There are a number of commercial briefs, outlines, and study aids out there. Most of the time, you don’t want to deviate from anything not keyed to your text, but sometimes the material is layed out so well, you’re compelled to pick up another supplement. Although certainly not exhaustive, today I’ve reviewed three law school study guides on hand.
Law School Study Guides
QuickStudy Legal Reference Chart – This is essentially four sheets of laminated legal outlines/charts. The information comes in three columns with boxes separating different ideas. QuickStudy definitely comes as advertised – a quick reference guide. However, this in no way comes close to anything you can learn a course from. The guide notes as much: “Should not be replied upon as a substitute for more comprehensive law studies!” The price is decent enough, but if you’re looking for an extensive supplement to bolster your studies, you’ll need more. One detractor I had of QuickStudy was it’s slightly difficult to read. The font is small and compacted while the wording is kept curt. Obviously, this must be done to fit such a tremendous amount of information in a short space. Additionally, my eyes immediately move to read from left to right across the entire page, but the divided columns forbid your normal reading instincts. On a positive note, the intimidation factor is a 10. There is only 4 pages of information which gives you the confidence that maybe civil pro isn’t that bad after all. Also, I liked how structured QuickStudy was and how only the most important information was extracted.
In one line: QuickStudy’s strengths and weaknesses come from the same qualities.
Price: $4.95
Grade: B-
Website: BarCharts.com formerly QuickStudy.com (it now forwards)
West Group High Court Case Summaries – There are no better case summaries for your text. The briefs can get lengthy, but the write-ups for each case are amazing. Each case has a sidebar offering quick facts, black letter law of the case, and key terms and definitions. If you aren’t prepared for class, this supplement can save you with just 3-5 minutes although smaller details do fall through occasionally. Law Professors generally have a strong dislike towards commercial briefs, but this study guide can effectively shorten your study time. Certainly, you won’t get the same backdrop for each case. However, High Courts does give you the essentials you will need to take away. The disappointing aspect of High Courts is the chapter outlines. I found these to be ineffective when studying for exams.
In one line: The briefs alone are worth it. Use the outlines as a bonus.
Price: $31.50
Grade: A-
Website: WestHighCourts.com
Emanuel Law Outlines – Buy your text book so you can follow along with the cases. Otherwise, Emanuels has you covered. The booklet is information packed, complete with exam tips, awesome capsule summaries for each chapter, and diagrams/charts. The good and the bad is information overload. The capsules provide a nice, brief outlook but fall short of that perfect midrange between too detailed and too little.
In One Line: Very exhaustive study guide that highlights the black letter law, but not the cases.
Price: $29.95
Grade:B+
Website: AspenPublishers.com/emanuel-law-school-study-aids.htm formerly Emanuel.com (forwards)