Ariel Salzer, Author at Law School Toolbox®

Law Students and a New Age of Unattainable Perfection

March 8, 2016 By Ariel Salzer Leave a Comment

Something interesting happened the other day. I assigned a hypo to a law student and she turned it in but as soon as I looked at her write up, it became clear that she had copied her answer—sometimes word-for-word, from the model.

This got me to thinking: Why would a person do this? The whole point of writing hypos is to help you learn, and if you’re copying the answers, you’re definitely not learning anything. So, how could an otherwise honest, hard-working student decide it was worthwhile to take the easy way out? Here are some ideas: [Read more…] about Law Students and a New Age of Unattainable Perfection

You’re Half Way Through the Semester, Now What?

March 3, 2016 By Ariel Salzer Leave a Comment

Do you want to get good grades this semester? Well guess what, that needs to start right now! Getting good grades in law school can happen for a variety of reasons, but time and again, it all boils down to just one thing: writing practice. If you are studying in other ways besides writing out full hypos, that’s all fine and good, but it’s not enough. If you want to succeed this semester, here’s a list of things you should stop doing ASAP: [Read more…] about You’re Half Way Through the Semester, Now What?

Stuff Law Students Say and Why It’s Wrong

March 1, 2016 By Ariel Salzer Leave a Comment

I’ve probably heard every law student excuse there is. What continues to amaze me, though, is how law students can be so quick to do the very things that hurt them the most without even realizing they’re doing them. Even when they know from experience that they’re headed down the wrong road, law students can be absolute masters at convincing themselves they’ve got a handle on the situation. It sounds delusional, but it’s true, and so very common. In fact, I used to do some of these same things when I was in law school. [Read more…] about Stuff Law Students Say and Why It’s Wrong

Get Over It! Why You Should Stop Rehashing Your Final Exams

January 19, 2016 By Ariel Salzer Leave a Comment

If you’re in law school and you’re tempted to beat yourself up over the joinder analysis you did on your Civ. Pro. final or the duty argument you failed to make in Torts, stop. Here are the reasons why this is a bad idea, and what you should do instead. [Read more…] about Get Over It! Why You Should Stop Rehashing Your Final Exams

More Must-Have Apps for Law Students

January 12, 2016 By Ariel Salzer Leave a Comment

If you’re in law school, you probably have a smart phone. If you ask us which smart phones are the very smartest, though, we will probably say the ones that are turned off and stored in your locker during class and study time!

Phones can be a huge source of distraction for law students. And the worst part is, they’re completely addictive. You can spend hours on an app or game getting absolutely nothing accomplished. Plus, they take away focus from lecture, and can be a source of constant interruption while reading or studying. And, as we all know, drudging through 50 pages of Evidence is hard enough even without being pinged every 5 seconds. That ping is always going to be more interesting than what you’re reading, so the best strategy is to turn it off. [Read more…] about More Must-Have Apps for Law Students

Are You Taking Good Law School Class Notes?

January 5, 2016 By Ariel Salzer 2 Comments

We at the Law School Toolbox have written quite a bit about handwriting versus typing in law school classrooms. And, despite having typed and online versions of virtually everything else in our lives, it’s no secret that we think handwriting is the way to go when it comes to law school classes. Whether you choose to write by hand or type in class, though, the actual nuts and bolts of how you take notes is key.

Several new students have asked me recently how they are supposed to take notes that capture everything the professor says. The short answer? You shouldn’t! With that in mind, here are some common pitfalls we see students getting into and how to sidestep them. [Read more…] about Are You Taking Good Law School Class Notes?

Ariel Salzer

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