Student Study Skills

Are you a law student struggling to read any case law precisely? Reading case law is an essential skill for law students, as it forms the backbone of legal education and practice. 1. Understand the Structure of a Case: - Familiarize yourself with how cases are cited. This includes the names of the parties, the court, and the year of the decision. -These summarize key legal points and can guide you to the most relevant parts of the case. -Identify the essential facts of the case. What happened? Who are the parties involved? -Determine the legal questions the court is addressing. What are the specific legal issues at stake? -This is the court’s answer to the legal issues. What did the court decide? -Analyze the court's reasoning. What legal principles and precedents did the court rely on? - If applicable, read dissenting opinions to understand alternative viewpoints. 2. Read Actively: As you read, highlight or underline important sections. This helps in later reviews. Summarize each section in your own words. This reinforces understanding and retention. What are the implications of the case? How does it relate to what you’ve learned in class? 3. Contextualize the Case: Research prior cases that influenced the decision. Understanding the context can clarify the court's reasoning. Know the relevant statutes and regulations that apply. This will help you see how the case fits into the larger legal landscape. 4. Discuss with Peers: Engage in discussions with classmates. Different perspectives can enhance your understanding. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or seek clarification from professors. They can provide valuable insights. 5. Practice Applying the Law: Create hypothetical situations based on the case. How would the court likely rule in these new scenarios? Participate in mock trials or moot courts to apply what you’ve learned in a practical setting. 6. Review and Reflect : After reading, write a brief summary of the case, including its significance and implications for future cases. Consider what you learned from the case and how it shapes your understanding of the law. Hope this helps you! #lawstudent #law

"Yaar, case laws yaad kaise karte ho?" My friends. My batchmates. My LinkedIn DMs. Everyone asks me the same question before exams: "How do you remember so many case laws? Teach me your ways please" And honestly? First year mein mera bhi yahi haal tha. 😅 I used to read full judgments. Highlight everything. Make beautiful notes. And then walk into the exam hall and just... stare at the paper. Sound familiar? Yeah. We've all been there. So today I'm sharing exactly what I changed. I Stopped Reading Cases Like a Storybook At first, I read entire judgments from start to finish, hoping I'd remember them. Big mistake. Instead, I broke each case into: 📌Facts - What happened? 📌Issue - What was the legal question? 📌Arguments - What did each side argue? 📌Judgment - What did the court decide? 📌Key Legal Principles - What precedent did it set? Most students remember what was decided. Top students remember why because that's what wins arguments. •6️⃣ Techniques That Actually Work 1. The Feynman Technique After reading a case, close your notes and explain it like you're teaching a junior student. If you can't explain it simply. you don't know it well enough yet. No shortcuts here. Just honesty. 😌 2. Build Your Personal Case Law Bank Stop searching for the same case twice. Create a folder in Notion or Google Docs, categorized by subject. Each case gets just 2–3 lines. That's it. Contract. Torts. Constitutional Law. One search. Found instantly. 3. Mind Maps for Complex Cases Big constitutional cases with multiple judgments? Don't write paragraphs. Draw it. A quick mind map shows connections that your linear notes never will. 4. Use AI Tools But Stay Sharp LexisNexis, Claude, Chatgpt - great for saving time on summaries. But always cross-check the key paragraphs yourself. AI makes you fast. Your judgment keeps you accurate. 5. Apply Cases :Don't Just Collect Them The students who remember cases best aren't the ones who read the most. They're the ones who use them, in moots, papers, and arguments. Application is the strongest form of memory. Period. 6. Spaced Repetition - The Real Memory Hack Read once and move on? That's exactly why you forget. Revisit every case at: •1 Day later •1 Week later •1 Month later Three reviews. Long-term memory. Zero cramming. The Honest Truth : There is no shortcut for consistent, structured effort. But these 6 techniques mean you stop wasting hours re-reading cases you've already studied. You walk into every moot, every exam, every internship - knowing exactly which case to cite and exactly why it matters. That's the difference between a student who struggles and one who argues with confidence. 🫣 __________ Save this before your next exam - Trust me bud your future self will thank you. ✨

