Note-Taking in Law School 101: The Basics

This lesson will walk you through things to consider before setting "foot" (physically or virtually!) in a law school doctrinal classroom. You'll learn about how to listen for and capture the most important information, how to maximize your note-taking efficiency by using symbols and shorthand, and the various software options available for taking notes. It is recommended by the author that this lesson be completed before Note-Taking 101: Case-Based Content, which tests your note-taking skills in practice.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Recognize how various note-taking methods can help students capture, organize, and process information from in-class live lectures and asynchronous lesson modules.
2. Experiment with a series of diagnostic questions to identify an individualized preliminary strategy with which to approach note-taking.
3. Evaluate, critique, and adjust their method as they gain more information about themselves as law students.