[blindlaw] Prelaw Literature

Wed Apr 25 04:44:53 CDT 2007

Were I starting law school again, I'd read books about jurists, how they 
think and how they work, e.g., The Bretheren and such.  That might help you 
to get into a legal mind or, rather legal minds and might also be fun 
reading.  I'd also read books about the philosophy of the law.  As others 
have said, you never learn legal facts as they can change in a minute with 
new judicial decisions, statutes and agency regulations.  The only constant 
is knowing how to do research and just thinking!
At 12:14 AM 4/25/2007, you wrote:

>One reason the study of law is interesting but so frustrating is that you
>begin in the middle, no matter what you do.  There's no beginning.  Legal
>theory is so interconnected that you will always need to know about other
>areas of it to fully understand how the court found as it did in any case.
>I hope this makes sense.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Rod Alcidonis
>Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 12:00 AM
>To: 'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Prelaw Literature
>
>Joe, I felt just like you and Tie when I was starting. I wanted to read
>anything and everything about the law, however, within a few weeks I quickly
>realized that it was somewhat an unnecessary venture on my part. As I said
>before, what will help you in Law School is to read anything that will set
>you apart from your peers, such as the ability to read lengthy passages in a
>relatively short time, etc. I know you want to face the devil, but you will
>never get to face the devil until you actually start your first class. The
>devil will be different depending on who your professor is, and which school
>you are attending.
>
>      As another lister mentioned, first year courses do not really teach you
>the substantive law you are thinking about. Rather, most of the law you will
>learn will be from discussing unsettled case law to extract legal rules and
>learn how to think like a lawyer the way your professor wants you to. And
>really, this means that by the time the year is over, the law might change a
>number of times through judicial opinions. In short, any substantive law you
>might try to learn now would be totally out of context because you will not
>know what you should be looking for, legally speaking.
>
>  I know it's frustrating hearing this, and I felt the same way when I was
>getting advice for law school. However, take my word for it, it is not
>necessary. For now, the types of reading you are doing are typical for
>pre-law students, and for the most part, they are very helpful. But, get use
>to poor writing, friend, because numerous court opinions will trigger your
>frustration in a blank of the eye.
>
>Rod Alcidonis
>  Juris Doctor Candidate, 2009.
>Roger Williams University School of Law 10 Metacom Ave., Box: 9003 Bristol,
>RI 02809
>Home: (401) 824-8685
>Cell: (718) 704-4651
>  E-mail: roddj12 at hotmail.com
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Joe Orozco
>Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 7:54 PM
>To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
>Subject: [blindlaw] Prelaw Literature
>
>     I read One L and The Paper Chase.  The Paper Chase was a waste of time,
>poor writing and no substantive advice, but One L was insightful.  I took
>two different constitutional law courses and a legal theories course in my
>undergrad, and while I found the courses intriguing, I now look back on it
>and wish I'd taken the international-based courses that would have piqued my
>
>curiosity.  I figure law school will teach me law when I get there, but like
>
>Tai, I like to familiarize myself with the devil I will be confronting.  Any
>
>other advice on prospective law students is always appreciated.
>
>           Joe Orozco
>
>"Life is a compromise of what your ego wants to do, what experience tells
>you to do, and what nerves let you do."--Bruce Crampton
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Carrie Ann Lucas" <clucas at disabilitypride.com>
>To: "'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 7:37 PM
>Subject: Re: [blindlaw] bulk scanners
>
>
> >I agree with Rob.  Substantive study is probably not that useful for law
> > school success, unless you are doing some sort of law school preparation
> > program that is teaching you how to study and read for law school.  Most
> > first year law school classes have very little to do with the practice of
> > law, and have more to do with teaching you to think and study the way your
> > school wants to do. My opinion I that the best thing you can do to prepare
> > you for lawyering (assuming you want to practice law after law school) is
> > to
> > get as much legal experience as possible.  Find somewhere to volunteer and
> > jump in, be it helping with intakes at a local women's shelter, or
> > answering
> > phones for a busy firm.  Whatever you can do to gain experience, network,
> > and learn more about how you will manage accommodations for yourself is
> > far
> > more valuable than any reading you do for core classes.
> >
> > Carrie Ann Lucas
> > Attorney/Equal Justice Works Fellow
> > Center for Rights of Parents with Disabilities Colorado Cross-Disability
> > Coalition
> > 655 Broadway, Suite 775
> > Denver, CO 80203
> > 303.839.1775 (voice
> > 303.839.0015 (TTY and CapTel)
> > 303.839.1782 (facsimile)
> > 800.817.1435 (voice)
> > 877.267.1621(TTY and CapTel)
> > www.ccdconline.org
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > Tie, I would respectfully disagree with Tim on this point. I do not
> > believe
> > that at this time you need to be worried about reading prep materials in
> > order to get ahead for when you actually start law school. Each professor,
> > each school has its own take on the substantive law, and they will teach
> > you
> > when you arrive at Law School. More importantly, the materials will not
> > make
> > much sense to you anyway in a legal sense because you won't know what to
> > look for when reading and how to put it all together. The best I can
> > advise
> > if you want to get ahead, however, would be to read about the U.S court
> > systems, the Supreme Court, government, philosophy texts, etc. Knowing
> > these
> > types of information will certainly place you a head of your peers, in my
> > opinion.
> >
> > I would definitely stay away from reading substantive Law, unless this is
> > what drives your interest for leisure readings. One thing I did that was
> > helpful before I started Law School was reading Latin legal terminologies,
> > and it saved me a lot of time from having to consult a legal dictionary
> > every time I encountered a term in a reading.
> >
> > Another thing you can do that will help you would be to start getting use
> > to
> > reading very dense, lengthy texts with attention to details because that's
> > exactly what you will be doing when you are actually in Law School.
> >
> > Take care.
> >
> > Rod Alcidonis
> > Juris Doctor Candidate, 2009.
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > blindlaw at nfbnet.org
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>
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