PACIFIC McGEORGE SKILLS HOUR SERIES

ProfessorEmilyRandon
DirectorofAcademicSuccess

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&LEGALPRACTICE

Therearetenbasiclegalskillsthateverylawyermustmastertobesuccessful.Notsurprisingly,law
schoolsteachtheseskills.However,lawstudentsareoftensooverwhelmedwiththevolumeand
substanceoftheircourses,especiallyinthefirstyear,thattheydonotrealizetheimportanceoftheten
basicskillstotheirsuccessinlawschoolandlaterintheirlegalpractice.

Thepurposeofthismaterialistoemphasizetheimportanceofthesetenlegalskillsandtohighlightthe
nexusbetweenlawschoolandlegalpractice.

Thetenskillsare:

1.
Criticalthinking
2.
Criticalreading
3.
Criticallistening
4.
Casebriefing
5.
Notetaking
6.
Outlining
7.
Writingskills
8.
Organizingforsuccess
9.
Maintainingbalance
10.
Collaborating&leading

Atfirstyoumaythinkalloftheseskillsareforlawschoolonlyandthistalkofanexusbetweenlaw
schoolcoursesandprivatepracticeispurefantasy.Infact,thetenskillsmentionedaboveareused
virtuallyeverydaybylawyersinalltypesoflegalpractice.

1.CriticalThinking.

Manylawstudentsbelievethatexamwritingisthemostimportantskillneededforsuccessinlaw
school.Beforeyoucanwritelikealawyer,however,youmustbeabletothinklikealawyer.

TherelevantdictionarydefinitionofthewordcriticalisAexercisingorinvolvingcarefuljudgmentor
judiciousevaluation.Inthiscontext,lawstudentsmustlearntoquestionandanalyzewhattheyhear,
whattheysee,whattheyread,whattheyfeel,andwhattheythink.Firstimpressionsareoftenwrong
andfrequentlychangeaftermorethoughtfulanalysis.

ManylawschoolclassesusetheSocraticmethodofquestioningstudentsaboutthecasestheyhave
read.Thisprocessisreferredtoasactivelearning.Thatis,itisdesignedtoengagethestudentsin
analyzingthefactsandlawpresentedinthecaseratherthanhavetheprofessortalkwhilestudentssit
asidlespectators.TheSocraticmethodrequiresthestudentstothinkaboutthefactsandlawandthen
explainwhetheracourtsdecisioniswellreasoned.Itisanexerciseincriticalthinking,asarethe
hypotheticalspresentedbyyourprofessors.Theyaredesignedtostretchyourthinking.Itiscommon
forsomestudentstobelievethattheirprofessorsarehidingtheballwhentheydonotgiveananswer
toeachandeveryhypo;butinreality,theremaynotbeananswer.Hyposaredesignedtoexerciseyour
criticalthinkingskillsastowhatapossibleanswermightbeinthefuture(eitherbeforeanappellate
courtoronafutureexam).

Criticalthinkingoftenincludesdeductivereasoningthatis,reasoningfromageneralruletoaspecific
conclusion.Mostlawschoolexamsrequirestudentstoidentifyissues,statethegenerallegalrulesthat
1

apply,andthenanalyzethefactsinlightoftherulestoformulateconclusions.Applyingageneralrule
toasetoffactsisanexampleofdeductivereasoning.SherlockHolmeswasfamousforusingdeductive
reasoningtosolvemysteries.RememberthecaseofthedogthatdidnotbarkinthestorySilverBlaze?
Acrimetookplaceinthestableswhereadogsleptneartwostableboys.Becausethedogdidnotbark
andwaketheboys,Holmeswasabletodeducethatthedogwasfamiliarwiththemidnightvisitortothe
stables.

Reasoningfromthespecifictothegeneraliscalledinductivereasoning.Lawyersandjudgesoftenuse
inductivereasoningwhentheyanalyzeaseriesofspecificcasestodevelopagenerallegalrule.

Anotherformofcriticalthinkingisreasoningbyanalogy.Thisprocessisbasedontheconceptthat
similarfactsorprinciplesshouldleadtosimilarconclusions.Lawyersoftenlookforanalogiesinother
casesorfieldsoflawtomakeargumentsthatarebeneficialtotheirclients.Forexample,ifanemployer
isnotliablefortheintentionaltortsofheremployees,thenbyanalogy,anemployershouldnotbeliable
forthecriminalconductofheremployees.Theelementofintentissimilarinbothcases,thustheresult
shouldbesimilar.Whenacaseisvirtuallyidenticaltothefactsandlawofyourcase,itissaidtobeon
allfourswithyourcase.

Inthesamevein,lawyerslookfordistinctionsinthefactsorlawwhiletheyarguethatadversecasesdo
notapplytotheirclientscircumstances.Beingabletodistinguishacaseisjustasimportantasmaking
ananalogy.

