Legal Commentary

I have given my students the attached memo for the last three years. Download Exam_memo.pdf Feel free to use it yourself, if you like: I hereby waive any copyright.

The memo offers precisely the same advice as Eric Johnson's recent post. The essential point is that facts + law = analysis, while Law alone = vomit. Students hate this advice, because applying the law to facts requires them to think rather than regurgitate or opine. Few people like to think for more than a few minutes at a time, and with good reason: Thinking is a painful and annoying activity, albeit with long-term payoff, like running long distances regularly or raising toddlers.