South Texas College of Law - Student Organizations Office

First Semester Book

Contents:

Commonly Used Law School Terms

Professor Profiles

Section A

Taylor-Civil Procedure
Page-Contracts 1
Corn-Criminal Law
Bauman-Torts 1

Section B

Wilks-Civil Procedure
Ricks-Contracts 1
Wheeler-Criminal Law
Moore-Torts 1

Section C

Wilks-Civil Procedure
Kelso-Contracts 1
Corn-Criminal Law
Weigel-Torts 1

Section D

Paulsen-Civil Procedure
Worley-Contracts 1
Moses-Criminal Law
Bauman-Torts 1

Advice

Important Campus Offices



NOTE: all sections of this book referring to an individual professor's teaching style or the format of their final examination have been gathered from students who took the class in a previous semester. The professor's teaching style and/or final exam format may have changed since then. Please consult your individual class syllabus for more information

Commonly Used Law School Terms-The following are some commonly used terms that you will see either in this book or used in the classroom.

BarBri/PMBR-review courses that graduates take while studying for the State Bar Exam. 1L's can make down payments in their 1^st year, permanently locking in the price for those courses, and receive review books for their 1^st year classes.

Brief-structured notes from the cases (see below) that you read. Most “briefs” contain the facts of the case, information about what happened in the lower courts (called procedural history), the legal issue that is presently before the court (issue), the decision that the court came to (holding), the reasoning for that decision (reasoning), and any rules (ROL or rule of law) that the court used to get to that conclusion (like the elements of an assault or the definition of causation). Many professors require hand-written briefs for purposes of recitation (see below). See your professor's profile for more information.

Case-written opinions of the appellate and high court judges. Cases represent the majority of what you will read and study in law school.

Finals-The grade in most/all of your first semester courses will be determined by your performance on the final examination. Each professor makes his or her own final. A final can contain any combination of essay, multiple choice, short answer, and true/false questions. Finals are 3 hours long (with the exception of Legal Research and Writing, which is two hours) and occur from late November to mid December.

Hypo-Hypothetical situation. Professors use these hypos in their classes to test a student's knowledge of the law and analytical skills. Write these hypos down as they give good examples on how the law works and could show up on the final.

Memo-In your Legal Research and Writing class you will be presented with a memorandum that will serve as your final project and a large portion (45-60%) of your grade in the class. A memorandum will ask you to explain some aspect of the law (probably negligence) and apply that explanation to a particular set of facts.

Mid-term-In your substantive classes (Civil Procedure, Contracts, Torts, Criminal Law), the professor will give the students a mid-term assignment that serves as a method to determine what a student is doing well and where a student can improve.

Recitation/Socratic Method-a large portion of the material that is covered in class will be discussed through recitation. In recitation, a student will be called on to discuss the subject matter of the cases that were assigned for class. The student will explain the facts of the case (see brief, above), the procedural history, the issue, the holding, the reasoning, and may be asked to apply the rule of law to several hypos. Recitation usually follows the following formats (see your professor for their specific format):

Alphabetical-the professor uses the roll sheet to call names in alphabetical order, starting again at the top of the sheet after all names are called.

Random-the professor calls on students in random order.

Row-the professor calls on the first student of a row and proceeds to call on other students in the row for subsequent cases and hypos.

Case Expert-students are assigned to a case before the semester begins and extensively prepare that case for their time to recite. The student assigned to that case should know more about that case than all other students, thus that student should be an “expert” on that case.

NOTE: most professors require students to stand up while reciting; assume all of your professors do unless otherwise stated here.
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Section A

Professor Taylor

Civil Procedure
Section A

See the professor for a list of do's and don'ts.

Classroom style:

Random recitation style. Briefs not required but encouraged due to the difficult nature of the class. Intense homework assignments. Write everything that the professor says in class.

Looking Ahead:

Final has essay and short-answer components. Look for the essays to be broken into separate parts. Each essay may contain separate issues had to be identified Short answer questions are straight forward. Longer essays would have a fact pattern then some questions followed by a paragraph which changes the fact pattern or more questions concerning a different issue in the fact pattern. Time management is essential in this exam. See the professor after you have put worked to understand the material on your own. Don't be discouraged if you don't understand immediately.