Inprivatepractice,clientswilloftencometoyouroffice,giveyouahandfulofdocumentsandalong
stringofdisjointedfacts,andaskyouiftheyhaveacase.First,youmustunderstandthefactsas
thoroughlyaspossible.Thenyoumustresearchthelawandthinkthroughhowthefactsandlawrelate.
Onlythenareyouinapositiontoformacompetentconclusionforyourclient.Thesameprocess
appliesinalawschoolexamwhereyouaregivenasetoffactsandaskedtoapplythecorrectlegalrules
toreachconclusions.Inbothcases,criticalthinkingisthekey.

Theonlysignificantdifferencebetweenlegalpracticeandlawschoolexamsisthetimeavailableto
respond.Unlessadeadlineisimminent,younormallyhaveseveraldaysorweeksinlegalpracticeto
gatherthefactsandresearchthelaw.Notsointhetypicalessayexam.Youoftenhaveonlyonehour
toformulateyouranswer.Sowhatgives?Onepracticalreasonforonehourexamsinlawschoolisthat
theCaliforniaBarExamcontainssixonehouressayexamquestions.Thusonepurposeistoprepare
youforthebarexam.Moreimportantly,anotherpurposeistoprepareyoutothinkquickly,aswellas
critically.Lawyersmustbeabletothinkontheirfeetduringtrials,arbitrations,mediations,
negotiations,communicationswithopposingcounsel,andevencommunicationswithyourownclient.

Youknowyouaresucceedinginyourcriticalthinkingskillswhenyoudissectandanalyzeevery
statementorrequestfromyourparents,spouse,orroommates.Washthecar?Oh,youmeanourcar?
Today?Usingourwater?

2.CriticalReading.

Criticalreadingisalogicalextensionofcriticalthinking.Whileyouread,youquestiontheuseofkey
words,phrases,andsentences.Youthinkabouttheorganizationofthematerialandwhetheritis
logicallysequenced.Eventhepunctuationshouldnotescapeyourscrutiny.Justasimportantly,you
shouldthinkaboutwhatisnotsaid.Forexample,Idontdisagreedoesnotnecessarilyequateto,I
agree.Thissoundslaborious,butitbecomessecondnaturewithpractice.Whetheryourealizeitor

not,mostlawstudentsduringtheirfirstsemesterbegintoanalyzeeverythingtheyreadinmuchmore
detailthanincollege.

Lawyersareexpectedtobewordsmiths.Clientsexpectlawyerstobeexpertsincommunicatingboth
orallyandinwriting.Lawyersareexpectedtoknowandexplainthemeaningofwordsinlawssuchas
statutes,ordinances,andregulations,andinlegaldocumentssuchascourtopinions,contracts,deeds,
andwills.Criticalreading,alongwithagooddictionary,advancesyourskillasawordsmith.

Asalawstudentandalawyer,youmustthinkaboutwhycertainlanguagewasused.Whywasa
particularwordchosen?Isitatermofartwithaspecialmeaning?Shouldthecommondictionary
definitionbeapplied?Doesthewordhavelegalsignificance?Forexample,inaContractspracticeexam
thatwasusedinthefallSkillsHourprogramforseveralyears,studentswerepresentedwiththe
followingsentenceandhadtodecidewhetheritconstitutedanoffer:

Cal:Ihavelookedatthecabin.Icantearitdownandremovethedebrisfor$7,000.

Indecidingwhetherthesetwosentencesconstitutedanoffer,studentshadtoanalyzewhetherCal
manifestedanintenttobebound.Oneimportantkeywastheuseofthewordcan.Caldidnotsay,I
willtearitdownclearwordsofpromise.Instead,Calusedthewordcan,whichcommunicates
capability,butnotnecessarilyapromisetoteardownthecabin.Thewordcanwasspecificallyusedin
theexamtospurdiscussionofwhetherCalsufficientlymanifestedintent;yetmanystudents,newtothe
artofcriticalreading,passedrightoverthisissue.

Otherstudentsignoredthefirstsentence,Ihavelookedatthecabin.Thissentencehighlightedthe
factthatHarryandCalhadmetbeforeanddiscussedthecabin,andthenCalinspectedtheproperty.
Aftertheinspection,hemadethephonecalldescribedabove.Tobetterunderstandtheintentbehind
thewordcan,itwasimportanttounderstandthecontext,thatis,Calusedthewordinaphonecall
afterheconductedhisinspection.Thismadethecallsoundverymuchlikeabidoroffer,eventhough
heusedtheambiguouswordcan.

Oftenlawyersinprivatepracticewillarguethatastatuteorcaseappliesordoesnotapplyby
emphasizingthespecificlanguageusedbythestatuteorthecourtopinionandtheintendedmeaningof
thatlanguage.Manycaseshavebeenwonorlostbasedonwhetherastatuteiswordedusingthe
conjunctive(and)ordisjunctive(or).

Finally,lawstudentsmustcriticallyreadthecallofthequestionandthefactsonallexams.Oneofthe
mostcommoncomplaintsfromlawprofessorsandbargradersisthatthestudentorapplicantdidnot
answerthespecificquestionaskedinthecall.Readcriticallyanddonotfallintothattrap.