“I don’t know where to get materials to study as a student” In my 100 level as a law student , I was completely lost - it felt like law was another language on its own , although I could understand what my lecturer was saying , I found it really difficult at some point to remember and be able to reproduce it and this is because I did not know where to get materials to read further asides from my “Abiola Sanni” and although the book did a wonderful job with explaining some key terms , they’re also various places I got materials from that seemed unlikely but were a great help and I thought to share : 🌟| YouTube : Yes , you read correctly, I spent so many nights watching videos on various topics on YouTube , I found Diekolola Daniels’s channel enriching and I had so much fun learning while watching Bar talk with Ola (definitely check it out) They are also animated series explaining cases on YouTube - just type the name of the case in the search bar! I hope to even start my own channel where I can explain some law concepts to help students soon! 🌟| Quizzlet : This is a study tool (app and website) that allows you create digital flashcards to help you remember and recall key concepts! You can also study sets that have been created by others and some of them have valuable materials. You should definitely check them out because they helped me out so much in my LLB journey. 🌟| LinkedIn : Most people are not aware that articles can be posted on LinkedIn , if you were one of them - well , welcome to the light ! Professionals and researchers have taken out time to write articles and have posted it here on LinkedIn , all you have to do is search it ! I read Ufuoma Madagwa ‘s article on law of the seas for my public international law test and I aced it. You should definitely consider searching the articles here on LinkedIn and see what you can find. I’ll stop here for now , but they’re so many other sources of information and materials , If the usual “google search” isn’t doing it for you , consider checking the above mentioned sources and I hope you find what you’re looking for. I hope this helps , thank you for reading this far! #studytips #lawstudentdiary #studymaterials

First-year law students, here’s the key adjustment I made to go from the bottom 50% to the top 10%: I stopped spending valuable time reading for class during the final stretch. Instead, I focused on: - Memorizing each class’s skeleton outline. - Reviewing as many practice tests as I could get my hands on. - Using every opportunity to rest and recharge to stay sharp for exams. - Practicing applying the law to facts and analyzing both sides of any fact pattern. Don’t stress about knowing every word in the casebook—that’s not what you’re tested on. You’ll absorb the essential issues through reviewing hypothetical exam questions and sample answers anyway. It’s crucial to have a mental outline of each class, so you can easily recognize what the professor is testing on the exam based on the fact pattern. But don’t think you need to read every word of the casebook to achieve this. That’s nonsense, and even if professors imply otherwise, it’s simply not true. Focus your time on high-return activities, even if that means taking a mental break. Saving brain power for the exam room is essential, so concentrate your energy on activities that maximize your study efficiency. Here’s my strategy for the final months before finals: 1. Use resources like Quimbee and other case-briefing tools instead of pouring over the book. Use the time saved to focus on finals prep. 2. Spend any extra time resting, not rereading the casebook. 3. Aim to take at least one full practice test per day and review as many hypothetical fact patterns as possible. Who cares if you get cold-called and don’t know the answer? If anyone judges you, that’s on them. Your focus should be on the exam, not each class. Do you have any advice for law students nearing finals? Sharing it might help someone you know.

💬 My 4-Month SQE1 Study Plan (and How I Adapted It Along the Way) When I first started preparing for the SQE1, I didn’t know where to begin. So I made a plan, a very flexible one, and kept adjusting it with an eraser in hand. ✏️ I wrote my plan in pencil, literally, because I erased and rewrote it many times depending on how long each topic took, how complex it was, and how fast I could take notes. 📚 Explanation of the Study Strategy 🔹 Phase 1 – Foundation Building (Weeks 1–9) Each week covered one major subject area from the SQE1 syllabus. I started with core private law subjects before moving into public and procedural areas. This approach created a complete first pass of the syllabus within nine weeks; fast but structured. ➡️ Goal: Build a solid baseline understanding and produce concise, personalised notes for each subject. 🔹 Phase 2 – Active Revision (Weeks 10–16) I then revisited each topic systematically, this time focusing on exam-style application. I practised MCQs daily, tested recall, and refined my summaries to make them shorter, clearer, and easier to memorise. I also created colour-coded final notes, which helped me revisit key numbers, dates, and rules the day before the exam, such as civil litigation deadlines, company voting thresholds, or probate eligibility rules. By Week 16, I had covered the entire syllabus twice and used the last few days to reinforce weaker areas. ➡️ Goal: Shift from comprehension → application → retention. 🔹 Phase 3 – Exam Simulation (Final Stretch) The final stage mirrored the SQE1 format as closely as possible: 10 days before FLK1: fast-cycle revision of all FLK1 subjects. Between FLK1 and FLK2: focused review of FLK2 subjects. ➡️ Goal: Integrate knowledge, practise time-pressured recall, and strengthen cross-topic reasoning. 💡 Why This Plan Worked Balanced pacing: Every topic was covered twice before exam day. Flexibility: Allowed 2–3 days of adaptive study time for tougher topics. Confidence buffer: The final phase reinforced high-yield areas rather than introducing new material. Realistic mindset: Combined structure with self-kindness, not perfectionism. 💬 A small note: Everyone’s journey is different. Taking more time to prepare doesn’t mean you’re behind; it means you’re building understanding at your own pace. The key is consistency, adaptability, and a study method that truly works for you. 🌿 There are many more details to this plan, but this is the overview. If you’re sitting the July 2026 SQE1, I’m planning to open a few 1:1 mentoring places soon to help candidates design their own personalised version of this plan and stay on track until exam day. Comment 1:1 below if you’d like me to message you once mentoring opens 👇 #SQE #SQE1 #SQERevision #SQEEdit #LegalEducation #LawStudent #SQEPreparation