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Professor Page

Contracts
Section A

DO be attentive and act in an attentive mode in class.
DO anticipate what will be problematic about the case.
DO keep dialogue going after class with other students

DON'T think I'm a television set-people find themselves in an audience setting and think that I can't see them.
DON'T be a visual distraction.
DON'T pass notes and pictures in class.
DON'T be “unthoughtful” about material-don't answer “I don't know”.
DON'T let your thought process step when you walk out the door.

Classroom style/Recitation:

Random “participation”-different from recitation in the sense that students will be called on to answer a specific question about a case or to discuss a specific concept rather than standing to explain a whole case. A student can expect to “participate” anywhere between once and 5 times a semester as the professor does not keep track. A student that is not paying attention can expect to “participate” more than one who is not.

Looking ahead:

The spring 2004 final was ½ multiple choice and ½ essay. Expect all concepts to be covered in the multiple choice section. In the essay, expect to focus on the main concepts (offer and acceptance/mailbox rule, consideration, and battle of the forms/warranties).

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Professor Corn

Criminal Law
Section A

See the Professor and his syllabus for more information.

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Professor Bauman

Torts 1
Section A

DO ask questions.
(DON'T be afraid to express your views, but DO expect to be asked to explain why you take the position that you do).

DO pay attention to the facts and the procedural history of a case.
DON'T simply read a case for the holding.

DO make an outline yourself.
DON'T simply rely on a commercial outline

DO try to think through the way a rule or holding will work in other cases or on other facts. Practice imagining other scenarios and how the rule will apply.

DO come to class as prepared as you possibly can. This is a professional's obligation.

Classroom style/recitation: Random recitation lasting 15-20 minutes. Be sure to discuss the procedural history in your recitation, because you will be asked to give all of it. Standing is not required. Expect to be called on once in the semester. Make special care to take down all of the information on the slides

Looking Ahead: Final is all multiple-choice. Consider using a Barbri/PMBR book to help get practice for multiple-choice questions.
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Section B

Professor Wilks

Civil Procedure
Section B

DO show up to learn, not just for attendance purposes.

DO ask questions!!!

DO keep up and come by the office if you don't understand.

DO be prepared because I go in ABC order for recitation.

DON'T require students to recite.

DON'T have ringing cell phones.

Classroom Style/Recitation: Random recitation. Focus on the basic facts and the importance of the holding in each case.

Looking Ahead: Seriously consider using the BarBri lecture for the final. Flashcards are also very helpful for understanding the exceptions to the rules and gaining the ability to spot them in fact patterns. Be sure to keep the different types of jurisdiction separate. Practice short answer with a partner by asking each other questions from your outlines.

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Professor Ricks

Contracts
Section B

DO come prepared to class.
DO expect to participate. I will generally call on students randomly.
DO ask questions in class and after. It's your education. You only get one chance at these topics. Get the most value for your money and time.
DO also ask questions by phone or e-mail about materials we have studied.
DO expect class to do more than simply clarify blackletter law. The purpose of class is not to make sure you have a blackletter rule written down in your notes (although each class should make those rules explicit). The purposes of class include helping you be able to apply the rule, understand when the rule should not apply, have some ideas of the policy or policies that might support the rule, and see to some extent the political ideologies on which the rules are grounded or which are compromised by the establishment of these rules.
DO come to class on time.

DON'T talk out of turn.
DON'T expect to understand everything in class unless you are well prepared. If you leave class confused, it is probably because you are were not prepared enough (though it could be that you are not following class discussion or are unwilling to ask questions in class). Except in rare circumstances in which the class is not reasonably prepared to discuss a topic, I will make sure you have from class discussion the information necessary for you to understand the material. To students who are prepared, this information will confirm what they have already studied and add to it in helpful, understandable ways. To the unprepared, class may seem incomplete, confusing and possibly contradictory. The pars of class conducted as Socratic discussion require a minimal knowledge base and are naturally somewhat disorganized. You therefore must, outside of class, acquire the knowledge base and organize the material that remains unorganized. In case of such confusion, take good notes, ask questions, study the materials more, and sort out the information while completing your outline.
DON'T rely much on unrecommended outside materials, especially in the first year.