3.CriticalListening

Justascriticalreadingisimportanttothewrittenword,criticallisteningisimportanttothespoken
word.Peoplecanlistenataratefourtimesfasterthanpeoplecantalk.Yetfewlistenershavetrained
themselvestolistencarefullyandanalytically.Duringclass,noncriticalstudentlistenersbecomelazy
andbored.TheydoodleorsurftheInternet.Whiledoodlingdoesnotnormallybotherotherstudents,
usingalaptopfornonclasspurposesisdistractinganddisrespectfultootherstudentsandthe
professor.Moreover,itindicatesthatyouarenottrainingyourselftobeacriticallistenerbydigesting
andanalyzingeverywordandsentence.

Forinstance,asdefensecounselattheendofalongtrial,askyourselfwhytheDistrictAttorneysaidin
hisclosingargumentthatthepeoplebelievethedefendantcommittedthemurder,ratherthan
simply,Thedefendantcommittedthemurder.Seemslikeaninnocuouspoint.Butisit?Isthe
evidenceweak?Isthereaholeinthecase?Thecleverdefenseattorneywhoislisteningcloselycan
exploittheuseofthewordbelieveandchallengethegovernmentsproof.Shemightarguethatthe
DAdidnotsay,Thepeoplebelievebeyondareasonabledoubtthedefendantcommittedthemurder.
BeliefbeyondareasonabledoubtisthestandardandtheDAsomuchasadmittednosuchbeliefexists
basedonthewordschosenforhisclosingargument.ShemustonlyconvinceonejurorthattheDAs
caseisweaktohangupthejury.QuotingbacktheDAsinartfullanguagemaydoit.

Triallawyerswilltellyouthatlisteningcarefullyattrialissoimportantthattheyhavesystemsfortheir
cocounselsandparalegalstocommunicatewiththemwhenwitnessesaretestifyingoropposing
counselismakinganopeningstatementorclosingargument.Thesystemusuallyinvolveswrittennotes
soasnottodistractthetriallawyerfromhearingandevaluatingeverywordandphrase.Critical
listeningiscrucialtomakingtimelyobjectionsandcounterarguments.

Initially,criticallisteningrequiresseriousconcentration;butlikeotherskills,itbecomeseasierover
time.Trainyourselfineachclasstobeacriticallistener.Testyourselfinyournextclassbytryingto
listentoeachwordandmakinganoteeachtimeyourmindwanders.Youmaybesurprisedhowoften
youarenotlistening.

4.CaseBriefing.

Lawschoolshavebeenusingcasesastheprimaryvehicletoteachlawfordecades.Itmakessense;
courtopinionsdealwithasetofrealworldfacts,discusstheapplicablelawandthecourtsrationalefor
applyingthelawtothefacts,andthenreachaconclusion.MostcourtopinionsareonebigIRAC
exercise(issue,rule,analysis,conclusion)oraseriesofIRACdiscussions.Caselawprovidesan
interestingandinformativecontextforthegeneralrulesoflaw.Canyouimaginenotreadingcases,but
tryingtolearnthelawbyreadingstatutes?TheFederalstatuteshave50differenttitlescovering
thousandsofpages.TheCaliforniaCodehas31differentcategoriesofstatutesalsocoveringthousands
ofpages.Ifstatuteswerethemodeforlearninglaw,ourschoolwouldbenamedThePacificInstitute
fortheBoredandInsane.

Caselawiscriticallyimportanttoalllawyers.Everylargecityhasalegalnewspaperthathighlightsthe
latestcases(SacramentosisTheDailyRecorder).Thesenewspapersarewidelycirculatedthroughout
lawfirms.WestlawandLexisNexisadvertisehowquicklytheypostthelatestcasesandoffercase
notificationservicesbyemail.Lawyersusetheseresourcestostayontopofthecaselaw.

Tomanyfirstyearlawstudents,courtopinionscanbefrustratingattimesbecausestudentsarenewto
theprocessofidentifyingkeyfactsandlaw,aswellasunderstandingthedistinctionsmadeinthe
opinion.Thisiswheregoodcasebriefinghelps.Acasebriefsummarizesthekeyfacts,law,and
holdings.Forlawschoolpurposes,agoodbriefshouldbenomorethanapage,andoftencanbe
shorter.Forallbutthelongestopinionsinatypicalcasebook,afirstyearlawstudentshouldbeableto
readandbriefacaseinabout30minutes.Manystudentssaytheyspendonetotwohoursbriefinga
singlecase,andarethereforestrugglingtokeepupwithdailyclasspreparationandoutlining.The
solutionistobecomemoreefficientatcasebriefing,i.e.,identifyingthekeyfactsandrulesoflawthat
werethebasisforincludingthecaseinthebook.Thewrongsolutionsare:1)stopbriefingcases
altogether;2)relysolelyoncommercialbriefs;and3)relysolelyonbookbriefs.Reallearningoccurs
duringthewrittensummarizationprocess.Donotshortcutthisprocess!!Itisfinetousecolorful
highlightersorbookbriefacaseaslongasyoualsoprepareawrittensummary.

