Welcome to the ASP Outlining Workshop

1
Welcome to the ASP Outlining Workshop!

• Featuring much exciting discussion of outlines
  and such by
• Jared Sine
• Peter Jenkins
• Other ASP Mentors
• Who are not individually credited
• But nonetheless are essential to the success of
  this operation
• (namely, the workshop)
• This PowerPoint should be posted soon after the
  workshop, so no need for mad note-taking of every
  word up here

2
First, Some Perspective(Jared)

• An outline is something you create to help you
  prepare for the final.
• You only have a limited number of outlining days
  until finals.
• Awareness of where you are in the semester is key
• Hence, this handy (but not terribly attractive
  from a graphic-design standpoint) timeline

3
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
First day of class
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
We Are Here
4
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
We Are Here
5
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
We Are Here
6
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 3 Draft (Oct. 23)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
We Are Here
7
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 3 Draft (Oct. 23)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
ASP Exams Workshop (Nov. 2)
We Are Here
8
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 3 Draft (Oct. 23)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
ASP Exams Workshop II (Nov. 16)
ASP Exams Workshop (Nov. 2)
We Are Here
9
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
Memo 3 Final (Nov. 20)
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 3 Draft (Oct. 23)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
ASP Exams Workshop II (Nov. 16)
ASP Exams Workshop (Nov. 2)
We Are Here
10
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
Memo 3 Final (Nov. 20)
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 3 Draft (Oct. 23)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Thanksgiving Break (no class Nov. 22
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Thanksgiving Break (no class Nov. 22 26)
ASP Exams Workshop II (Nov. 16)
ASP Exams Workshop (Nov. 2)
We Are Here
11
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
Last day of class (Dec. 8)
Memo 3 Final (Nov. 20)
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 3 Draft (Oct. 23)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Thanksgiving Break (no class Nov. 22
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Thanksgiving Break (no class Nov. 22 26)
ASP Exams Workshop II (Nov. 16)
ASP Exams Workshop (Nov. 2)
We Are Here
12
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
Last day of class (Dec. 8)
Memo 3 Final (Nov. 20)
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 3 Draft (Oct. 23)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
First 1L Final (Dec. 13)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Thanksgiving Break (no class Nov. 22
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Thanksgiving Break (no class Nov. 22 26)
ASP Exams Workshop II (Nov. 16)
ASP Exams Workshop (Nov. 2)
We Are Here
13
Fall 2006 1L Semester Timeline
Aug. 28
Dec. 21
Oct. 1
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
Last 1L Final
Last day of class (Dec. 8)
Memo 3 Final (Nov. 20)
First day of class
Memo 2 Draft (Sep. 25)
Memo 3 Draft (Oct. 23)
Memo 1 (Sep. 11)
First 1L Final (Dec. 13)
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Thanksgiving Break (no class Nov. 22
Placement Break (no class Sep. 30 Oct. 8)
Thanksgiving Break (no class Nov. 22 26)
ASP Exams Workshop II (Nov. 16)
ASP Exams Workshop (Nov. 2)
We Are Here
14
Finals are the Destination(Peter)

• Every outline you make should be designed with
  the final exam in mind
• Hence, knowing something about the final is
  essential to successful outlining
• Take the following with a grain of salt your
  syllabus or professors pronouncements are the
  mandatory authority

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(No Transcript)
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Why Outline?(Jared)

• Prepare for finals
• Synthesize material
• See the big picture
• Find problem areas
• Structure exam answers
• Fun!

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Why your own outline?(Amanda)

• Learn by doing
• Learn how it all fits togetherBig Picture
• The value comes more from making than from having
• Commercial outlines
• Plusses organized, clear(er)
• Minuses not your own words, not keyed to your
  professor
• (most of this applies to other students outlines
  as well)

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When to Outline(Peter)

• Opinions vary on when to begin
• The first day of class
• About now
• Placement break
• Soon after placement break
• Thanksgiving
• The day before the final
• Key is what works for you
• Finish with enough time to memorize, take
  practice exams, and further refine your knowledge
  of the subject.