Classroom Style/recitation:   random recitation.

Looking Ahead: No final exam information is available at this time, please see your professor and the syllabus for more information

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Vice President and Associate Dean Wheeler

Criminal Law
Section B

DO be prompt, pay attention to detail, and hold knowledge of the law.
DO purchase a good law dictionary
DON'T wear baseball caps to class.

Classroom style/recitation: In-depth recitation. Be very prepared. Do not wear caps to class. Also, “the style of the case” is the name of the case (X v. Y), the court where the case happened (Supreme Court of Texas) and the year that the case was decided (which should be right by the court name. So in review it would sound like “X V. Y, Supreme Court of Texas, 1995. Just trust us on this one, you'll know when you need it.

Looking Ahead:

The Fall 2003 exam had essay and short answer components.

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Professor Moore

Torts 1
Section B

DO be prepared.
DO be respectful of your classmates and the class as a whole.
DO have a brief. You MUST have briefs for all cases in my class.
DO raise your hand to speak.
DON'T keep your cell phone on during class.
DON'T leave/enter while a student is reciting.
DON'T raise your hand while a classmate is struggling for the answer.

Classroom style/recitation: Random, serious, in-depth recitation that lasts up to 30-40 minutes. In-depth handwritten briefs are required for each case. Proper posture is required for recitation. Write down everything discussed in class.

Looking Ahead: Final has multiple choice, essay and short answer components. Outlines for this class should have rules, definitions, public policies, exceptions to the rules, and the Latin terms. Write down everything the professor says and then cut out the extra explanations for your outline unless you need them. Meet the professor throughout the semester for practice sessions to write and submit your outline to the professor for review. Do not miss an appointment. Study the review sheets given in class, but make them your own.

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Section C

Professor Wilks
Civil Procedure

See section B for full information on professor Wilks

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Professor Kelso

Contracts 1
Section C

DO read the assignment before class.

DO show up for every class that you can

DO pay particular attention to the material that is both in my prepared outline in the course supplement and also on the blackboard, as that is the most critical information to remember

DO on the exam, manage your time carefully to ensure you have time to answer every question to some extent

DO on the exam, remember that most questions are written with possible arguments to be made by both sides, so don't give just one side of the argument. On the exam, you are not a judge merely justifying a particular outcome; you should be showing that you could be an attorney for either party, capable of making the strongest argument for either side.

DO practice writing sample exam answers, particularly the last month before the exam. The best way to prepare for an exam is practicing writing sample exams under simulated exam conditions.

These are my 6 do's. I don't have any don'ts; as each individual should find his or her own way to put into practice the 6 do's listed above.

Classroom Style/Recitation: Alphabetical, straight-forward recitation, lasting 5-7 minutes. Concentratre on the basic facts and the holding. Pay specific attention to material written on the board, as well as the material in the professor's outline (see DO #2).

Looking Ahead: Final is all essay. Look and answer all the previous exams in the supplement, take or e-mail them to the professor and ask him to evaluate them for you as he is more than willing to do it and responds very quickly. The final in this class is open book and open notes, but there is not enough time to look through a full outline. Prepare and practice for the final as if it were closed and make a short, condensed tabbed outline that you can navigate through quickly. Make sure that an issue exists before you write about it. In this final, the professor wants students to come to a specific answer (i.e.: yes there is a contract or no there is not). Use the exam answers in the back of the supplement to help arrive at the appropriate answer

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Professor Weigel

Torts I
Section C

DO try to review as we go along.

DO try to speak distinctly and with enough force to be heard. What you have to say is worth everybody's hearing.

DO try to come to class when your time of recitation is apparent.

DO try to make sure you attend the last weeks of the semester.