Thereisnosinglerightwaytobriefacase.Findthemethodbestforyou.ManyuseaFIRACmethod:
facts,issue,rule,analysis,andconclusion.InFIRACingthecase,thinkaboutthecaseinthreestages:1)
thefactsthatbroughtthecasetocourt;2)theactionsbythetrialcourtandthemistakesallegedagainst
thetrialcourt;and3)theactiontakenbytheappellatecourtandwhy.

Underfacts,includetheproceduralposturethatbringsthecasebeforetheappellatecourt.The
proceduralpostureoftenwilldictatethestandardofreview.Forexample:

JuryVerdict:Basedonthelawprovidedbythejudge,thejurydecidedthefactsandwhowon.Inorder
toappeal,thelosingpartymustallegeerrorsbythejudge,e.g.,wrongdecisiononamotiontoexclude
evidenceorerroneousinstructionstothejury.Lookfortheseallegationsoferrors.Theywillbethekey
totheappellatecourtsopinion.

MotiontoDismissorDemurrer:Thismotionisusuallymadebyadefendantafterreviewingthe
pleadings.Ifgrantedtothedefendant,thetrialcourtfoundthatevenifallofthefactsinthecomplaint
weretrue,theplaintifflosesanyway.Forexample,theremayhavebeeninsufficientfactstostatea
causeofactionorthestatuteoflimitationshadrun.

MotionforSummaryJudgment:Thismotionisusuallymadeafterreviewingthepleadingsand
conductingsomediscovery.Ifgranted,thetrialcourtfoundnodisputesofmaterialfactsandviewing
theevidenceinthelightmostfavorabletothenonmovingparty,ruledasamatteroflawfora
particularparty.Onappeal,thelosingpartywillnormallyallegemanydisputesofmaterialfacts.

MotionforJudgmentasaMatterofLaw(formerlyMotionforaDirectedVerdict):Thismotionisusually
madeaftertheplaintiffhaspresentedhis/hercase.Ifgrantedonthedefendantsmotion,thetrialcourt
foundthatnoreasonablejurycouldhavefoundagainstthedefendant,sothecourtdecidedthecase
withoutsendingittothejury.Thismotionisoftenmade,butseldomgranted.Notallowingthejuryto
decidethecaseisratherunusual.Itwillbereviewedverycloselyonappeal.

MotionforJudgmentNotwithstandingtheVerdict:Obviouslythismotionismadeafterthejuryhas
rendereditsverdict.Thelosingpartyallegesthatthejurysverdictisagainsttheclearweightofthe
evidence.Inotherwords,thejurycametothewrongdecision.Ifgranted,thetrialcourthas
substituteditsjudgmentinplaceofthejury.Thisisanothermotionthatisoftenmade,butseldom
granted.Itwillalsobereviewedverycloselyonappeal.

Theissuepartofthecasebriefmayneedtoremainopenuntilyouhavereadtheentirecase.Ideally,
youshouldreadthecasethroughbeforebriefing;however,youmaybeabletobriefsectionsofthecase
asyouread,e.g.,thefacts.Ifyoubriefasyouproceedsectionbysection,leavetheissueblankuntilyou
canformulateacorrectstatementoftheissue,whichisusuallyrelatedtothelegalruleforwhichthis
caseisincludedinyourbook.

Therulesummaryisveryimportant.Inmostinstances,thecasebookauthorselectedthecaseforthe
ruleitpropounds.Lookforaclearstatementoftheruleandcopyitverbatiminyourbrief;butalsotry
tosayitinyourownwordstoensurethatyoutrulyunderstandit.

Theanalysisportionofthebriefshouldincludeatightsummaryofthecourtsrationalealongwiththe
keyfacts.Thisisoneofthemostimportantpartsofanopinion,andoftenincludesexamplesofthe
courtusingthecriticalthinkingmethodsdiscussedabove.Payattention,becauseyouwilldothesame
thingonexamsandinpractice.

Theconclusionstatestheholdingofthecaseandactiontakenbytheappellatecourt,e.g.,affirmed,
reversed,orremandedtothetrialcourt.Itshouldanswerthequestionaskedbytheissue.

Studentsshouldhaveawrittenbriefforeachcasetobediscussedinclass.Ifproperlyprepared,the
briefcanbeusedtorecitethefacts,explainthecourtsrationaleandholding,andgivethedispositionof
thecase.Thesearethebasics.(Ifyourprofessorwantsadetailedlistoffacts,eitherincludeinyour
brieforhighlightinyourbookasasupplementtoyourbrief.)Briefshelpensurethatastudentcan
respondeffectivelyinclassifcalleduponbytheprofessor.

