Find helpful tools and gadgets.
Because neurodivergent people often need visual prompts or sensory tools, it is helpful to figure out what works best for you. Maybe you need a quiet fidget to use under your desk in class to help you focus. Maybe you need to incorporate the use of timers throughout your day. If you struggle with time blindness, you can use hourglasses to help you visualize time. Perhaps you struggle with extraneous sounds and need to use noise-cancelling headphones. More and more tools and gadgets are being made for neurodiverse individuals that can help you throughout law school.
Find the best time to be productive.
Society can dictate when you are supposed to be most productive. See the traditional 9-5 work schedule. However, that model does not always work best for neurodiverse individuals. Some people are not morning people, and that is fine. Figure out when you have the most energy during your day to be your most productive self.
Identify your organizational system.
Find one system to use for organization and don’t change it. Trying too many organizational systems can become overwhelming. If your phone calendar works best, use that. If you are a list person, write all the lists. If you are a planner person, find the coolest one to use throughout the school year.
Write everything down.
It would be nice to think that you can remember every task or deadline, but let’s be honest, that’s probably not true. Write down every deadline, every task, meeting, assignment, important date, etc. in the organizational system that you use.
Figure out your maximum focus time.
Just like you can only put so much gasoline in a car, most neurodiverse individuals only have so much room in their focus tank. Figure out how long you can truly focus and apply yourself to a task before you need a break. That amount of time is typically shorter for neurodiverse individuals. If you can only truly focus for 20 minutes, study for 20 minutes, take a break, and then come back for another 20 minutes.
Find Your Friends
You may have started law school with your mind full of horror stories. Throw them out the window. Most of the people you attend law school with are genuinely kind and helpful people. Try to find a group or a couple of people that you can trust and lean on when necessary. Your law school friends can help you stay on task, body double, and even provide notes on the days you may be struggling. These friends can be one of your greatest assets throughout your law school journey.
Be Honest with Your Professors
Only discuss your neurodivergence with your professors to the extent that you are comfortable. If there are things you are concerned about related to your neurodivergence, it can be beneficial to make your professors aware at the beginning of the semester. Whether you are worried about cold calling or need a topic broken down, most professors love opportunities to discuss their area of law! They can’t know that you may need help if you don’t let them know. This is especially important if you aren’t successful in getting accommodations from your school’s Disability Services.
Trust Your Methods
As a neurodivergent student, you may not fit the traditional mold of all the things a law student is “supposed to do” in order to be successful. You have been in school for years, and now is the time to trust yourself and not be afraid to be an “outside of the box” law student. There is no harm in trying new study methods, but never fear going back to your personal basics. If you need help figuring those out, see if your law school has a learning center or faculty member that can assist you.
Outlining with Jury Instructions
If you’re not sure how to outline your memo, jury instructions can help by explaining a cause of action, outlining the essential elements of a claim and providing relevant primary law all in one spot.- On your Westlaw Precision home screen, click on Secondary Sources and then Jury Instructions.
- On the Jury Instructions page, use the Jurisdiction filter to select your desired jurisdiction.
- Search for your cause of action. (Ex. elements of libel in Federal Jury Practice & Instructions)
- Open your relevant jury instruction and don't forget to check the related notes.
- To see more instructions, check out the table of contents to your left or click on View Full TOC.
Briefing Cases with Westlaw
What is a Brief?
A brief is a summary of a case in your own words that includes the key facts, procedural history, issues addressed, along with the court's holdings.
How can I find a case on Westlaw?
Cases on Westlaw contain a Synopsis, a summary of the main facts, issues and holdings of a case, and Headnotes, summaries of points of law organizes by topic. You can locate cases on Westlaw in a variety of ways.
Find by Citation: If you know your case's citation, just type one of the citations in the search box. (Ex. 113 SCT 2217)
Find by Citation: If you know your case's citation, just type one of the citations in the search box. (Ex. 113 SCT 2217)
Find by Party Name: If you know the names of your parties, just start typing them in the search box and select corresponding case from the drop-down menu. (Ex. International Shoe)
Note: If your case has common party names, you may need to enter more than one party.
Download your Synopsis and Headnotes: Once you've pulled up your case, click on Download under delivery options, select Brief It under What to Deliver and click on Download.
Note: You have even more download options within Layout and Limits.
Smart Search Terms
The right search terms can make a difference. Here is an easy way to come up with smart search terms.
Rules, Codes & Restatements
Exporting Tables of Contents
Exporting a table of contents is an easy way to get access to a list of rules, codes or restatements that you can reference on the fly and add to your outlines, as needed.
