The weather outside the library is crisp and cool, and the
colorful leaves on the trees are mostly gone. For law students, these seasonal
changes can mean only one thing: exam season is approaching. If you are a 1L,
you will soon find yourself preparing class outlines and other study materials
for the first time. If you talk to any 2L or 3L, you’ll likely hear references
to a variety of study aids – those wonderful, little books that help you
outline, explain complicated legal concepts, and provide you with practice exam
questions. They go by many names: Glannon’s, Gilberts, E&E, Short & Happy
Guides, etc.
While you have to figure out which study aids are the best
for your own study habits through trial and error, I am here today in the hopes
of jump-starting the selection process. Remember, you can (and should) use
multiple study aids to take advantage of the variety of provided tools!
This blog post should provide you with a general overview of
the major titles and their highlights. I will start with the more detailed,
treatise-style study aids and finish with the basic outlines and exam practice
books. Remember that these study aids will have separate titles dedicated to most
law school courses, so you should be able to find multiple study aids for each
course you are taking.
Option 1: Concise Hornbooks Series (West)
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What is it? A
legal hornbook is a one-volume treatise that summarizes a specific area of law.
The explanations themselves are relatively concise and can be very useful in
clearing up any confusion or missing pieces within your own class notes. It is
also possible to trace the general outline of a specific area of the law
through the table of contents for each individual title. View a sample here.
Option 2: Understanding Series (LexisNexis)
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What is it? The
Understanding Series is another hornbook series that includes one-volume
treatises on a variety of areas of the law. Much like the Concise Hornbook
Series, these titles are best used to explain difficult legal concepts and fill
out gaps in your own outlines. View a sample here.
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Availability: In
print in the Law Library Study Aids Collection
Option 3: Nutshell Series (West)
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What is it? The
Nutshell Series is a simplified version of a hornbook. You won’t find
exhaustive treatment of every legal
issue or element in these books. Instead, Nutshells outline the major concepts
in a specific field of law and provide very short summaries. View a sample here.
Option 4: Short & Happy Guides (West)
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What is it? Similar
to the Nutshell Series, the Short & Happy Guides provide condensed
explanations of major legal topics. Here you will find explanations of legal
principles, practices, and policies in easy-to-digest snippets. View a sample here.
Option 5: Glannon Guides (Wolters Kluwer)
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What is it? Glannon
Guides are a happy medium between hornbooks, general outlines, and practice
exam books. They provide you with an overall outline of a particular legal
area, along with short explanations of legal issues and a series of practice
hypotheticals to test your understanding of each concept. View a sample here.
-
Availability: In
print in the Law Library Study Aids Collection
Option 6: Examples & Explanations (Wolters Kluwer)
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What is it? E&E
is perhaps one of the most well-known study aid series out there. Like the
Glannon Guides, they provide you with a general outline of a legal topic, along
with brief summaries of issues and hypotheticals that allow you to test your
knowledge. View a sample here.
-
Availability: In
print in the Law Library Study Aids Collection
This list of options is by no means comprehensive. Be sure
to check out the full array of study aids title available to you in your Westlaw Study Aids subscription and in print in the Law Library Study Aids
Collection.
Note: Not sure how to
access your Westlaw Study Aids subscription? Check out our previous blog
post to get more information!
Posted by Melissa M. Hyland on Tue. November 20, 2018 10:32 AM
Categories:
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