Ideally,eachstudentshouldtakefiveminutesaftercompletingthebriefandthinkaboutwhetherthe
courtsopinionwouldchangeifthefactswerechangedjustslightly.Inotherwords,testthecourts
rationalewithyourownhypos.Considerwhyacasewasincludedinthecasebookandthenplaywith
thefactstoseewhetherthecourtsrationaleholdsup.Ifyouareinastudygroup,playingthehypo
gamewiththepastweekscasesandthenextweekscaseswillpaydividendsatexamtime.Alsothink
abouthowthecaseissueswillcomeupthatis,howyouwillrecognizetheissue.Trytoanticipatehow
yourprofessormightframetheissueinanexam.

5.NoteTaking.

Goingtoallclassesisimperative.Ifyoumustmissaclassduetoillnessormedicalappointments,make
arrangementsaheadoftimeforanotherstudenttosharehisorhernotes.

Professorsworklongandhardtoprepareeachdaysclassdiscussion.Classdiscussionsarewindows
intotheirthinking.Mostexamscomefromclassmaterialanddiscussions.Aimtogetfivethingsfrom
eachcasediscussedinclass:1)therulefromthecase;2)thereasoningusedtoarriveattherule;3)the
policybehindtherule;4)keyfactsinthecase;and5)theprofessorsopinionaboutthecaseorrule.

Goodnotetakingwillmakeyourlifeeasier.Onceagainthereisnosinglerightwaytotakenotes,sofind
whatworksforyou.Consideramodifiedcourtreporterstylewithliberaluseofsymbolsand
abbreviations.Trytocaptureallofthekeypoints,arguments,andhyposinsufficientdetailsothatthey
makesenselaterwhenyoureviewyournotes.Whatdoeslatermean?Ifyouaresmart,later
meansthatday.Spendtenminutesafterclassgoingoveryournotes,addingpoints,clarifyingissues,
andlightswillcomeonthatyoudidnotknowexisted.Considerusingadifferentcolorinkwhen
annotatingyournotessoyoucanseewhatyouwroteinclassandwhatyouaddedlater.

Thepurposeofclassnotesistohelpunderstandandrecordthediscussionsabouttheassignedcases.
Thisisanotherinstancewhenyouaresummarizingkeypointsfromtheprofessorandotherstudents.
Again,learningoccursduringthesummarizationprocess.

Obviously,takingnotesdoesnotstopwhenyougraduatefromlawschool.Youstartscribblingnotes
fromthefirstdayaclientwalksintothelastdayofyourpractice.UsingPforplaintiff,Dfor
defendant,Kforcontract,andothercommonsymbols/abbreviationswillhelp.

6.Outlining.

Thisisthebigenchiladaofsummarizing.Hereastudentsummarizesallofher/hiscasebriefsand
classnotesintousableinformationforexams.Theconceptofusableinformationmeansdefinitions,
clearrulesoflaw,andexceptionstotherule.Italsomeanslistingkeycasesintheareawithfactsthat

raiserelevantissues,alongwithasummaryofhyposdiscussedinrelationtoeachcase.Oftenclass
hyposreappearonexams.

Somestudentssaythattheirsemesteroutlinesareover100pageslong.Yikes!Thatistoolong;butfive
pagesistooshort.DeanNaccaratosoutlineswereabout2535handwrittenpages,andProfessorLees
wereabout2025typedpages.Reducingthelargevolumeofmaterialintothissmallnumberofpagesis
hardbutnecessarywork.Itrequiresthatastudentunderstandtheissuesandthelawwellenough
tosummarizeeffectivelyagroupofcasesandclassnotesintoshortstatementsoflaw.Rememberthat
thejobofyouroutlineistogetyoureadytowriteessayexamsandtakemultiplechoicetests.

Letsstandbackforamoment.Whynotuseacommercialoutlinewhereallofthehardworkisalready
done?Thequestionanswersitself:becauseyou,thestudent,didnotdothehardbutnecessarywork
totrulyunderstandthematerialanduseiteffectivelyonanexam.Thereisnothingwrongwithbuying
acommercialoutlineasanotherresourcetohelpyouunderstandthelaw.Justdonotrelyonittothe
exclusionofyourownwrittenoutline.Theyarecalledsupplementsforareason:Theyaremeantto
supplementyourownwork.Thesamegoesforusinganotherstudentsoutline(whichmightcontain
outdatedand/orincorrectinformation).Beware.

Onceyouprepareyour2535pageoutline,reduceitdowntoaonepageattacksheetofkeytopics
thatyoushouldmemorize.Afterreadingandoutliningthefactpattern,thinkbacktoyourattacksheet
toseeifyoumighthavemissedanyissues.Alternatively,assoonasyoureceiveyourexamandbefore
readingthequestion,writedownthekeytopicsonasheetofblankpaper.Thisisaneffectiveanxiety
managementtechnique.

7.WritingSkills.

Forlawschool,thesixlegalskillsdiscussedaboveculminateintakingexamsandpreparingyouforany
statesbarexam.Forlegalpractice,theyculminateinwinningcasesthroughwellwrittenbriefs,
persuasivearguments,andexcellenttrial/arbitrationskills.TheGlobalLawyeringSkillsprogramwill
developyourletterandbriefwritingskills.Ourfocushereisonlawschoolexams.