DO ask your questions during class.

DON'T delay working on your legal research and writing obligations

DON'T engage in private conversations or other distractions during the class.

DON'T let your head hit the desk too loudly and disturb your neighbors if you fall asleep in class.

Classroom style/Recitation: Alphabetical, in-depth recitations lasting anywhere between 5-30 minutes. Know major decision of case and reasoning. Be ready to apply the rule of the case to several hypothetical situations. Read the note section after each case (some of the hypos used will be found there). Due to the alphabetical nature of the recitation, attendance on the day that you are scheduled to recite is important (see DO's). Expect to recite twice in the semester.

Looking Ahead: All-essay final. Expect aspects of hypos to be on the final. There is a one-bluebook limit for writers and a character limit (including letters and spaces) for typed answers (around 17,000). Due to the limits, clear, thought out and CONSISE writing is absolutely necessary. Read the “call of the question” and discuss that only.

Professor Corn

Criminal Law
Section C

See the Professor and his syllabus for more information

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Section D

Professor Paulsen

Civil Procedure

DO prepare for class. I assume, as any teacher must assume, that everyone has read and has some basic understanding of the assigned material before walking into class. If you haven't read the material, don't be surprised if can't follow what I'm saying in class. Lectures are designed as a supplement for assigned readings, not as a substitute for readings. “Canned” outlines or study guides are not a substitute for reading or classroom attendance, either. Many students don't figure this out until after the first couple of semesters' grades are in. Don't be one of themclass.

DO speak loudly when called upon to speak. The acoustics in STCL classrooms are not perfect, and usually work best to project a voice from the front of the room to the back, rather than from back to front or side to side. Remember also that your voice sounds a lot louder to you than it does to anyone else.

DO come to class late or unprepared, if that really is your only alternative to missing class altogether. If this sort of thing becomes a habit, consider whether you need to be taking a lighter load, rearranging your schedule, or adjusting other aspects of your life

DO contact me whenever you have any question that remains unresolved after reading the assigned material and attending class. The mutual feedback made possible by one-on-one discussions — whether conducted in person, over the phone, or by email — makes this sort of communication much more effective than careful attention to even my most inspired lecture. While I once was a skeptic, I'm coming around to the belief that email might actually be the most effective way of dealing with targeted course-related questions

DO take bathroom breaks if you must. DO NOT disturb others while you're doing it, or let it become a habit without medical reason

DON'T be disrespectful to fellow students. It is unprofessional and it irritates me. Disrespect includes talking or making any sort of a disturbance while another student or the professor is talking, laughing at another student's discomfiture, and so forth. All of your classmates are bright, or they wouldn't be here. Anyone (including the professor) will have an occasional bad day; it may be your turn next time

DON'T view STCL's permitted absence policy as some sort of vacation assistance plan. While I've not made a scientific study of the issue, fifteen years' experience counseling students suggests to me that high absences often correlate with poor grades.

Classroom Style/Recitation: Varies between lecture, random question and answer, and assigned recitation. Students are always permitted and may be required to stand during recitation. The latter decision usually depends on the volume of the student's voice while seated, my desire to physically separate the student from his notes or other study aids, or a (sometimes misguided) urge to acquaint students with what it feels like to defend a position in public — akin to the courtroom proceedings we'll be looking at during the semester.

Looking Ahead: The final will be a combination of essays, short answers, and some fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice questions.

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Professor Worley

Contracts 1
Section D

DO Remember that law students are preparing for careers as professionals; law study is their work, the low school their place of business.

DO conduct yourselves in a professional manner

DO prepare assignments thoroughly and carefully

DO attend class regularly and punctually

DO contribute meaningfully to class discussion.

DO treat other people respectfully

DO keep in the back of your mind the test for guidance on matters as well: “what would a lawyer adhering to the highest standards of professional conduct do in these circumstances?”

Classroom Style/Recitation: random recitation. When preparing for recitation, focus on the rules that are present and how they work, because the professor may disregard the case that is present and give you a new set of facts that test your ability to apply the applicable law instead of discussing the case.

