulesoflawmemorizedcold.Usethelegallanguageoftherule,asyourprofessorsmaybelookingforkeytermsofart.Intheanalysisthatfollows,youshouldcovereachelementinthestatementofthelaw.Announceeachelementwithasubheading,thenapplyalloftherelevantfactstothatelementandcometoalikelyconclusion.Ifitmakesyoufeelmorecomfortable,youmayuselanguagelike,Onbalance,acourtwouldprobablyfindthatCalmadeanoffertoHarry.Yourconclusionsshouldflowlogicallyfromyouranalyses.Avoiddisconnectsthatis,ananalysisthatleanstoonesidewhileyourconclusionleanstotheother.MostexamquestionswillhaveseveralissuesandrequireseveralIRACsections.Occasionally,aprofessorwilltestonlyinonemajorareae.g.,medicalmalpracticeorproductsliabilityandonelongIRACwithseveralsubsectionsintheanalysiswillsuffice.ThenegligencepracticeexamgivenduringthefallSkillsHourprogram(involvingGlobalAirlines)isanexamplewhereonemainIRAC,withseveralminiIRACsinsidethemainanalysissection,isappropriate.

ShortAnswer

Shortanswerquestionsusuallyseektotestyourknowledgeofspecificlegalrules,thereasonssuchrulesexist,ortheirrelationshiptootherrules.Intalkingwithstudents,themostcommonproblemwiththesequestionsisoverwritingthefirstoneandrunningoutoftimeonthelastfew.Whenyouseeaseriesofshortanswerquestions,mentallycalculatehowmuchtimeyoucanspendoneachone.Itmaybeaslowastwotothreeminutes.TherearenoshortanswerquestionsontheCaliforniaBarExam;however,shortanswerquestionsarecloselyrelatedtomultiplechoicequestions.

MultipleChoiceThereare200multiplechoicequestionsontheseconddayoftheCaliforniaBarExam(referredtoastheMultistateBarExaminationorMBE).Theycoversixsubjects:ConstitutionalLaw,Contracts,CriminalLaw/Procedure,Evidence,Property,andTorts.Thesequestionsteststudentsknowledgeofprecisestatementsoflaw.Theformatconsistsofacontrollingfactpatternfollowedbyseveralmultiplechoiceanswers.Besuretoanswerallquestions;thereisnopenaltyforguessing.Considerthefollowingstrategy:Onthebarexam,first,glanceatthetopiccoveredintheeachquestionbeforereadingthefactpatternsoyouknowwhatareaoflawisbeingtested.Withoutsuchaglance,youmaythinkthefactpatternisatortsquestionwheninfactitisallaboutevidence.Inlawschool,youknowthetopicforyourexams,butyoushouldstillglanceatthecallofthequestiontoorientyourselftothespecificlegalrule(s)coveredbythequestion.Second,readthefactpatternverycarefully.Covertheoptionswithyourhandandtrytoanswerthequestiononyourown.Thenreviewtheoptionsandseeifyouransweristhere.Ifso,thatismostlikelythebestanswer.

9

Third,ifyouranswerisnotthereoryoudonotknowtheanswer,thenyoumusttrytoeliminatethethreeoptionsthataretotallyorpartiallywrong.Indoingthis,youmustunderstandthatthequestionseeksthebestansweramongthefouroptions.Soifyoubelievethatthreeoptionsaretotallywrongandoneisonlypartiallywrong,thelatterislikelythebestanswer.

Fourth,donotpyschyourselfoutbyoverreadingtheanswers.Mostprofessorsandcommentatorsbelievethatastudentsfirstinstinctisusuallyright.PacificMcGeorgeprofessorsusuallygiveonerightanswerandthreeincorrectanswers.Findthewronganswersandyouwillacethequestion.8.OrganizeforSuccess.Theeighthskillforsuccessinlawandlawpracticeistoorganizeforsuccess.Professorsandclientsexpectstudentsandattorneystobehighlyorganizedpeople.Ifyoutendtobedisorganized,youwillstruggleinlegalpracticeunlessyouhireagreatsecretaryorparalegal.Sincestudentstypicallydonthaveassistants,youmustchangeyourhabits.First,getacalendaranduseit.IliketheweekataglancecalendarsoIcanseeeveryappointmentfortheweekandplanforeachsessionwellaheadoftime.Putinallofyourclassesandtheexamtimes.Notetheholidaysandplanhowyouwillstudyduringeach.Planwhenyouwillbeginyouroutlines.Usetwohourincrementsofstudy.Aftertwohoursofstraightstudy,mostofusneedabreak.Usearewardsystemforyourrelaxationtimee.g.,ifyoustudyfrom9a.m.to1p.m.,thenyoucanseeamovieorwatchthegameintheafternoon.Second,putallofyournotesandcasebriefstogetherforeachclass.Useabinderand/orcreateafolderonyourcomputer.Printpracticeexamsforeachclassinadvance(availableonGoCatintheLibrary)andkeepthemwithyourmaterialsforthatclass.Haveoneplacewhereeverythingislocated.Third,neverletyourselffallbehind.Thisrequiresdiscipline,whichwedefineasdoingsomethingwhenyoudontwantto.Youcannotwaitfortherightmoodtostudy,butyoucandecidewhenyouaremostproductive(somearemorningpeople;somenightowls)anduseittoyouradvantage.Fourth,planyourtimesothatyouareneverlatenotforclassandnotforcourt.Beingontimeindicatesprofessionalismandrespectforothers.Recallthiswhenyoureinclinedtocomplainaboutnothavingenoughtime:1)Eachofushasallthereis;and2)timeisjustamatteroforganization.