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How-to basics(Michael)

• Ingredients (some are optional)
• Syllabus
• Casebooktable of contents
• Casebookcontents
• Case briefs
• Class notes
• Study group notes
• Other students outlines
• Commercial study aids
• Practice exams
• TA (if available)
• ASP Mentor (for advice, if needed)

20
How-to basics II(Jared)

• Structure
• Around syllabus
• Around potential exam question
• Content
• Rules, not cases!
• In class, you often will organize your notes
  around cases, and extract a rule from them.
• Your outline should usually be organized around
  rules, and generally only use cases as examples
  illustrating the rule.

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Content What to include(Peter)

• Major topics of the course (obviously)
• Rules
• Black letter rules, from cases, statutes, etc.
• Definitions of important terms
• Hypos applying rules
• Policy considerations
• Cases are usually only used to
• Illustrate development of a doctrine over time
• Illustrate how a rule works in a fact pattern
• Serve as shorthand for a rule
• (This does not mean you wont see an exam
  question based on a case, but it does mean you
  need to know the law the case teaches more than
  you need to remember every detail you briefed for
  every case)

22
Outline Study Group More Fun!(Jared)

• Pros study groups are a good forum to
• Discuss the difficult issues
• Spot where youre having trouble
• Spot where you totally missed something important
• Cons study groups could conceivably
• Take more time than you have
• Law school gossip fun, but ineffective
• Irrelevant topics clueless classmates could
  lead you astray
• Not be run as efficiently as you would like
• Lead to distracting romantic entanglements

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Goldilocks v. Papa Bear et al.(Peter)

• An outline is usually an outline, not a summary
  of the whole course
• Keep whatever you need to answer an exam
  question. Ruthlessly discard the rest.
• Your tastes will differ from your classmates
  (another reason to make your own)
• Some people are only happy with an outline longer
  than the casebook itself, with every conceivable
  detail neatly organized, indexed,
  cross-referenced, etc.
• Others of us only put stuff we cant remember,
  leaving out obvious material and summarizing the
  rest in cryptic notes
• Chances are youll study for finals best by
  outlining somewhere between the two
  extremesexperiment and find out

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How-to Advanced Tips(Jared)

• Microsoft Word may be evil, but its what most of
  us use. You may not know about
• Bold, Italics, and underlining
• Different Fonts and colors
• Bullets and numbered lists
• Tab and shift-tab
• Track changes
• F1!

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Different Learning Style? Try a Flowchart!
(Rachel)
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When are you finished?(Jared)

• Short answer when the final is over
• As you take practice exams, you should be
  refining your outline as you discover potential
  problems, omissions, misstatements, etc.
• Long answer when youre comfortable with it
• Just because your classmates are still polishing
  doesnt mean yours isnt done enough for you.
  Dont keep putting in 150 hours per week just
  because someone else is.

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When are you finished? II(Peter)

• An outline isnt just good in and of itself! You
  can use it to
• Create personalized flashcards to help you study
• Create an outline of your outline to take into an
  open book exam or to get the big picture
• Create flowcharts and decision trees

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• What law governs the situation?
• UCC
• R2
• Is there a K?
• Offer
• Acceptance (who/how/when definite and
  unequivocal)
• Mailbox Rule
• Meeting of minds v. mutual mistake v.
  unilateral mistake
• Certainty
• Should K be enforced?
• Consideration
• Promissory estoppel as consideration
• Illusory promise rule
• Legal Duty rule
• Accord and Satisfaction
• Statute of Frauds
• Incapacity/Infancy

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When are you finished? III

• With the workshop, now.
• The end
• Of the outlining workshop
• By ASP
• And your ASP mentors
• And it wont tab over any more in PowerPoint