Alana
Caution!
Do NOT rely on these study aids to tell you everything you must know about your topic! These sources will give you a broad, general overview of major topics in an area of law, but your professors will usually dive deeper than the coverage in these resources. Your professors may also focus on niche topics that are of particular interest to them that don't receive much coverage in these broadly-focused study aids.
Understanding Concepts
Many law students, even after looking looked through their course materials and notes, still find themselves struggling to understand legal concepts. If you need help understanding general legal concepts, the library has many resources to help.
Below, you'll find the study aid series that are most helpful is this area—with descriptions of how the different series differ—so you can pick the series that fits your need.
Print-Like Resources
What differentiates these series is their level of depth. The following table starts with the most concise resources and ends with the most comprehensive. Start with one of the resources at the top for simple explanations of core concepts. The resources further down the list will offer more information about particular legal issues and often contain ample citations to primary and secondary sources. These are great when your professor focuses heavily on a specific legal concept.
If you're unsure which is suitable for you, grab the book for your subject from a couple of the different series and compare them.
You can find the print resources in the library's study aid collection on the fourth floor. For the digital materials, make a free account with the Texas State Law Library.
|
Depth |
Study Aid Series |
Description |
Print or Digital |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lowest |
Short and Happy Guides |
Very concise explanations of core legal topics, written in plain English |
|
|
|
Nutshell Series |
Nearly pocket-sized books with short overviews of legal topics |
Print & Digital |
|
|
Concise Hornbook Series |
Similar to Hornbooks (and often written by the same authors), but more succinctly focused on core legal issues |
Print & Digital |
|
|
Understanding Series |
Thorough overviews of the law, in readable language |
|
|
Highest |
Hornbook Series |
Comprehensive treatises that dive deeply into legal concepts |
Print & Digital |
CALI Resources
The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, also known as CALI, contains several types of resources that can help you understand legal concepts. It has over 1,000 interactive lessons on various legal subjects, with multiple choice questions throughout. CALI also has open access casebooks and supplements, as well as podcasts about legal topics and how to thrive in law school. Click here to request free access to CALI.
Tips
How can you power up your use of this type of study aids?
1) Before you start reading, jot down the questions you want to answer—as specifically as possible. Ask yourself what precisely you want to know. This will help you both to focus your reading and identify the answers you're looking for.
2) If you come across terminology you're not familiar with (another really common occurrence during 1L year and beyond!), look it up in a legal dictionary. Knowing what words mean matters a great deal in the law, so be sure you're keeping a list of new terms and definitions. Having a clear understanding of new vocabulary will help you to follow class lectures and read your course materials more effectively. Test yourself on your new definitions so they become engrained in your long-term memory.