Case Law You Need To Know
(Senior Monkey, 86
Points)
I'm an undergrad finishing up my second year of college. I'd like to start preparing for the LSAT this summer. I was wondering from all of those who are currently in law school, or those who have gone, what case law would help best prepare me for the LSAT? What cases, landmark or otherwise, will benefit me on the LSAT, in law school, and beyond? Your thoughts and experiences are apperciated.




Well, I'm glad to see you're
Well, I'm glad to see you're taking an interest in law at an early point in time, but I must be honest... there is absolutely no case law on the LSAT. In fact, there is absolutely nothing related to the actual study of Law on the LSAT. I wouldn't sweat it at all.
As to what's going with case law, I'd relax on worrying about it now. Important non-federal rulings vary from state to state, and the same holds true depending on your field of practice and where you're practicing. The federal rulings, well... that's part of the 1L curriculum, IIRC.
Good to know, I'll keep that
Good to know, I'll keep that in mind. If you don't mind my asking what material should I start looking at besides LSAT Prep that can help me get a leg up on the competition?
Don't. Look. Ahead. You have
Don't. Look. Ahead. You have 2 years before you consider applying to Law School and have time available to you on top of that. If you are really dead set on getting a leg up, find out if your UG school has a law school at it and express interest to one of the faculty in the area you think you want to practice and ask him for some suggestions. I can't speak for myself as I'm waiting util August/September to start school, but that's a reasonable course of action for you to take.
Mark, these guys are leading
Mark, these guys are leading you astray. If I were to do it again, to get a leg up I'd start by reading the following to get my mind right:
Pennoyer v. Neff, 95 US 714
Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins, 304 US 64
US v. Carroll Towing Co., 159 F2d 169
Once you become fluent in those cases, I'd move on to reading the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. And pay attention.
Kobe, I gotta disagree. These
Kobe, I gotta disagree. These are all cases that are taught as part of Civil Procedure as a 1L. I would imagine that Erie is the last toe be studied given the complexity of the matter. Plus, understanding them now without the benefit of having Civ Pro as a companion may not be the best course of action. Understanding them is one thing, but they will still need to be releanred when you actually have teh civ pro class.
If you want a nice light read
If you want a nice light read to introduce you to the legal field I recommend "Whose Monet? An introduction to the American legal system." If you wan't to prepare for the LSAT I recommend reading Ulysses and doing Sudoku...at the same time.
Thank you for all of the
Thank you for all of the advice. Ulysses and Sudoku at the same time Mr. Hermen? I don't know if I can handle that...
If you knew what you were
If you knew what you were talking about, you'd know that Carroll Towing is a Torts case, and as with the other two, they were carefully selected for their headache-inducing complexity alone. Nobody actually sits down and reads that shit in detail, much less the kid starting the thread with no context in which to put their rulings. Kind of like if he were reading Sarbanes-Oxley. GET IT?!
BRING ON THE SHIT
Well, you're right on
Well, you're right on Carroll. It is torts, and that's still 1L material. I picked up the humor on the Sarbox though. Moose, if you can sit through reading Sarbox in one sitting and not want to kill yourself I'll be impressed.
Don't bother reading cases --
Don't bother reading cases -- make sure you get the examples and explanations study guides. :)
Practice tests for the LSAT.
Practice tests for the LSAT. Don't worry about reading case law ahead of time - you will have plenty of time once you start law school to read them. Enjoy your pre-law years - trust me - you will never get that carefree time back! Good luck!
You don't need caselaw. You
You don't need caselaw. You need to read. Like, the newspaper, at least. Books - lots of them - would be ideal. Then you need to get really good at putting things in order according to arbitrary rules. Have a blast.
If you're looking for things
If you're looking for things to read just to prepare you for the Reading Comp section, I'd consider reading the Economist above all else. I'm not pushing it because it's finance related, but because it's a lengthy magazine to get through. If you can read the articles and fully understand them, then you are in better general shape for the LSAT.
Case law doesn't help you on
Case law doesn't help you on the LSAT, they mainly test logical thinking...
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