Looking Ahead: While no information about his contracts 1 final is available, expect essay and multiple choice components. Do all practice problems, essays and quizzes because the same concepts will be present on the exam. Take your essays to the professor and have him review them as he is more than willing to do so. Study his model answers to practice essays.

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Professor Moses

Criminal Law
Section D

DO go to the website, (http://stclguns.homestead.com/) often.

Classroom style/recitation: this class uses the case-expert method (see page #3). Written case briefs are required. As per the website's instructions, make sure to include a true/false question and answer in your submitted brief. For more information, go to the website (see above)

Looking Ahead: Expect multiple choice, essay, true/false and short answer components. Be sure to anticipate questions derived from the Common Law, The Model Penal Code and the Texas Penal Code. For more information, go to the website. (See above)

Professor Bauman

Torts 1
Section D

See section A for information on professor Bauman

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Advice

1)       Read your book. There is no getting around the fact that you will have to read the material assigned to you to understand the substantive law and be prepared for class. It comes out to 75-100 pages per week, per course, but there is no substitute. There are plenty of shortcuts, and you'll see people go to those early and often, but the absolute best way to get ready for class is to read and figure it out for yourself.

2)       Don't be scared, be prepared. Recitation is a big part of law school and can be scary, but if you're ready, then there's nothing to it. The best way to be prepared is to make briefs for all of the cases, re-explaining the substantive law in your own words. Briefing cases takes time, but you'll be more ready for class and you'll have something to look down at during recitation. Most 1^st year professors give in-depth recitations and require briefs, and the material is so foreign to 1^st year students (see every Civil Procedure professor) that you'll need to brief anyway. Don't be scared of recitation, if you can show your professor that you have worked hard to understand what the case is about and the general idea, MOST professors will work with you.

3)       Go to class. The American Bar Association attendance policy states that all students must attend 80% of their classes in order to receive credit. At STCL, the registrar's office will administratively drop you from a class after missing 20% of that class (9 MWF classes or 6 TTH classes). You shouldn't miss any class at all, with the exception of a major illness or other emergency. Classes move too fast and you'll miss valuable instruction and application of the law if you miss class and no one's notes will be as good as your own. Don't skip class either. If you skip one class thinking that you can skip 8 more, then the day that you don't have any skips left will be the day your car won't start or a major emergency will happen and no breaks or slack will be given to you.
Moreover, if you haven't prepared for a class (i.e. read and/or briefed the cases), and you think that you are up for recitation, go to class anyway. You might not get called on to recite, and if you do, just say “I'm sorry, I'm not prepared”. While it is likely that you'll be strongly reminded (read: lit up) by the professor, you can still get the information and application that was given in class. This won't be a problem for you if you read (see #1) and prepare (see #2).

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4)       Know what the purpose of class is. In undergrad, the purpose of class was to be taught the material by the professor. Such is not the case here. In law school, students are supposed to teach the material to themselves (by reading the cases), and go to class to have the professor show them the different ways that the law can be applied and different situations to apply the law to. Most professors will enforce this by spending class time going over the cases and then using the rest of time to give hypothetical situations to students who are reciting.

5)       Ask questions. If the professor says something that you don't understand, ask the professor to say it again or to explain it. The professors here know that this material is foreign to you and they won't think any less of you and probably won't belittle you for asking questions. Some professors like when students ask questions because it shows that they are listening and trying to figure it out. If you don't want to ask your question to the professor in class, then ask the professor after class or go to their office/set up an appointment. By and large, professors are approachable and will meet with students.
However, make sure that you have tried to learn the material yourself before you go to the professor. Professors are more likely to help if you show that you have made an effort to learn the material.

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6)       Outline early, outline often. Outlining is time-consuming and often difficult, but if you take time and outline for your classes every week, then the load will be lighter and you won't have to do it all near the end. MAKE YOUR OWN OUTLINE FOR EACH CLASS. Don't rely on outlines made by other students, past students, or commercial outlines (see #8).
Some students will form a study group (see #9) and will assign parts of an outline to members of the group (i.e. have Johnny make the section on assault, Suzie Q make the section on battery). Don't do that either. Do your own outline; each student will be responsible for all of the material on the final.

