Starting law - How to get ahead (1 Viewer)

[thegovernator]

what's the best way to start preparation for 1st year law?

 

[MoonlightSonata]

Re: getting ahead

Pick up an introductory legal text, such as:

• Laying Down the Law, by C. Cook; R. Creyke; R. Geddes & Others
• Understanding the Australian Legal System, by John Carvan

and have a read. Also, your university may have first-year texts prescribed or recommended which you could purchase and begin reading.

If your university has sent you any materials to read (for example, UNSW sends you a reader about a month or so prior to starting), obviously do those readings.

 

[melsc]

Re: getting ahead

Every uni has an "introduction to law" unit (although the name differs content is generally the same). This unit will get you ready, teach you the skills you need and basic legal history etc... You can't prepare for law that much, what you have done at school in legal studies etc will be covered in a week or two and those who have limited knowledge catch up fast, don't worry, everyone is starting from the begining, so no need to start studying now.

All the things suggested by moonlight will be helpful but if you dont get to it dont worry I wanted to prepare heaps but in the end I prepared for the first class and was fine

 

[littlewing69]

Re: getting ahead

Dude, stop making us other first-years look bad.

 

[uberlovesounds]

Re: getting ahead

yeah... i can't even get my books yet, the booklist isn't out... damn, makes me feel guilty for using my holidays to watch 200 southpark episodes.

 

[melsc]

Re: getting ahead

enjoy the hols that way you are relaxed and refreshed for uni

 

[MichaelJackson2]

couldn't agree more. DO NOT study during the holidays because you're going to do that FLAT OUT in the first semester (applies to most of 1st years although most do not admit it).

 

[Baiku]

Enjoy summer.

 

[MoonlightSonata]

Having a read of one of the introductory law books while you're sitting by the beach is hardly going to be very demanding.

I do very much recommend taking a look

 

[nick1048]

take a look at legal process and why the law is in place, that stuff is very interesting - i suppose getting ahead encompasses developing awareness and interest so that any lead you do gain is long term.

Goodluck

 

[Frigid]

i have found, unless you are willing to read a whole semester's worth of reading for a particular subject, reading ahead is tiresome and ineffective.

for very quickly, as the term proceeds, allocated reading will build up and your so-called 'advantage' is lost.

if you must, then you may try to 'Introduction to Law' category on Lawsbook.com.auhttp://www.lawbooks.com.au.

 

[MoonlightSonata]

The point here is not to get a certain quantity of set readings ticked off. Rather the idea is to introduce some conceptual foundations to a subject which one would otherwise have little knowledge of. The aim is to facilitate the future content of the course by contextual and theoretical understanding, not to strictly learn all the rules and subject matter.

 

[Rorix]

IMO reading a basic introductory text on law...e.g. on precedent, ratio, court heirachy etc. (with no policy considerations) may be useful but if you just wanna chill not reading it will not be a material disadvantage.

 

[Xytech]

for monash we've been told to read "surviving law school" which seems to have a lot of unnessecary stuff but some useful stuff, also good on just general informaiton on the legal profession etc

 

[MichaelJackson2]

SURVIVING law school? you've gotta be shitting me. all that stuff about "ohhhh law school is bloody tough and first year is like getting thrown into a whirlpool with sharks circling you" is complete bull. law ITSELF is not hard at all. however, the profession is demanding so they make the exams/assessment hard. for example here at uq we had a 30min contract law exam which was worth almost 40% of the total course assessment. that was tough and the majority were on the brink of failing it but i guess u just gotta be prepared.

 

[Summer Rain]

If you really want to get ahead, I would read the intro books that Moonlight recommended provided you read them at the beach. As Frigid also mentioned, don't bother reading the texts before uni starts; you will not only forget everything but you will almost certainly find it difficult to understand the material without going to class and you might read alot of unnecessary material. If you attend the intro to law class this is good enough. They will teach you the basic skills in analysing a case (eg knowing what hte material facts are, spotting the legal issues, what the ratio is etc).

Enjoy the next one month of your summer holidays - take a short break around Australia somewhere (eg I just came back from Tassie, bloody beautiful), go to the beach, exercise, get your P's, go shopping, work, go to the movies, or do all those other things that have built up over the last year but didn't get a chance to finish ...just relax and have fun.

Starting uni refreshed, calm and ready for some work is the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for uni.

Also attending O Week will help you prepare for uni in general so you won't be stressed out on your first week trying to find your way around campus (you know where the library, student office, social activities you can join at uni etc) and you might meet some people.

 

[charlie_charlie]

I would relax and enjoy the rest of your holidays. Stressing about uni starting might make you feel burnt out, especially since you've only just finished the HSC. Have a flick through the introductory texts, but I would focus more on getting settled into the uni life for your first few weeks - especially since its good practice having to cram in readings with a whirlwind of other activities. Like Frigid said, there isn't any great material advantage of reading ahead unless you manage to read the whole course in the next few weeks. Also, there is the risk you might approach a particular skill from the wrong angle without the guidance of your tutor and classmates. Enjoy the rest of the summer!

 

[MoonlightSonata]

A few remarks in response to some of the opinions above.

First, the question was not, "Should I get ahead?", but "How can I get ahead?".

Second, enjoying the holidays and reading ahead are not mutually exclusive.

Third, despite opinions to the contrary, I think that there is advantage in reading ahead for Foundations type subjects. As I said, it is not about trying to learn the strict rules and substantive content. (That is perhaps what most people think about when doing readings in advance.) Rather, it is about contextual understanding that will augment learning once the course starts, baring in mind he will have never studied law before.

Fourth, I must say I also find it peculiar that some people think that they do not gain any advantage from reading ahead. I find that dubious. Even if you did not gain a good mark for a subject you read ahead in, you probably did gain a benefit from reading ahead (you may have done even worse had you not).

If this is not the case, then perhaps people are not reading ahead in a very sensible way. Trying to learn complicated substantive law without a proper conceptual understanding of the subject and the assistance of classes can be problematic for some.

Lastly, it is true that a person will not be disadvantaged for not reading ahead (unless for some bizarre reason everyone were reading ahead). But this is a different proposition than he will not gain any advantage from so doing.

 

[charlie_charlie]

yeah, surfing the net after waking up from a fever at 4am probably wasnt the best in actually reading a question ( ie the topic of the thread) properly. i just read the first question, "what's the best way to start preparation for 1st year law?" my point is that reading ahead isn't the best necessarily in helping your studies overall, in preparation for 1st year law, as i find that the best way to prepare for 1st yr uni in general is to make sure that you're mentally, emotionally and physically prepared. and that is to take a decent break before commencing any studies. its just that i've seen too many students burn out too quickly in the first semester of uni, and hate their course and studies as a result. A person might gain an advantage in the first few weeks of foundations, or even in the first assignment, but at what cost to their other subjects/enjoyment of uni/or any other factor?

 

[thegovernator]

I'm 22 guys

I studied law for half a semester back in 2002 but converted over to a different course at a different uni. I've had a sufficient enough break and I'm more than willing to gain some kind of conceptual understanding of the course before semester starts. I'm just making my way through the introductory texts at the moment and finding it quite interesting.

thanks for all the advice.