9.MaintainBalanceinYourLife.Organizeyourmentalattitudetofocusontherightpriorities,reducestress,andmaintainbalanceinyourlife.First,forgetabouttheexpectationsofparentsandpeers.Thisisnothighschool.Donotfocusonmakingthetop10%orlawreview.Ifthathappens,great;ifitdoesnot,thatdoesnotmeanyouwontbeagoodlawyerorgetagoodjob.Second,youwillbesomuchhappierandlivewithlessstressifyoufocusontheseprioritiesinlawschoolandinyourlegalpractice:1)personalgrowth;2)relationships;and3)doingthebestyoucangivenyourcircumstances.Ifyouaredoingthebestyoucaninschoolandyourjob,noonecanaskformore.Third,keepdoingwhatsfun!Areyouamoviebuff?Arunner?Apainter?Ayogi?Amusician?Whileyoumaybetemptedtodevoteeverysparesecondtostudying,donotstopdoingthethingsthatmake

10

11

youyou.Thesearethethingsthatwillkeepyoucentered,focused,andultimatelycontentasyoutacklethechallengesyoullencounterinlawschool.10.Collaboration&LeadershipSkills.

Successinlawschoolandinlegalpracticeoftenrequiresthatyoucollaborateandworkasateamwithothers.Inlawschool,youmustworkwithavarietyofprofessors,classmates,administrators,andstaff.Inlegalpractice,youmustworkwithseniorattorneys,peerattorneys,juniorattorneys,paralegals,administrativeassistants,andclientsfromallbackgrounds.Sohowwellyouworkwithotherswilloftenbeameasureofyoursuccess.Infact,mostemployersaretryingtogaugeteamchemistrywhentheyinterviewyou:howwellwillyoublendinwiththecurrentteammembers.Inadditiontoyouracademicandjobrecord,theywanttoknowifyouhavepeopleskillsorifyoufallintothecategoryofbeingaselfcenteredjerkwhoisdifficulttoworkwith.

Insimpleterms,leadershipistheabilitytoinfluenceotherstowardagoal.Itinvolvesmanyoftheskillstaughtinlawschool:beingprepared,spottingissues,gatheringfacts,analyzingfactswithguidingprinciples,drawinglogicalconclusions,problemsolving,developingavisionforsuccess,planningahead,workingwellinteams,andcommunicatingeffectively.Inshort,socialandemotionalintelligenceskills(peopleskills)arejustasimportantasgrades.Herearesomeofthemostimportant:

Emotionalselfawareness:recognizinghowyouremotionsaffectyourperformance, Adaptability:flexibilityinhandlingchange, Positiveoutlook:maintainingperspective(manypeopleintheworldwouldlovetohavewhat

youperceivetobeyourproblems), Empathy:understandingtheperspectivesofothers, Organizationalawareness:readingagroupsrelationshipsandemotionalcurrents, Conflictmanagement:negotiatingandresolvingconflicts,and Influence:theabilitytoinspireothers.

Additionally,professionalismisakeycomponentofleadership.YouarenowpartofaprofessionalcommunityonethatisquitesmallhereinSacramentoandyourdecisionsandactionstodaywillaffecthowyourfutureemployersandcolleaguesseeyou.Youarecreatingyourreputationrighthereinschoolwiththewayyoutalk,thewayyouact,andthewayyoudress.Beforepostingthatphotoonline,beforedrinkingtoomuchatasocialgathering,beforemakingthatsuggestivejokeordisrespectfulcomment(inclassoroutofclass),thinkaboutwhetheryouwanttoberememberedforitbecauseyouprobablywillbe.Instead,buildalegacywhereyouareknownforbeingrespectful,thoughtful,punctual,andprofessional,bothonandoffcampus.Thesetraitswillhelpyoustandoutfromthecrowdinagoodway.