Lawschoolexamscommonlycomeinthreeforms:1)factpatternessays;2)shortanswer;and3)
multiplechoice.

Essays

Essayexamsarecommoninlawschool,especiallyinrequiredcourses.Therearealsosixonehouressay
questionsontheCaliforniaBarExam.Essayexamsaredifferentfromcollegeexamsinthattheyrequire
issuespotting,rulestatements,andreasoningthroughasetoffactstoreachcertainconclusions.Unlike
college,tellingtheprofessorallyouknowaboutatopicwillnotwork;infact,itwillprobablyharmyour
gradesinceyouwouldlikelybedeviatingfromthespecificcallofthequestion.

MostlawstudentsuseIRACasatooltoorganizetheirthoughtsandanswers.IRACisaveryhelpful
techniqueandisrecommendedformostfactpatternessayexams.Rule#1,however,istoalwaysdo
whatyourprofessorswant.Theyareyourgraders.MostbelieveIRACcanhelpstudentsorganizeand
writeabetteranswer,sotheyeitheradvocateorallowitsuse.(Moreover,IRACisrequiredonthe
CaliforniaBarExam.)

NoticewecategorizedIRACasatool.Thatisallitis.Youmuststillspottheissue,produceaclear,crisp
statementofthelaw,analyzeallofthepertinentfactsinthecontextofthelaw,andstatealikely
conclusion.Notetheimportanceofsavingtheconclusionforaftertheanalysis.Inwritingpersuasive
briefsforGLS,youmaystartwithconclusorythesissentences.Avoidthisinwritingessayexams,which
areobjective,notpersuasive.Statetheissue,givetherule,analyzethefacts,thenofferalikely
conclusion.(Dontwaffleandwrite,Thiscouldgoeitherway.Duh!Thatswhyitsontheexam.)

Manystudentspanicorgoblankwhentheyfirstreadanexamquestion.SometimesIwonderedifI
wasintherightclassroom.Asnotedabove,onetechniquetoovercomethisistowriteoutyourattack
sheetorthekeyheadingsonasheetofscratchpaperbeforeyoueventurntothefirstquestion.This
affirmativeactwillcalmyournervesandensurethatanyblankoutisofshortduration.(Justbesure
towaituntiltheproctordirectsyoutobegin.)

Onceyoubeginreadingthequestion,youmustzoneoutallothermattersnoises,otherstudents,past
andfutureexams,andwhatsfordinnerlater.Gofirsttothecallofthequestionandnotewhatyour
taskisforthequestion.Thenreadthequestionseveraltimespayingparticularattentiontothefacts.
Thefactswilltellyouwhatissuesarepresentandrequireyourcompleteattention.

Youmustunderstandallofthefactsanduse95%ofthefactsinyouranswer.Why95%?Somefacts
merelyadvancethenarrativefactpatternandarenotlegallysignificant.Countupthenumberoffacts
inoneofyourexamsandthencountupthenumberinyouranswer.Ifthereisalargedisparity,you
probablydidnotscorewell.

Afteryoufeelyouunderstandallofthefacts,evenidentifyingthelegallyinsignificantfacts,begin
preparingyouroutlineoftheanswerbylistingtheissuesineitherchronologicalorderorbypartyor
lawsuitasindicatedinthecallofthequestion.Payparticularattentiontodatesandquotedstatements.
Listkeyfactsundereachissue.Nomatterwhat,youmustOUTLINEyouranswerbeforestartingto
write.Itseemscounterintuitive,buttakingthetimetooutlinewillactuallyhelpyouwritemore
efficientlyitwilltakelesstimetowriteabetteranswer!

Next,notehowmanyissuesyouhaveidentifiedandhowmuchtimeexiststodiscusseachissue.Thisis
calledweighting.Thereareusuallyfivetosixmajorissuesinaonehourquestion,soyouwillhave
onlyeighttonineminutesperissueintheapproximately48minutesremaining.Yikes!Whilethiscan
beadauntingprospect,understandingitupfrontmeansyoucandealwithitandpracticeaccordingly.
Timemanagementispartofeffectiveexamwriting.Neverlosepointsbecauseyouranoutoftime.

Foranormalonehourexam,takeapproximatelytentotwelveminutestoreadthequestionseveral
timesandoutlinetheanswer.Becausethereistimepressure,thisrequiresconsiderablediscipline.
Dontjumpthegunbecausethestudentnexttoyoubeginstowritefiveminutesafterreceivingthe
exam.Professorswantashort,wellorganized,wellreasoneddiscussionoftheissuesnotarambling,
unorganizeddiscourseofwhateverjumpsintoyourhead.

Useheadingsandshortparagraphsinexamanswers.Thereisnoneedforlongflowingparagraphsof
prosethatwouldhavedazzledyourcollegeEnglishprofessors;infactthatmightharmyouinlawschool.
Headingsarevital(inlawschoolandonthebarexam)becausetheyhelpyourreadernavigateyour
discussion.Makeyouransweraseasytoreadandfollowaspossible.Remember,yourgraderhasto
getthrough50,100,ormoreanswerstothesamequestioninalimitedperiodoftime.

