5 Note-Taking Tips for Law Students | @LightmapHQ Blog

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5 Note-Taking Tips for Law Students﻿
Being in law school is a challenging task that requires students to be organized in their academics. Students must take notes in classes to aid them in studying for exams, understanding course material for a future class, and absorbing lessons on a day-to-day basis. With a vast amount of information presented at one time, it is easy for a student to lose themselves in their notes.
How to Take Notes in Law SchoolBelow are five important law school note-taking tips designed to make this task more manageable.
Taking Notes by Hand or Computer: Writing words forces the writer to be conscious of the content they are tracking and maintain focus on the course material being presented as it is taught. Computer notes are an effective way to keep up with larger amounts of information being presented quickly. Depending on which works better for you, take notes the same way each time to aid with organization.
Color Code Outlines: Color coding outlines is an organizational tip presented to assist students in finding a subject easily. Law students will end up with many notes in various courses throughout their academic careers. It is easy for these notes to get lost within each other or unrelated content if they are not color-coded. Students will know green represents hypotheticals, red are case facts, etc. This strategy is perfect for hand-written and computer-typed notes.
Write Down Hypotheticals: Hypotheticals are illustrated notes for more fine-tuned parts of law. They are also potential exam questions and teach students how their professors read, understand, and interpret the law. Taking these detailed notes allows students to quiz themselves later when studying. When taking hypo notes, students can use a symbol as well as color code to help these scenarios stand out in their stack of notes.
Limit Case Notes to Facts: Case studies review cases that have already been tried, judged, and recorded. There can be a lot of information to add to other course material. It can be easy for students to write down all particulars of each case and lose themselves in the influx, as with hypotheticals. For case notes, it is encouraged that students limit the contents to facts only. Limiting note-taking to facts provides the need-to-know only and gives them space to process the information being given to them.
Review Outlines from Previous Students: Surprisingly, law school communities are small. Being that law students are required to take the same courses, it is common to find a previous student’s course outline. It is common and encouraged to pursue an outline from a previous student. Finding an outline is a method to aid the student in understanding their professor’s way of teaching and thinking. It also assists with understanding the overall course material. This is especially true if a professor’s teaching method is hard to follow. Once obtained, an outline should be reviewed before and during class.
Best Note-Taking App for Law School: Lightmap!In conjunction with the tips above the best note-taking app for law school is Lightmap. This app allows students to keep all of their notes in one place on multiple devices. It tracks notes, schedules, and tasks so students are not late and do not forget the little details. With a busy schedule and a lot of writing ahead this app assists students in keeping the chaos organized. Law is no easy task and students are not always provided with a specific guide on how to take notes in law school. At Lightmap we hope these tips have been helpful to each student as they move forward in their law school career!
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How to Take Notes in Law School
Best Note-Taking App for Law School: Lightmap!
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How to Take Notes in Law School

Best Note-Taking App for Law School: Lightmap!

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