PALOMAR, Danielle S.

Reflective Journal: Making Case Digests

Tasks in law school are unsurprisingly very different from what I am usually used to
during my undergraduate years when I can walk into a class with nothing except for my
phone and keys but law school had me bringing a ton of things to class. I would not d are to
forget a piece of paper or my codals to class. In doing my homework and reading
assignments, I feel the pressure of having to do well in understanding and absorbing
everything since nobody but the professor would know what the questions will be. Mak ing
case briefs is another arduous task that some dread – at one point, I also disliked it but here
I am surviving on these digests. Before making the case digests, I make sure to find the
most uncomfortable spot in my unit but also, making sure that the lighting is outstanding. I
usually pray first for guidance and prepare my playlist to listen to while I read cases and
digest it. I also compile the cases in one document first in Microsoft Word and highlight the
important stuff first so I would not find difficulty in going over a case again.

I color-code the details I need when reading with the highlighter option in Word, for
example, magenta is for the title, yellow for the dispute and nature, sky blue for the facts,
gray for the issue, etc. I like to put asterisks and comments beside things I find difficult to
understand or some whose definitions I will look up later. I also take sanity breaks in
between reading the cases, every 3 cases would call for a snack or a short video to watch.
After reading everything, I would copy and paste the highlighted parts on a separate
document while ensuring that I don’t miss out on an important detail since I tend to
overlook things that are usually asked.

I have not used the method taught in class for my other subjects prior to the
submission of the landmark cases digests but I kept it in mind and used it in making my
Criminal law cases and I have to say that the flow of events, the details needed and just
understanding the cases overall has been easier for me despite being piled up with a lot of
cases to read. I look forward to using this method in the future as it may be quite a task but
it is indeed helpful.
 On effort and motivation, I can probably give myself a good 7. I am an easily
distracted person and with many things to do, I usually end up doing a bit of one thing, a bit
of another, then start a new task, go back to the first task and repeat before I can finish one
thing. My efforts are focused onto doing everything I am tasked to do with quality and being
slightly cautious with my outputs, I end up moving slower than everybody else.

On reading cases, I give myself another 7. I love reading as I keep a reading list for
when I have free time and tons of unread new books. I find it quite difficult to read
something not for my leisure and forcing myself to read hundreds of pages for a weekend is
a tedious task for somebody who is quite picky with the genre I usually prefer. I do read fast
and can remember the gist of the text but I personally could not remember every detail there
is, that is why I need my notes and highlighters. I promised myself to work on this and
develop the skill not to overlook details that may or may not be necessary in the future. I
find unique cases interesting yet those with recurring issues and rulings bore me, honestly.
As a broad reader, I usually keep in mind what happened as a whole and it gets confusing at
times.

On digesting cases, I would give myself a 5. Since I entered law school, it’s been a
good 16 months after I have digested cases again. I was not exceptional in doing cases but I
do think I am improving every day and that’s alright considering that I am not a Legal
Management graduate or had previous training in making digests prior to law school.

On determining legal disputes, I’d give myself a good 8 since most cases have issues
stated clearly and for those with issues implicitly written, it would not take me long to
determine it if I look at the ruling of the case and the decision of the court.

When determining relevant facts, I give myself another 8 as facts are usually easy to
spot since some cases explicitly put a signal where the facts begin. It’s an 8 because even
though facts are not that difficult to put, I end up with a lot of facts which I think are still
needed when the time comes.
. I find it most difficult to find the resulting legal rules, that is why I’m giving myself
a 4. Cases, as far as I know have quite a lot to say regarding the explanations of the rulings
of the court and it’s tough to find out which one you’ll use – jurisprudence, a certain
provision, external references or a combination of other literature. I hope to improve on this
skill the most.

With regards to my performance during recitations, so far, I believe I’ve had a few
good ones but most of the time I feel the mediocrity in answering questions so I would give
myself a fair 5. I usually am very confident in speaking but this is law school , and every
time I get called, I feel my lifespan shorten by years and I end up forgetting the things I
meant to say. I still feel the need to overcome the fear of seeing the professor shuffling the
index cards but I’m sure everyone turns into a bag of nerves whenever it happens especially
if one is unprepared so I have to be ready always.

Overall, my digests are not outstanding, most of the time, it’s just for me to
understand the case in the most convenient way possible. My digests would get a grade of 5.
They are specifically lacking in depth and that’s something I would want to work on.

In all honesty, I am uncertain of my strengths as of this point in the semester, my

confidence is close to hitting rock bottom and the façade I keep up with my classmates is
just the thin wall between my perseverance and my vulnerability to the fear of failing. I can
say that I work efficiently most of the time with my study habits and I take criticisms well
to further improve my shortcomings. With this, I progress well and it reflects on my works
such as these case briefs. I work fast and I finish things ahead of deadlines, leaving me more
time to review and go over everything. I do lack specifically in the technicalities of writing
and remembering details – this, I hope to improve through practice and concentration. I
know that it is not an easy task to acquire overnight, but I will try to focus on the particulars
that are necessary to make a good case digest.

More than being helpful for a freshman in law school, I am especially grateful that
this activity was able to point out the things that are essential skills for a law student that I
was missing out on. So far, I have been very careful with my digests and I am starting to get
technical with my writing. The ten parts of a good digests especially helpful in making
complex and long cases much easier to read and understand. I have started applying the
method for cases in my other classes and I am certain that at this pace, I will be able to
make at least a decent case brief after my first semester.
 From the previous lesson up to the past weekend, I can say that although there are a
lot more cases to read, I am not frightened anymore. In a way, yes, I do look forward to
making more case digests. It may be a laborious task but if this is a primary and an
imperative skill to becoming a good law student and an even better lawyer, what is there to
complain and sulk about? I appreciate that these lessons will be the kind of learnings that
we will carry and uphold for a lifetime.

Being in this new environment brings out the real you- how strong you can be after a
humiliating recitation, how weak and senseless your digests are, how ugly your handwriting
is compared to your seatmate, how people will crush your childhood dreams, and how you
rise above all of them. It’s always just assuring yourself that this is a storm and it will pass
soon. It’s about giving yourself a pat in the back after another night of recitations and that
you’ve managed to do well. These skills are necessary if you want to make the change that
you would want to happen and it might sound impossible to overcome your insecurities in
law school but you have to toughen up your spirit every day and soften your heart for the
people you are doing this for. I always keep close to my heart the people I would want to
give back to, how I can defend them, how I can inform them of their rights and how can I do
that without a decent and sturdy foundation of the skills of a lawyer? It’s about the efforts
you put in everyday and it’s telling yourself that it’s for them, it’s for the people you should
give back to.