Thefirstlineofyouranswershouldbeanissueheading.Youdonotneedanintroduction.Thereisno
needforanopeningsentencethatsayssomethinglike,Inordertodecidewhetherthereisacontract

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

Onceyouhaveidentifiedtheissue,youneedtoprovideaclear,accuratestatementofthelaw.Thisis
lessanareafortechniqueorstyle,andmoreanareawhereyouneedtohavetherulesoflaw
memorizedcold.Usethelegallanguageoftherule,asyourprofessorsmaybelookingforkeytermsof
art.

Intheanalysisthatfollows,youshouldcovereachelementinthestatementofthelaw.Announceeach
elementwithasubheading,thenapplyalloftherelevantfactstothatelementandcometoalikely
conclusion.Ifitmakesyoufeelmorecomfortable,youmayuselanguagelike,Onbalance,acourt
wouldprobablyfindthatCalmadeanoffertoHarry.Yourconclusionsshouldflowlogicallyfromyour
analyses.Avoiddisconnectsthatis,ananalysisthatleanstoonesidewhileyourconclusionleansto
theother.

MostexamquestionswillhaveseveralissuesandrequireseveralIRACsections.Occasionally,a
professorwilltestonlyinonemajorareae.g.,medicalmalpracticeorproductsliabilityandonelong
IRACwithseveralsubsectionsintheanalysiswillsuffice.Thenegligencepracticeexamgivenduringthe
fallSkillsHourprogram(involvingGlobalAirlines)isanexamplewhereonemainIRAC,withseveral
miniIRACsinsidethemainanalysissection,isappropriate.

ShortAnswer

Shortanswerquestionsusuallyseektotestyourknowledgeofspecificlegalrules,thereasonssuchrules
exist,ortheirrelationshiptootherrules.Intalkingwithstudents,themostcommonproblemwith
thesequestionsisoverwritingthefirstoneandrunningoutoftimeonthelastfew.Whenyouseea
seriesofshortanswerquestions,mentallycalculatehowmuchtimeyoucanspendoneachone.Itmay
beaslowastwotothreeminutes.TherearenoshortanswerquestionsontheCaliforniaBarExam;
however,shortanswerquestionsarecloselyrelatedtomultiplechoicequestions.

MultipleChoice

Thereare200multiplechoicequestionsontheseconddayoftheCaliforniaBarExam(referredtoasthe
MultistateBarExaminationorMBE).Theycoversixsubjects:ConstitutionalLaw,Contracts,Criminal
Law/Procedure,Evidence,Property,andTorts.Thesequestionsteststudentsknowledgeofprecise
statementsoflaw.Theformatconsistsofacontrollingfactpatternfollowedbyseveralmultiplechoice
answers.Besuretoanswerallquestions;thereisnopenaltyforguessing.

Considerthefollowingstrategy:Onthebarexam,first,glanceatthetopiccoveredintheeachquestion
beforereadingthefactpatternsoyouknowwhatareaoflawisbeingtested.Withoutsuchaglance,
youmaythinkthefactpatternisatortsquestionwheninfactitisallaboutevidence.Inlawschool,you
knowthetopicforyourexams,butyoushouldstillglanceatthecallofthequestiontoorientyourself
tothespecificlegalrule(s)coveredbythequestion.

Second,readthefactpatternverycarefully.Covertheoptionswithyourhandandtrytoanswerthe
questiononyourown.Thenreviewtheoptionsandseeifyouransweristhere.Ifso,thatismostlikely
thebestanswer.

Third,ifyouranswerisnotthereoryoudonotknowtheanswer,thenyoumusttrytoeliminatethe
threeoptionsthataretotallyorpartiallywrong.Indoingthis,youmustunderstandthatthequestion
seeksthebestansweramongthefouroptions.Soifyoubelievethatthreeoptionsaretotallywrong
andoneisonlypartiallywrong,thelatterislikelythebestanswer.

Fourth,donotpyschyourselfoutbyoverreadingtheanswers.Mostprofessorsandcommentators
believethatastudentsfirstinstinctisusuallyright.PacificMcGeorgeprofessorsusuallygiveoneright
answerandthreeincorrectanswers.Findthewronganswersandyouwillacethequestion.

8.OrganizeforSuccess.

Theeighthskillforsuccessinlawandlawpracticeistoorganizeforsuccess.Professorsandclients
expectstudentsandattorneystobehighlyorganizedpeople.Ifyoutendtobedisorganized,youwill
struggleinlegalpracticeunlessyouhireagreatsecretaryorparalegal.Sincestudentstypicallydont
haveassistants,youmustchangeyourhabits.

First,getacalendaranduseit.IliketheweekataglancecalendarsoIcanseeeveryappointmentfor
theweekandplanforeachsessionwellaheadoftime.Putinallofyourclassesandtheexamtimes.
Notetheholidaysandplanhowyouwillstudyduringeach.Planwhenyouwillbeginyouroutlines.Use
twohourincrementsofstudy.Aftertwohoursofstraightstudy,mostofusneedabreak.Useareward
systemforyourrelaxationtimee.g.,ifyoustudyfrom9a.m.to1p.m.,thenyoucanseeamovieor
watchthegameintheafternoon.

