Spotting the Issues

Spotting the Issues

Learn that, on exam day, your paramount task is to spot the issues the facts raise, and gain the skills to do this efficiently and effectively.

Transcript

Welcome to Spotting the Issues! In this lesson, we’ll examine pre-writing step two, identifying the issues. 

Of course, when we say issues, we mean legal issues. A legal issue asks what outcome the law requires, given a specific factual situation. As we stated earlier, the facts raise the issues you’ll discuss in your answers, so the importance of carefully reading the facts cannot be overstated.

I. Classifying Legal Issues

Issues are either primary or subsidiary. A primary issue poses an...

Lessons

1. Introduction
  • Welcome to Acing Your Law Exam
2. Preparing from Day One
  • The Preparation Marathon
  • The Five Traits of Highly Successful Law Students
  • Reading Cases like a Rock Star
  • Briefing Cases Efficiently
  • Using Class Time Effectively
  • Outlining to Win
  • Catching Up When You're Behind
3. Knowing What to Expect and Keeping Your Focus
  • Common Essay Questions
  • Demystifying the Curve
  • Surviving Exam Season
  • Exam Aftermath: The Final Hurdle
  • Looking Back to Move Ahead
4. Exam Day Strategies
  • Budgeting Your Exam Time Wisely
  • Understanding the Questions and Facts
  • Spotting the Issues
  • Organizing Your Answer
5. Writing Winning Essay Answers
  • The Professor's Expectations
  • The CREAC Format
  • Winning Applications
  • What to Do When You Don't Know
6. Handling Unusual Exam Formats
  • Multiple-Choice Questions (Part 1)
  • Multiple-Choice Questions (Part 2)
  • True-False Questions
  • Open-Book and Take-Home Exams