Reading Critically 
The process of writing a strong legal memorandum or brief always begins with a careful reading of the cases or other precedents. Expert readers know what to look for in a case because they have many years of experience reading and writing about legal issues. One way to enhance your case reading skills is to listen carefully to expert readers comment on cases. In each of the following examples, you can listen to a law professor read and comment on a case in a specific context.
Reading Your First Case
First-year students face a number of challenges when they begin reading their first case for law school. The terminology, context, and structure of the case are all unfamiliar. In the commentary that follows, Prof. William Dunlap tries to clarify some of the mysteries of case reading by explaining basic information about one of the first cases you will read when you begin law school, Spade v. Lynn, 168 Mass. 285.
Cases in Context
Once you have learned the basics of case reading, you may want to listen to Prof. Mary Ferrari as she comments on a case as she reads it for the first time. Listen carefully to some of the reading strategies Prof. Ferrari uses as she goes through DiBiaso v. Mystic Motor Inn.
Commentary on DiBiaso v. Mystic Motor Inn
Reading Cases for Predictive Memos
When you are reading a case in preparation for writing a predictive memo, you need to think about how that case will fit into your analysis. By clicking on the links that follow, you can see and hear how Prof. Mary Schairer used State v. Hoskins, 35 Conn. Supp. 587 in her analysis of a fact pattern in which Jonas Harper is accused of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree. Walk through the steps with Prof. Schairer. First, read the Harper fact pattern and the statute. Then, listen to Prof. Schairer's commentary on the case. Finally, review Prof. Schairer's annotations on the fact pattern and the case itself.
Prof. Schairer's Annotations on Harper Facts (You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to see this file.)
Commentary on State v. Hoskins
Annotations on State v. Hoskins (You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to see this file.)