Study Skills Materials
Guides
Briefing Cases
Time Management Skills
Stress Management
Succeeding in Law School
The Socratic Method
Forming Effective Study Groups
Outlining (Creating Study Tools)
- Sample Civil Procedure Outline (pdf)
- Sample Civil Procedure Outline 2 (pdf)
- Sample Community Property Outline (pdf)
- Sample Property Chart (pdf)
- Sample Property Chart 2 (pdf)
- Sample Criminal Law Outline (pdf)
Taking Law School Essay Exams
Survival Tips for Taking the Exam
Grades Are Out-Now What?
Dear Law Student,
In the pages that follow, you will find advice on many of the skills you need to develop and refine in order to do well in law school. New pages will be added as the semester progresses.
Some of the topics to be addressed are how and why to form a study group; how and why to brief cases; and how and why to create your own study tools such as course outlines. Advice on preparing for and taking final exams will also be offered. We will be presenting panel discussions on many of these topics throughout the year.
Of course, people learn differently, and approaches that work well for some students are not effective for others. The advice contained in these pages comes from my many years working with top law students here at USD and from reading in the field. I encourage you to experiment and to be willing to try new approaches as you put together a study plan that works for you.
Sincerely,
Janet Madden
Director, Academic Support Program
I especially want to thank USD law Student Tonya Cross for her invaluable assistance preparing these materials. Thanks also to artist Rigel Stuhmiller who created the Academic Support logo.
