Doretta McGinnis, Author at Law School Toolbox®

Is Your Open Memo Research Finished?

November 5, 2015 By Doretta McGinnis Leave a Comment

You’ve been researching your open memo, experiencing frustration, relief, and maybe even exhilaration along the way. But now you’re feeling fatigue and an unsettling sense that you’re not sure whether you’re done. What to do?

Don’t ask your professor, “How many cases do I need?” There is no magic number of cases, but there is a core group of essential cases and a larger universe of potentially useful cases. Your professor expects you to find the essential cases and a smattering of other stuff. It’s likely that you’ve found too much. So first, you need to decide when to stop. Second, you need to analyze what you’ve found. [Read more…] about Is Your Open Memo Research Finished?

Researching Your Open Memo: Getting Started With One Good Case

October 27, 2015 By Doretta McGinnis Leave a Comment

It’s open memo season at law schools across the country, a time when 1Ls are set free in the wilderness of the law library and the Internet, armed with little more than passwords for Westlaw and Lexis – and not enough time. If you’re facing this challenge, here are some tips for getting started.

Understand what jurisdiction you’re in.

More precisely, understand which jurisdiction’s law you should be researching. This may be an easy question; perhaps you’ve been told to research a claim under New York law, or perhaps you’re dealing with a federal statute as applied in the 7^th Circuit. This can be a subtle question, however, if your assignment is set in federal court but involves a state law cause of action. If you have any doubt, ask. [Read more…] about Researching Your Open Memo: Getting Started With One Good Case

Have You Visited Your Academic Support Office Yet?

October 21, 2015 By Doretta McGinnis Leave a Comment

What is academic support? Maybe you already know, or think you know what Academic Support is. Maybe you took advantage of Academic Support in college or high school, or maybe you hadn’t heard of it until you started law school. Regardless of your previous exposure, you need to know about Academic Support in law school, even if you blew away the LSAT and got into a T14 school – but especially if you didn’t.

Academic Support, alternatively Academic Success, programs (ASP) teach skills that are essential to being a good law student. Identifying and mastering these skills will improve your academic performance. You may already have a strong grounding in basic study skills – after all, you graduated college and were admitted to law school – but, as you know, law school is different from undergrad, so it’s crucial to refocus and refine your skills in the unique law school environment. All law students can benefit from ASP. [Read more…] about Have You Visited Your Academic Support Office Yet?

Time Management for Non-Traditional Law Students

October 19, 2015 By Doretta McGinnis Leave a Comment

Time management is one of the biggest challenges for all students, and it’s even greater for students who have families, homes, and jobs. Law school is demanding enough for a single student who lives in a dorm on campus. Imagine it for a 35-year-old single parent who owns a home, works full-time, and commutes to school to take classes three nights a week. If you face these sorts of demands, how will you manage your time in law school? Here are some suggestions. [Read more…] about Time Management for Non-Traditional Law Students

Non-Traditional Law Students: Exploit Your Strengths, Meet Your Challenges

October 6, 2015 By Doretta McGinnis Leave a Comment

The typical law student is a recent college graduate in his or her twenties. I was one of these. One of my friends, however, did not fit this mold. At 45, Jim had already earned an MBA and run his own business for years. He was also an armed forces veteran (and a Texan in Philadelphia). All of this gave him a different perspective than his younger classmates. A bad day at school never got him down: it was better than a good day at war. Returning to school was a choice, not a self (or parent) imposed expectation.

You may be like Jim, going to law school after pursuing other interests. You may be preparing for a new career or enhancing your current one. You may plan to practice law or to use your legal knowledge to complement your business interests. You may be in your 30s, 40s, or even 60s; married or divorced; a parent. While you have some things in common with your classmates (soon you’ll be united in trying to comprehend Civ Pro), you bring unique strengths and challenges to law school. Here is some advice for making the best of it. [Read more…] about Non-Traditional Law Students: Exploit Your Strengths, Meet Your Challenges

Embrace the Difference of Legal Writing

September 8, 2015 By Doretta McGinnis Leave a Comment

As a 1L, you’re adjusting to a new environment, vocabulary, and demands on your ability to consume vast quantities of written material and stay cool when your professor calls on you in front of 100 seemingly judgmental, but actually terrified, strangers. In the midst of all that, you’ve noticed one class is different from the others: Legal Writing (LW). And it’s different in a good way. Here’s why: [Read more…] about Embrace the Difference of Legal Writing

Doretta McGinnis

Understand what jurisdiction you’re in.

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