[blindLaw] Increasing Efficiency in the Workplace

[Sanho Steele-Louchart]

Julie: 

You'll start to remember cases by name and context when you work in the same area for a while. In the meantime, or when working on something new, would it be helpful to take down just a few words about a case and copy/paste anything that seems useful, along with its corresponding page number in the asterisks, to help you jump back to that place in the future? JAWS placemarker command is also a great way to put down virtual sticky-notes you can jump to or bring up in a list. 

Sanho 

> On Oct 8, 2024, at 10:32 PM, Julie A. Orozco via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> 
> 
> I hope the following question makes some sense. I have just started my first
> real attorney job out of law school. Although I'm enjoying the work and
> learning a lot in general, I'm also finding that my methods for doing
> research and completing work just don't seem as efficient as maybe I thought
> they were in law school. I am open to any suggestions you might have, but
> here are a few specific questions to start.
> 
> 
> 
> How do you avoid going back after you've written your memo or whatever and
> citing everything? When I do my research, I don't know which quotes and
> ideas will be helpful, and I don't want to pin-cite the entire case,
> especially if it's 30 pages. But going through later to find citations feels
> like such a drain on my time.
> 
> 
> 
> If you have a lot of research to do, and you don't need to read everything
> in a case to find what you want, how do you skim for it? I've thought of
> using the find command, going through the case to find headings, and just
> tracking the thread of the case to see when the relevant issues will be
> discussed. But I'm open to other strategies too.
> 
> 
> 
> When I read cases, I like to brief them because otherwise, I'll never
> remember them later if I don't. One of my colleagues suggested that might
> not be a good use of my time. Is briefing cases not a thing outside of law
> school? How else do people keep track of what they've read. I read so much
> every day that I'll never remember it all and put it in the correct context
> if I don't take notes in some way. I've also found that taking notes and
> summarizing things in my own words helps me process and comprehend what I
> read. But maybe there's something I'm missing?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe this is because I started law school during the pandemic, or maybe I
> just didn't learn everything I could. (I was never on journal or anything
> like that.) But I wish I had better strategies for tracking research,
> citations, and skimming through very long cases for the right information. I
> use Jaws, just received a Mantis Braille display through my job, and don't
> have any issues with accessibility at present. I'm proficient with all my
> technology but not a tech master or anything.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for any suggestions. I am so grateful for my current position and
> really want to do well where I am.
> 
> 
> 
> Julie
> 
> 
> 
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