7)       Learn from winners. There are programs on campus that will help you learn how to get ahead and prepare for the finals. The Landgell Scholar Program is such a program. Students who have taken the class and did well explain how they did it and help you get there by giving you practice exams and vital other tools. The Langdell Scholar Program meets on Saturday afternoons. Go there; their sole purpose is to help you make it through.
In addition, the Office of Academic Assistance and Counseling gives several seminars on various subjects like outlining, finals preparation, and exam writing. Go to those seminars and learn what it will take to make the grade here. The seminar on exam writing will change the way that you look at fact patterns.

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8)       1+1=3 if the teacher says so. The notes that the professor gives you in class are the most important notes and the first thing for you to use when preparing for that professor's exam. Your professor's lecture notes from that semester supercede any other study materials that you may have, including commercial outlines, outlines from friends or other people who have had the same class or professor in the past, and anything or anyone else for that matter. If your professor says something that contradicts any other source, then always go with your professor. Emmanuel isn't teaching your class and Emmanuel isn't writing your final.   Moreover, when grading finals, professors want to hear their own voice come back to them on the page. Using your professor's explanations makes a world of difference.

9)       Talk it over… Get in a study group. A study group should get together once a week and review the information that they went over in class that week. A study group should get together and quiz each other with hypos and take practice tests, keeping each other honest (see #12). A study group should have no more than 6 members. If you are in a study group that gets to be more than 6, get out of that group. If your study group turns into an outline swapping session, get out of that group.

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10)   …but know the difference. A study group that meets for 20 minutes and then watches a movie or complains about how hard their professors are is not a study group. That is a support group. Keep your study group on task. Every one needs a study group, and everyone needs a support group, but keep them separated.

11)   Don't be a jerk. You may have heard stories about schools where students hide books, rip pages out of books, and tell other people the wrong answers to questions. Such is totally unprofessional and unnecessary. If someone comes to you and tells you that they need the notes from the day before because they had an emergency, then there is nothing wrong with helping them. You don't have to be a jerk, and you never know when you might need a favor from someone else. Besides, whether you give the information to them or not, each student will be accountable by themselves on the final for what they have or haven't done.

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12)   Practice the way you want to play. A professor once said, ”If you're going to run a marathon, then the only way to get ready is to run a whole lot.” When you take midterms (see above) and other practice tests, force yourself to take them under exam conditions, meaning to take them timed (most sample exams have time suggestions) and without notes/supplements if your test is not open book/notes. After you take a practice test, ask your professor to look at it and walk you through what you did right and what needs to be better. Most/all of your professors will sit down with you and do that. Schedule an appointment if necessary.
We can't stress enough the importance of taking as many practice tests as you can under strict exam conditions. If the first time that you see a Civil Procedure exam is when you take your Civil Procedure exam, it will be an awful 3 hours.

13)   Don't rest on your laurels. If you get your midterms back and you did well, that is NOT a reason to rest easily. After midterms, your final memo will take up substantial portions of your time, and all of your substantive classes will move faster and cover much more material than they did the first half. There are too many stories about people who relaxed too much after midterms and then did poorly on their finals; don't become one of those stories.
Likewise, there are stories of people who did poorly on their midterms and after practice and meeting with their professor, excelled on their finals. A midterm is indicative of how you are doing in the class, not what you will do in the class. Buckle down after midterms; the worst is yet to come.

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14)   Take care of business. There are a multitude of things that you have to do and hoops to jump through that no one will tell you about. An example is the Intent to Study Law form that you have to send to the State Bar of Texas. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to find out what these things are and take care of them. Check places like the registrar's office and the bulletin board outside of it, or ask a 2L, 3L or your mentor if there is anything you need to do or take care of. When you get knowledge of something that you have to do, then do it immediately. The cost of failing to do so can be high, either monetarily or otherwise. Other examples to look into include singing up for BarBri and PMBR, as well as financial aid and scholarships.

