Reading in Law School

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A New Level to Reading

Reading and Writing are fundamental parts of literacy. We’ve developed our reading skills since childhood. Some of us have even been trained with reading comprehension books. However, reading the law may be difficult at times. With how there is so much information to process or how few time we have to read, there is a need to make use of good reading tactics in order to be efficient. Just look at Gaston over here! 

Peter Mather and Rita McCarthy discussed nine study techniques in their book The Art of Critical Reading that we could use to survive our law school readings. Let’s learn about these study techniques so that we could excel in law school!

The first technique is Scanning.

It involves the rapid reading of a text in order to find specific information. This is good to use when reading book annotations so that it is easier to recall the information, such as when a word is italicized in a text. It is also good to use while reading the case in order to know who the petitioners and respondents are, what the issue is, and what the court ruling is.

The second technique is Skimming.

This involves a fast-paced read-through of a text to familiarize yourself with its content. Skimming a piece before fully reading allows you to process the information while already having an idea of what the text intends to present. It is good to use for the title, headings, sub-headings, the first sentence of each paragraph, and the print in bold and italics. 

Scanning and Skimming are both similar but they are different in their purpose. Scanning is intended to target specific information while Skimming allows you to get a general gist of the text as a whole. 

The third technique is called SQ3R. 

It is short for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. A study technique for maximizing reading comprehension, it is a vital weapon for a law student. Before reading a text, you should:

(S)urvey and skim the material so that you get a feel for the main topics and ideas in a text. 

Use (Q)uestions to guide your reading. 

As you (R)ead the text, look for the answers to your questions that you created so that you develop a mastery for the topic. 

(R)ecite the words that you read so that you can rephrase the text in your own understanding. 

Lastly, (R)eview your work in order to go over what you learned. 

When using it in reading cases, you should read the issue first so that the facts would make sense at the first reading. Then, create questions predicting the flow of the case and look for the answers to your questions. Summarize the key points in your own words and review your work. It might be tough in the beginning but just keep cracking!  Practice Repetition makes perfect after all!

The fourth study technique is Summarizing.

It involves determining what is the main and important idea of the text. The key is to avoid repetition. What we intend to find is always only what the writer thinks. This is a very good technique to use for reading long cases because some information are irrelevant to issue of the case - it will just take you extra time if you pay attention to them as well. Omit the minor and irrelevant details so that what is left are only the important and key details. 

Summarizing the text and putting it into your own words allow you to develop your own understanding of the text. It allows you a mastery of the text unlike any text that you did not summarize yourself. Trust me - it will save you a lot of time and will help a lot in recitation. 

The fifth study technique is Underlining, Highlighting, and Annotating. 

This might be what is most used by students. I bet you’ve had your fair share of highlighter expenses as well. The purpose of underlining or highlighting is to mark the important and key details, or classify information based on how you wish to recall the information as. This is very helpful when you re-read the material or when you need to recall a specific piece of information. Annotating is when you write words that you feel is missing from the text in order to help you connect and string information together. This is also used when you write and create your own mnemonics in order to remember enumerations. 

Here is an example of me creating a mnemonic for my Criminal Law Class:

Article 11 of the Revised Penal Code provides for six (6) justifying circumstances:

D - Defense of one’s person and rights

D - Defense of a relative

D - Defense of a stranger

A - Avoidance of greater evil

F - Fulfillment of a duty or legal right of office

O - Obedience to a lawful order of a superior

Just be careful not to overdo it like this person right here!

The sixth technique is Outlining. 

It can be overwhelming to remember a lot of information in the topics you are reading. Outlining these information may help you remember them. You can use the topic as a main heading while the information important to the main topic may be used as a subheading. This is good to use when the topic presents multiple levels of information to be digested. This allows one to separate the main topic from the elements of each subsequent sub-topic and is easier to come back to when you want to review a material.

Below is an example of Outlining in my Criminal Law class:

Article 11 of the Revised Penal Code - Justifying Circumstances

I. Self-Defense of one’s Person and rights

A. Unlawful Aggression

B. Reasonable Means of Necessity to prevent or repel it

C. Lack of Sufficient Provocation on the part of the Defender

II. Self-Defense of a Relative

A. Unlawful Aggression

B. Reasonable Means of Necessity to prevent or repel it

C. Lack of Sufficient Provocation on the part of the Relative, but if there is a sufficient provocation, it was not on the part of the Defender.

III. Self-Defense of a Stranger

A. Unlawful Aggression

B. Reasonable Means of Necessity to prevent or repel it

C. Lack of Sufficient Provocation on the part of the stranger or of the Defender, provided that his actions did not arise from an improper motive such as resentment or revenge.

IV. Avoidance of Greater Evil

A. An actual and imminent evil actually exists

B. The evil feared is greater than that done to avoid it

C. There was no more practical or less harmful way of avoiding it

V. Fulfillment of a duty or legal right of office

VI. Obedience to a lawful order of a superior

A. It must be a lawful order

B. The order must come from a superior officer

C. The act done to fulfill the order is lawful

The seventh technique is Mapping.

If you are a visual learner, this technique will greatly help you. Mapping will help you visually see the flow of the topic you are studying. This might be time consuming because you need to write, draw and connect the supporting information to your main information. However, this will help you understand and remember the topic you are studying. You will also be able to review this information in the future.

Here’s an example of Mapping to differentiate void ab initio marriages from voidable marriages: 

The eighth technique is using a Comparison-Contrast Chart.

If you are having trouble remembering the differences of two or more topics, you could use the comparison-contrast chart. You will be able to identify the similarities and differences of the topics you are having trouble with by organizing them into a table. 

The ninth technique is using a Time Line. 

 Arranging information in chronological order may be helpful at times. You can use this technique when dates are significant in your readings. 

Below is an example of a Time Line in the landmark cases for annulment of marriage. This is good to remember because court rulings apply only at the time when they are promulgated. Therefore, court cases before May 11, 2021 must apply the Republic vs. Molina ruling. 

January 4, 1995: Leouel Santos vs. Court of Appeals

February 13, 1997: Republic vs. Molina

May 11, 2021: Tan-Andal vs. Andal

There we have it! All nine study techniques - prepped up for war. I hope this will help you in improving your reading skills and study habits in law school. See you around, panero/panera! 

“I’m all tuned up and ready to roll. This one’s called farewell!” - K.K.