Second,putallofyournotesandcasebriefstogetherforeachclass.Useabinderand/orcreateafolder
onyourcomputer.Printpracticeexamsforeachclassinadvance(availableonGoCatintheLibrary)and
keepthemwithyourmaterialsforthatclass.Haveoneplacewhereeverythingislocated.

Third,neverletyourselffallbehind.Thisrequiresdiscipline,whichwedefineasdoingsomethingwhen
youdontwantto.Youcannotwaitfortherightmoodtostudy,butyoucandecidewhenyouaremost
productive(somearemorningpeople;somenightowls)anduseittoyouradvantage.

Fourth,planyourtimesothatyouareneverlatenotforclassandnotforcourt.Beingontime
indicatesprofessionalismandrespectforothers.Recallthiswhenyoureinclinedtocomplainaboutnot
havingenoughtime:1)Eachofushasallthereis;and2)timeisjustamatteroforganization.

9.MaintainBalanceinYourLife.

Organizeyourmentalattitudetofocusontherightpriorities,reducestress,andmaintainbalancein
yourlife.First,forgetabouttheexpectationsofparentsandpeers.Thisisnothighschool.Donotfocus
onmakingthetop10%orlawreview.Ifthathappens,great;ifitdoesnot,thatdoesnotmeanyou
wontbeagoodlawyerorgetagoodjob.

Second,youwillbesomuchhappierandlivewithlessstressifyoufocusontheseprioritiesinlaw
schoolandinyourlegalpractice:1)personalgrowth;2)relationships;and3)doingthebestyoucan
givenyourcircumstances.Ifyouaredoingthebestyoucaninschoolandyourjob,noonecanaskfor
more.

Third,keepdoingwhatsfun!Areyouamoviebuff?Arunner?Apainter?Ayogi?Amusician?While
youmaybetemptedtodevoteeverysparesecondtostudying,donotstopdoingthethingsthatmake

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youyou.Thesearethethingsthatwillkeepyoucentered,focused,andultimatelycontentasyou
tacklethechallengesyoullencounterinlawschool.

10.Collaboration&LeadershipSkills.

Successinlawschoolandinlegalpracticeoftenrequiresthatyoucollaborateandworkasateamwith
others.Inlawschool,youmustworkwithavarietyofprofessors,classmates,administrators,andstaff.
Inlegalpractice,youmustworkwithseniorattorneys,peerattorneys,juniorattorneys,paralegals,
administrativeassistants,andclientsfromallbackgrounds.Sohowwellyouworkwithotherswilloften
beameasureofyoursuccess.Infact,mostemployersaretryingtogaugeteamchemistrywhenthey
interviewyou:howwellwillyoublendinwiththecurrentteammembers.Inadditiontoyouracademic
andjobrecord,theywanttoknowifyouhavepeopleskillsorifyoufallintothecategoryofbeinga
selfcenteredjerkwhoisdifficulttoworkwith.

Insimpleterms,leadershipistheabilitytoinfluenceotherstowardagoal.Itinvolvesmanyoftheskills
taughtinlawschool:beingprepared,spottingissues,gatheringfacts,analyzingfactswithguiding
principles,drawinglogicalconclusions,problemsolving,developingavisionforsuccess,planningahead,
workingwellinteams,andcommunicatingeffectively.

Inshort,socialandemotionalintelligenceskills(peopleskills)arejustasimportantasgrades.Here
aresomeofthemostimportant:

Emotionalselfawareness:recognizinghowyouremotionsaffectyourperformance,
Adaptability:flexibilityinhandlingchange,
Positiveoutlook:maintainingperspective(manypeopleintheworldwouldlovetohavewhat
youperceivetobeyourproblems),
Empathy:understandingtheperspectivesofothers,
Organizationalawareness:readingagroupsrelationshipsandemotionalcurrents,
Conflictmanagement:negotiatingandresolvingconflicts,and
Influence:theabilitytoinspireothers.

Additionally,professionalismisakeycomponentofleadership.Youarenowpartofaprofessional
communityonethatisquitesmallhereinSacramentoandyourdecisionsandactionstodaywill
affecthowyourfutureemployersandcolleaguesseeyou.Youarecreatingyourreputationrightherein
schoolwiththewayyoutalk,thewayyouact,andthewayyoudress.Beforepostingthatphotoonline,
beforedrinkingtoomuchatasocialgathering,beforemakingthatsuggestivejokeordisrespectful
comment(inclassoroutofclass),thinkaboutwhetheryouwanttoberememberedforitbecauseyou
probablywillbe.Instead,buildalegacywhereyouareknownforbeingrespectful,thoughtful,punctual,
andprofessional,bothonandoffcampus.Thesetraitswillhelpyoustandoutfromthecrowdinagood
way.

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