Law School Unmasked™

We would like to learn more about you and your expectations for the program! Please fill out this short survey prior to beginning the course.

Welcome to Law School Unmasked™! In this webinar, leaders in the field of legal education will explain in broad terms what to expect from law school and how Law School Unmasked™ can help you prepare to take on the challenges ahead. This webinar will include an interactive session with the panelists.

In this module you will hear from current law students about the challenges--both expected and unexpected--they faced in law school, and how they overcame those challenges.

What will your law school classes be like? What is the Socratic Method? What’s the most effective way to answer Socratic questioning? How are law school classes different than undergraduate classes? In this module you will sit in on a law school class dealing with the subject of employment discrimination and experience the dynamic between law professors and law students in a classroom setting.

What exactly is a tort? What is an element test versus a factor test? What is IRAC? In this module you will learn some of the basic vocabulary and terminology you will need to navigate your first-year classes.

Lawyers and law students must juggle multiple deadlines and competing demands on their time. What strategies work to help keep law students on top of their work? In this module you will learn expert management techniques for keeping yourself on pace throughout the semester.

Most of us will not have read a large number of judicial opinions (also referred to as “cases” and “case law”) prior to starting law school, and yet judicial opinions will constitute the majority of your reading once you begin your journey. How are judicial opinions different than the materials you may have read as an undergraduate? What are you supposed to take away from reading a judicial opinion? What kind of questions will you be asked about your reading? In this module you will learn how to dissect and understand the context of your reading prior to class.

Join law school faculty members for a discussion of growth mindset – an approach to your law school studies that is proven to improve academic performance. This webinar will include an interactive session with the panelists.

You have watched and experienced a mock law school class. Now it’s time to take a deeper dive into the strategies for asking and answering questions in the law school classroom. Participating in class can feel intimidating but it is a skill that you can practice and master!

As you have probably figured out by now . . . law school is different. Strategies for taking notes that may have worked for you in your undergraduate work may not be as effective in law school given the type and volume of information you will be digesting in the law school classroom. In this module you will learn about the most effective techniques for organizing the content delivered through lecture and Socratic questioning.

Reviewing and consolidating your notes after class is absolutely critical for optimal performance in law school—and it is the one practice that law students most regret not implementing in their first semester. You may have heard that “outlining” is a key part of the law school learning process. Learn about how to transform your class notes into study materials (or “outlines”) that will help you prepare effectively for mid-terms and final exams.

There is a science to memorization. Learn about the spaced repetition method and how it will dramatically improve your ability to retain and recall large amounts of information.

Law school is professional school and so part of what you are here to learn are the norms of professional behavior and how to form your own professional identity. Learn how to cultivate professional relationships with your faculty members, peers, law school staff, and prospective employers.

Perhaps you will be navigating law school with a disability or know someone who will be. Making sure you receive effective accommodations is key to getting the most out of your legal education. Learn about the relevant considerations and processes.

What is the difference between a trial court and an appellate court? How do the federal and state court systems interact? In this module you will learn about the structure of our judicial system and how it plays into the development of the law.

Hear from real, live, upper-level law students about what they wish they had known prior to beginning law school. This webinar will include an interactive session with the panelists.

From the first day of law school you will be bombarded with offers for study guides to help you. Learn about the right way—and the wrong way—to use study guides and how to determine which study guides are most helpful for you.

Learning how to be a lawyer is like learning to play football or learning to play a musical instrument—you can’t just read an instruction manual, you have to get out there and practice. Learn about how and when to use practice questions to enhance your learning and develop your test-taking skills.

You may have heard that you are in law school to learn to “think like a lawyer.” While it is important to learn the substantive law, it is equally important to learn how to use the law you learn to solve legal problems. In this module you will be introduced to the common forms of deductive and inductive reasoning used by lawyers and law students as they develop their problem-solving skills.

Most of us have never taken a law school exam prior to going to law school, and by now you will not be surprised to learn that law school exams are very different from undergraduate exams. In this module you will be introduced to the typical format and structure of law school exams and the special skills needed to perform your best.

Many of the cases you will read in your first year of law school will be older and written in an ornate and overly lengthy style. But modern lawyers strive to write as clearly and concisely as possible. In this module you will learn the basics of clear and concise writing which will help you both on your law schools exams and in your first-year Legal Writing class.

What are the different ways in which lawyers occupy leadership positions in our society? Is this a role you can see yourself in? Hear from experts on leadership about their own journeys and the broader principles of becoming a leader in your right. This webinar will include an interactive session with the panelists. Open to all registrants regardless of where you are in terms of course completion.