15)   Take care of your body.   While it is true that law school does take much of your time, you need to make and maintain an exercise regimen. Working out is a release to the frustration that you will get from struggling with the difficult concepts and will allow you to come back to that same material relaxed and with a clear head. MAKE TIME; 20 minutes 3 times a week is not too much time to take care of yourself.
Not only should you work out, but also you should eat right. It is TOO EASY to eat junk food for a whole semester and then wonder why you feel so bad. Taking care of your body is important and could make the difference when it comes to finals.

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16)   Get a hobby-or keep it. You don't have to forsake everything to do well. Keep doing something that gives you pleasure. You'll need it to take your mind of school for a [little] while. And don't let school take you away from your significant other or your family; some things are more important than law school [gasp]. Make time for people who are important, you don't want to get where you want to be in life and have no one to be happy with.

17)   Don't wait till the last minute. Around ⅔ of the way in your Legal Research and Writing class, you will be given your final memo assignment (see above, commonly used law school terms). The deadline will be 1-3 weeks before finals, depending on your professor. START THIS MEMO AS SOON AS YOU ARE ASSIGNED IT. TURN IT IN EARLY. Start early because students will be using the most of the same materials to do their research and you don't want all of the books to be gone when you are trying to do yours.
Your paper will probably be due on a Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the Registrar's office. If it's not in that office by then (that's their clock, not yours), you will FAIL Legal Research for the semester. THIS IS NO JOKE; the Registrar's office does not want to and probably won't hear your sob story; they've heard a million like it. Get it done. Consider submitting a “safety copy” (a rough draft of your memo that would get a decent grade) a few days before so that you have something that can be graded, then go back and edit it and turn in your final copy (consult your professor to see if a “safety copy” is appropriate).

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18)   4>2. Turn your memo in early in order to begin studying for the finals in your substantive classes. While your memo is an important part of your final grade in Legal Research, and Legal is an important class for your 1^st semester, if you make an A in Legal Research and D's in the rest of your other classes, you still won't be back next semester. Many times, a 1^st semester student will say “I can't control the finals in my other classes, but I can control how well I do on the memo.” While you can't control what questions are on the final, you CAN control how prepared you are for them by finishing your memo early and beginning to study for finals.
You might hear other students say: “I'll turn in my memo [and consequently, start studying for finals] after it's perfect and has no errors.” That day will never come. You will NEVER turn in a perfect memo; there will always be a mistake on it somewhere. Make it look good, get it in and start getting ready for finals.

19)   Check your E-mail. You will get an STCL account and an e-mail inbox at the first of the semester. Check it often, as information on internships, scholarships and road closings is e-mailed out to students almost daily. If you find it to be too burdensome to check your e-mail at the site, try forwarding your mail to the account that you normally check the most (like Hotmail or Yahoo). If you do that, check your junk or bulk mail folder often to make sure that you are receiving all of your mail and that it is not getting thrown away.
On that note, maybe it is time for you to get a “career” e-mail address (would you rather have johnsmith@msn.com or 50cent4life@yahoo.com on your resume?)

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20)   Laptop or not? You will see some people in your classes with laptop computers, or you might be thinking about getting one yourself. A laptop is a big investment, be sure that you absolutely need one before you go out and buy one. If you don't know yet, spend the first couple of days writing your notes and see how well you are keeping up. If you find yourself behind and you know that you can type faster that you can write, then consider getting one. Anything than has been made in the past 5 years should be fine because all that you need in class is a word processor.

21)   Do what works best. Before long everyone who you know and half of the people you don't will be giving you advice on how to make it through law school. While everyone has advice, the best thing that you can do for yourself is to find out what works best for you and do that.

22)   Get on with it. You are sitting in a seat where 5 other people wish they were sitting. The hard part is over; the rest is up to you. No one is saying that hard work will give you straight A's (or B's) and no one is saying that hard work will make all of your problems go away. But it's a start. By being admitted, South Texas has already told you that you have what it takes to succeed here; now it's your turn to show them that they were right. For many of you, this is the start of your professional life. Get on with it.

