Pointers*

"The world has its fling at lawyers sometimes, but its very denial is an admission. It
feels, what I believe to be the truth, that of all secular professions this has the highest
standards."

- Mr. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

Get clear on the why. "He who has the why can bear almost any how (Friedrich W.
Nietzsche)." We all have reasons why we entered law school. Remember that as you go
through it. They will tide you through. If they are not clear yet, that's fine. You will get
to refine those along the way. For now, congratulations. You are about to undertake one
of the worthwhile pursuits of your lifetime. These pointers could help.

Don’t claim it. Earn it. — You’ve heard the cliche: “claim it already, etc.” I think we
are not justified to claim something that is not ours yet. In fact, claiming something that
is not ours is proscribed. Instead of claiming it, we need to earn it everyday. How? By
preparing well. Let this be clear to you: Who and what you are to be you are now
becoming. So, make each day count, for the struggle today is not only for today; it is for
the vast future also (Abraham Lincoln). Your future self will thank you for it. Know that
law school is hard, but it can be done. The basic thing to know about law-school and
becoming a lawyer is: it is hard, but it can be done. Many did it already. Many do it
yearly. Still many more will do it in the coming years. You too, can do it.

Have a system and a schedule. In law school, piles of readings are a given. Professors
will assign numerous cases to read, codal provisions to understand, some of which to
memorize, and esoteric concepts to comprehend. What's fun is that you will have to read
and understand as much as you can in a limited time. To go through this, you have to
take things one day at a time. That's where a system and a schedule come in handy. A
system is a set of built in structure you have for the day so that you don't get lost in the
midst of the noise that comes along with the confluence of difficulties and time
constrains you'll be facing ahead. An important part of having a system is having a
schedule. For Anne Dillard, "a schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for
catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands
at sections of time... It is a peace and haven set into the wreck of time." You have to
organize each day and allot time for all your activities so that you can track down what's
going on for you, whether or not you're at par with your readings and with your life in
general, and so that you can block in time for your rest, recreation and the pursuit of
things you're most passionate about.

Find out what study method works for you. You already, at least, have an idea on
how you study. Try implementing it while improving on it along the way. The basic
thing you need to know is that there are a lot of things to memorize in law school. But
before memorizing them, you should first understand the reason behind them, the spirit
that animates the letter of the law. Put simply, understand first before memorizing.
When you deeply understand the topic, it will be easier for you to memorize and retain
them long term. Regardless of the study techniques and methods you will employ
throughout your stay in law school, you, at bottom, need to balance quality and speed.
Law school and bar exams cover numerous topics. Some students and baristas finish
reading all of the topics, some even do two, three, four readings, some read only the
most essential parts. Which method is correct? Not one method is the only right way.
Trust your methods; it might be correct. The point is, so long as you don’t sacrifice
quality over speed, but study in a pace that is not too slow, you’re good to go.
* Sheen Joshua B. Barrieta
Order of materials to study. There are at least three materials you need to study per
subject: (1) the codal provision - that is, the black letter law; (2) the annotation - the
books explaining the codal provision/law; and (3) the cases/case law - the Supreme
Court decided cases which not only illustrate the application of the law, but form part of
the law of the land themselves. Read the codal provision per chapter first so that you'll
get to have a grasp of the topic you are studying. After familiarizing with what the law
says, study the annotations/books that will explain what the law said. The corpus of legal
annotations are the explanations of legal luminaries on the law, which oftentimes
already incorporate cases decided by the Supreme Court. After reading the law and the
books, read the cases so that you will see how the laws are applied in real life by the
courts.

How to read cases. In reading cases, you can use these: (a) Supreme Court Reports
Annotated version - the book form of published Supreme Court Decisions, or the
ESCRA, i.e., the online form published by Central Books. In these two, the case begins
with a "syllabus." This syllabus is an excerpt of the topics discussed in the entire case.
You can use this as notes. After the syllabus comes the actual case itself. It starts with
the (1) Facts - what happened, followed by (2) the Issue/s - what should be resolved; and
(3) Ruling - what did the Court say to resolve the issue/s. In the ruling part, you will see
the lower court's/tribunal's ruling, the Court of Appeals' ruling and the Supreme Court's
ruling. What matters is the Supreme Court's ruling because it is what's controlling or the
last say on the matter. However, some professors might ask how the lower
court/s/tribunal/s and the Court of Appeals ruled. This depends on the prof. But make
sure you know the ruling of the Supreme Court. Other resources include: (b) Supreme
Court e-library; (c) Lawphil; (d) Chan-Robles; (e) CDAsia; (f) etc.

