Templates & Examples

Over time every law student develops their own way of organizing their schedule, preparing for classes, and studying for exams. Thankfully there are a wide range of Macintosh applications that are well-suited to law student needs.

This is a short list for now, but I hope you’ll be inspired to send me your own templates and example files, regardless of the application you’re using. I also heartily encourage you to submit modifications to these files, if you find ways to improve them.

The Files

1. Gianpaolo’s Civil Procedure Graffles – 1L Gianpaolo Macerola uses OmniGraffle to diagram key Civil Procedure concepts. Of course you shouldn’t rely on these diagrams as a substitute for creating your own. They are intended to serve as examples of how OmniGraffle can be used to help you prepare for exams.
2. Week at a Glance – This example file created in Omni Graffle Pro shows my weekly class schedule at a glance. At the beginning of the semesert I print it, staple it to the inside of a file folder, and keep it in my backpack. It’s a handy baseline for scheduling meetings, study group sessions, and so on.
3. Fall 2006 Assignments – Each semester I create an OmniOutliner Pro file that is broken down by week and day. After I receive a syllabus for each class, I add the assignments into the Outliner document. All of my assignments are in one place, and when I’ve completed an assignment, I get the satisfying (but small) reward of checking it off the list. More importantly, when a professor shifts the due date of an assignment I can just drag it into a new date. For this file, I have filled in the first week with assignments from last year so you can see how the system works.
4. Reading and Class Notes – For each class I enter all casenotes and class notes in a single Omni Outliner Pro file. So, for exmaple, all of my Criminal Law notes last year were in one OOP file. OOP gives me the ability to easily sort individual bits of information so reading notes are in closer proximity to class notes. My style for notetaking is likely different from yours, so think of this as a launch point for creating a note-taking setup that works best for you.
5. OmniGraffle Examples – I created these OmniGraffle files when I was a 1L. They are intended to be illustrative of how OmniGraffle can be put to use in law school, so don’t rely on them for any substantive legal information.
6. Mark Fisher’s TypeIt4Me Clippings File – Mark graciously donated his TypeIt4Me clippings file, which is chock full of abbreviations of words frequently used in law school.

If you’re interested in adding some files of your own devising to this page, please drop me a note: erik@maclawstudents.com.