[blindlaw] outlining methods

[AZNOR99 at aol.com]

Jay,
 
Welcome to the list.
 
You raise an excellent point.  I had the same problem trying to figure  out 
the big picture with the outline method at first.  I ultimately  developed 
the habit of creating two outlines.  The first one was a really  general big 
picture sort - less than a page.  Think of it as a sort of  table of 
contents, if you want.  I even went back and added page numbers to  my other 
outline later.  I modeled this one-pager after the course sylabus  outline.  I 
also created it near the beginning of the semester so that I  had a sense of 
where we were headed.  I've pasted portions of that  one-pager at the bottom 
of this email for your reference.
 
Then I would take that really general "big picture" outline and fill it in  
with specific cases, concepts, and exceptions.  So I might include things  
like "definition" or a specific case name and short description under one of 
the  subcategories.  By the time the term ended, I'd have just as long an  
outline as everyone else, but I also had the one-pager, which was great for  
little cram sessions and to keep me grounded.  In fact, I actually compiled 
 all the one-pagers and used them to help me study for the bar exam.
 
Let me know if you want me to send you other examples.
 
Good luck,
Ronza
 
 
Course Title: Torts
I. Intentional Torts
A. Assault
B. Battery
C. False Imprisonment
D. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED)
E. Trespass to Land
...
II. Harm to Economic and Dignitary Interests
A. Defamation
B. Invasion of Privacy
C. Misrepresentation
D. Interference with Business Relations
...
III. Negligence
A. Prima Facia Case
    1. Duty
    2. Breach
    3. Causation
    4. Damages
B. Defenses
    1. Contributory Negligence
    2. Comparative Negligence
    3. Assumption of Risk
    4. Strict Liability
...

 
 
In a message dated 10/31/2009 3:22:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
withat at msn.com writes:

Hello  all,
I am new to this list, so please pardon if this is a repeat of a  recent 
thread.  What course outlining methods have you used?  This  is my first year 
in law school, so everything is new to me.  I question  whether the typical 
method of using Roman numerals, Arabic numbers, letters,  etc. with 
indentations would be ideal for me.  It seems like it would be  hard to see the big 
picture and to navigate the concepts in a document like  this.

I'm open to any/all suggestions/ideas.

Thanks  much.

Jay in  Oregon
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