Note-Taking in Law School 101: Case-Based Content

This lesson, intended for incoming and current 1L law students, guides participants through the process of note-taking in law school classes with a focus on case-based information. Using a series of cross-doctrinal audio lecture examples and integrating periodic checks for understanding, students have the opportunity to develop their note-taking skills and practice categorizing the pieces of case-based information. This lesson is equally suitable for full-time, part-time, evening, or remote law students.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Identify and distinguish between core components of a case as both (a) explained by a professor in lecture format and (b) drawn out in professor-student colloquy.
2. Demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions/instinctual choices between being a stenographer in class versus taking notes, listening, and participating in class.
3. Demonstrate consistent and effective methods for capturing on paper the ambiguity in how courts and professors apply law to facts.
4. Recognize class as a part of the larger context of law school; gain comfort with lecture serving as both (a) a series of "episodic" additions to rule-building as well as (b) opportunities to practice speaking and writing in the language of the law.