Make your own digest. Cases are usually lengthy. That's why you need to abridge them
by noting down only the necessary details: (a) facts, (b) issues and (c) ruling. It is
making a short but concise version of the case. To do this, look at the case syllabus
given by the professor and get only the details in the case which pertain to that topic in
the syllabus under which the case is assigned. If there are many cases, you can have a
digest pool with your classmates, i.e., you assign the cases to each member of the class,
digest them and share your digests with one another. Nonetheless, making your own
case digests should be the priority. This will help you when reviewing for recitations. It
will also help you get better in spotting the issues in a given problem. You will need this
skill in answering the exams.

Recitations. 90% of the time, there are always class recitations. This tradition is unique
to the legal profession in order to train lawyers this soon to argue for a case in court or
other tribunal or platforms. Thus, you need to prepare everyday for this by studying
well. A quick point: don't be afraid of the profs. Just do your best. If recitation goes well,
celebrate it. If it does not, don't be hard on yourself. Also, don't take profs' comments
personally. Some will utter insulting remarks, but never mind. That's petty. What
matters is your belief in what you can become - that is, a lawyer, against all odds.

Answering exams. Exams are usually situational problems. Here, your issue-spotting
skills will be called into action. Moreover, in answering the exams questions, you need
to have a system this early. Try this: C.L.E.A.R. C- categorical answer. As much as
possible, your answer should begin with a Yes/No. L - then, you cite what the law says
about the problem. E - explain thereafter what that means. A - apply then the law to the
given problem. And, R - resultant conclusion, i.e., you make a short conclusion.
Patience. Things take time, and so should you – unless you're the flash and you move at
super-sonic speeds, or you're a photon moving at the speed of light. Throughout law
school, you might not meet the schedule you set. And you will feel you’re behind on
your lessons, that you’ve not read enough, that you don’t know enough, that you’re not
prepared each meeting for recitations and for exams. Just be patient with yourself. Do
not be discouraged by the occasional laxity, but always rise up with fresh courage and
begin again with joy. Adjust your time. Reset your schedule. Bounce back.

Take chances. — There will be days when you will feel like you might want to quit,
take a gap year and just prepare for the next semester or the next bar. Think about this. If
you're a barista and you quit now, for sure, you’re not a lawyer next year. If you take the
bar now, there’s no guaranty of passing by mere taking, but at least you get to have a
chance of passing the bar. Don’t deny yourself that chance. You owe it to yourself.
Prepare well.

Be your own hero. — The Bar Exam is a long way away and you're just on day 1 of
law school. If you know about Murphy’s law, it might just be looming around the
corner. Problems will come, people will leave, your heroes will let you down. So, what
are you going to do about it? You have to be your own hero — be your own role model.
In the face of exhaustion and anxiety, you have to be your best self. But if you're lucky
and you have supportive families and friends that bring out the best in you, appreciate
and be grateful for them. They are a great source of encouragement and support-system
that you will keep turning to throughout your days in law school.

Have a life. There's more to life than law. There are other things that matter which you
should not take for granted – yourself, your family, your loved ones and friends, the
things that you're passionate about. Find time to connect and reconnect with them. They
are our source of joy. And they make life worth living. Never let law school make you
forget who you are before entering its halls and doorways.

Execute and enjoy the process. Execution is the greatest expression of faith. Believing
that you will be a lawyer is just the beginning of the equation. Take the next step: make
it happen. Becoming a lawyer is not about wishful thinking. Becoming a lawyer is
precisely that — “becoming.” It’s a process and a verb. And it’s in the progressive tense.
It’s not in the past although everything you learn will accumulate; it’s not solely in the
future too. It’s happening RIGHT. NOW. Are you making it happen?. You can
cheerfully make it happen.

Pray. Embrace the faith. — For St. Thomas Aquinas, prayer and study are the same.
When you study, you search not only for knowledge, but for truth and wisdom. When
you pray, you put yourself in the presence of Truth and Wisdom Himself. From here, we
can draw the necessary conclusions. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to have faith,
especially when there’s no evidence around or when the latter hints otherwise. Here’s a
great prayer: “Lord, I do believe. Help my unbelief” (Mk. 9:24). You might want to read
the full story here: Mk. 9:14-29.