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Important Campus Offices:

The following is a list of important campus offices and when to go there. For more information, see page 179 of your student handbook.

1)       Academic Assistance and Counseling
Room 809, 713-646-2967
Go here when:   you need/want information on the Study Skills Seminars (see “advice #5”); you need information on the Landgell Scholar Program (see “advice #5”); you need individual counseling about study habits and exam preparation; immediately if you have a disability and need accommodations made; you need to amend or update your law school application with any information; or you have concerns regarding substance abuse or feel you have been a victim of a sexual offense.

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2)       Accounting Services
Room 823, 713-646-1878
Go here when: You need to pay for tuition, fees, returned checks or overdue library books. When your lender sends a paper loan check to the school, this office will send you notice so you can sign it over to them. If funds come in through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), this office will automatically apply it to your account and any balance due must be paid within 5 days (consult your lender's literature to find out how your money will be transferred). When you have a “refund check” (loan funds in excess of how much you owe), this office will place the check in your mailbox on the following Friday afternoon. Students will also be notified by mail when their Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG) checks are available. Those checks will be immediately released to the student if their account is current. This office also disburses scholarship awards after all scholarship papers have been received and the final drop date has passed.

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3)       Admissions Office
Room 216, 713-646-1810
Go here when: You need to get a copy of your admissions application for purposes of filing your Intent to Study Law form.

4)       Bookstore
Room 129, 713-646-1756
Go here when: you need books, supplements, supplies, or need to sell back books.   The bookstore has a year-round buyback policy, but check with the bookstore to find the peak buyback time as during that time books can be sold back for more money during that period (usually around finals).

5)       Career Resources Center
Cullen 101, 713-646-1844
Go Here When: you are seeking individual counseling (appointments are preferred). In your first semester, make it a point to visit this office and discuss your career goals with them.

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6)       Grisby's
1^st floor, student lounge, 713-659-3504
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9AM-6PM, Friday, 9AM-3PM
Go Here When: You're hungry. Check the specials on Thursdays and Fridays

7)       Fred Parks Law Library
Main Entrance-1^st Floor, ADA Entrance 2^nd Floor
Go Here When: you need to check out a book; you need to use the online card catalog, you need to pick up materials that are on reserve; you want to make copies (copiers are on floors 1-5); you need to use a group study room (study rooms can seat from2-8 people); you want to make an outgoing fax (local faxes are free, long-distance faxes must be charged to a calling card); you want to use WESTLAW and LEXIS to conduct computer research; you want to take advantage of the wireless network on campus (for more information, see the help desk, room 3011 in the library); you want to use a computer on either the second floor or in one of the three computer suites on the third floor.

8)       Help Desk
Library Room 3011, 713-646-2985
Go Here When: You have questions about printing documents; you have lost your username or password to log in to the computers; you want to pick up an application about wireless Ethernet services; you need the phone number to access the school's internet from home; there is a problem with a computer in the computer suites.

9)       Registrar
Room 204, 713-646-1701
Go here when: you have a question with online registration or need to discuss issues such as academic regulations, residency requirements, graduation, or absences for religious holidays. Also go when you have questions about course and final exam schedules or when you need to learn more about or sign up for Examsoft (the computer exam-taking software). Also go here if you need to change your schedule after registration (you will need to fill out a drop/add form), or need to have your enrollment verified for purposes of loan deferment or company reimbursement. This will be the place that you turn in your final memo at the end of your first semester, so make sure that there is not a huge differential between your clock and theirs. Also, go here to verify your class schedule, grades, the semester exam number, notify the college of a change of address, request a transcript, or pick up an intent to study law form.

10)   Scholarships and Financial Aid
Room 246, 713-646-1820
Go here when: you need to learn more about your financial aid options. NOTE: pay special attention to the financial aid and FAFSA deadlines, as the cost of not doing so is high. For more information, see page 229 of the student handbook.

11)   Security Services and security d