Locate your Rules, Codes or Restatement: To export a TOC (table of contents), you'll first want to locate your resource.
Export Your TOC: Click on download, select Outline of Current View under What to Deliver and then click on Download.
News- Westlaw Today
Strengthen Your Interview Discussions with News
Doing thorough research on an employer or practice area can help prepare you for a job interview. Finding articles featuring attorneys in a firm, agency actions, or practice area trends can all help. Luckily you can easily find these things on Westlaw!- On your Westlaw Edge home screen, use the product dropdown menu to select Westlaw Today
- Search for a particular firm, attorney, or agency. (Ex. Kirkland and Ellis or Fourth Circuit)
- Or select a specific practice area (Ex. Mergers & Acquisitions)
KeyCite Graphical History
Procedural History Made Easy
Are you reading a case and not sure how you got there procedurally? Reversed, remanded or otherwise, we got you. Just sign into Westlaw and follow the steps below...
1. Grab one of the citations you see in your case book and type it into the search box on Westlaw. (ex. 480 U.S. 102)
2. Click on your case in the drop-down menu.
3. Click on the History tab to see your procedural history.
KeyCite Graphical History works best when you have a Federal case and a complex issue. Check out some additional examples from your classes below.
Contracts
- Koken v. Black & Veatch Const., Inc.
- Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela
Civil Procedure
- National Equipment Rental v. Szukhent
- Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall
Torts
- Palsgraf v. Long Island R. Co.
- Kentucky Fried Chicken of Cal., Inc. v. Superior Court
Law School Resource Center
Flowcharts, overviews & more.
Law school is a marathon, not a sprint. Putting everything together on the first pass is impossible. Whether you're prepping for class or starting your outline, the Law School Resource Center makes tough concepts easier to understand.Check out the Law School Resource Center on Practical Law
Step 1 - Create a New Class
Step 3 - Invite Your Students
Step 2 - Assign Lessons
Love Your Lawyer Day
Rules, Codes & Restatements
All the rules you need for class in one place.
A lot of time in law school is spent briefing cases, but if you aren't learning the rules behind them, issue spotting during exams will be difficult. You can access electronic copies of rules, like the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, codes, like the Uniform Commercial Code, and Restatements, like the Restatement of Torts, all on WestlawSee the Restatements collection on Westlaw
KeyCite Graphical History
Understand the procedural history of your case.
Understanding where you are in the procedural history of a case can help you better understand its disposition. When you are lost, look up your case on Westlaw, hit the History tab and bask in the glow of enlightenment.See an example of Graphical History in action
Black's Law Dictionary
Don't guess the meaning of a term. Know it.
Skipping an unfamiliar term can be tempting, but understanding it can make all the difference in decoding a case. Black's Law Dictionary will help you quickly understand any new language thrown your way.Run a search for "demurrer" on Westlaw
Determining whether a federal court has subject matter jurisdiction over a non-class action case.
If the case arises out of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws, rules or regulations, or a treaty signed by the U.S., and the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction, then the case must be litigated in federal court.
If the case does not arise out of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws, rules or regulations, or a treaty signed by the U.S., and there is not complete diversity between the plaintiffs and defendants (a.k.a they are both from different states or one is a citizen of a foreign country), then the case must be litigated in state court.
Negligence Defined
Restatement (Second) of Torts 282
In the Restatement of this Subject, negligence is conduct which falls below the standard established by law for the protection of others against unreasonable risk of harm. It does not include conduct recklessly disregardful of an interest of others.
Demurrer
Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed.2014)
Demurrer: A means of objecting to the sufficiency in law of a pleading by admitting the actual allegations made by disputing that they frame an adequate claim. Demurrer is commonly known as a motion to dismiss.
Restatement of Contracts 2d
Counter-offers
(1) A counter-offer is an offer made by an offeree to his offeror relating to the same matter as the original offer and proposing a substituted bargain differing from that proposed by the original offer.
(2) An offeree’s power of acceptance is terminated by his making a counter-off, unless the offeror has manifested a contrary intention or unless the counter-offer manifests a contrary intention of the offeree.
What is common law and is it written by the courts of law?
Common Law
The origin of the Anglo-American legal systems. English common law was largely customary law and unwritten, until discovered, applied, and reported by the courts of law. In a narrow sense, common law is the phrase still used to distinguish case law from statutory law.Know your terms by downloading our glossary
WestLaw Law School Registration Key
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