Academic Support Mission
The mission of the Academic Support Counselor is to assist all first year law students develop certain skills necessary for optimal performance in law school and to work individually with students who need more in-depth assistance with legal analysis, exam-writing, and other matters.
1L Skills Workshops
Each academic year, the Academic Support Counselor presents a series of workshops on case-briefing, note-taking, outlining, time management, and exam-writing. The workshops are designed to provide information that will enable students to develop methods that suit their individual needs.
A panel of second and third year law students who are teaching assistants in the Lawyering course assists the Academic Support Counselor present the workshops. These students provide insights and techniques that they found successful during their first year as law students and are a continuous source of year-to-year feedback.
Case-Briefing and Note-Taking Workshop
The first workshop on case-briefing and note-taking takes place during orientation week. This first workshop is presented three times with two designated sections attending each session.
The case-briefing section introduces students to the classic method of reading and comprehending a case, identifying critical case elements, and preparing for class discussion. The students are encouraged to see the case brief as a basic legal tool with many important purposes -development of reading and legal reasoning skills; identification of rules of law and their applications; preparation for class discussions; creation of organizational structure for class notes; creation of foundational material for outlines.
The note-taking section introduces students to the critical need to take accurate, comprehensive, and organized notes. Class notes play a pivotal role in legal studies - they provide a source of detailed, organized material for later review, use in an outline, and exam preparation.
Time Management Workshop
The time management workshop emphasizes that students must consciously and aggressively manage their time. Students at Cornell encounter a rigorous weekly academic schedule of approximately 15 hours of class time, requiring about 55 hours of preparation per week. In addition, writing assignments, extra-curricular activities, and interviewing flesh out an already full schedule.
Students are encouraged to create time management plan that will enable them to organize and prioritize their activities, and to allocate the proper time to each activity. At the workshop, the Academic Support Counselor provides a sample weekly schedule to assist in the discussion and as a reference for students’ own plan.
Outlining Workshop
The outlining workshop is presented just prior to Fall break and is intended to provide students with a basic understanding of the law exam outline. The panel of 2L students revisit their first year outlines and explain what techniques were successful and what techniques were not.
Students are encouraged to create a succinct distillation of the material for each course and to avoid the trap of writing an epic tome. The goal is to create an exam outline to answer the possible exam questions, not a course outline to teach the subject the following semester. The Academic Support Counselor and panel also discuss the uses of commercial outlines and outlines prepared by other law students.
Exam-Taking Workshop
The exam-taking workshop is presented in late November/early December. The primary goal of this workshop is to introduce students to the art and science of taking a law school examination. The student panelists answer a series of frequently asked questions focusing on how to read the exam, organize an answer, and write a clear, succinct essay. The workshop provides tips on issue-spotting, rule formulation, and legal analysis with an emphasis on thinking in the alternative. Where possible, the suggestions are tailored to specific professors.
Individual Counseling
The Academic Support Counselor is available throughout the academic year to assist J.D. students with a variety of matters. The Academic Support Counselor has office hours two days per week and is available for appointments other days as needed.
The counselor will provide individualized suggestions on the topics covered in the workshops. The counselor will also assist 1L students develop their legal reasoning and exam writing abilities in all 1L subjects. The counselor is also available on a limited basis to work with 2L and 3L students. As necessary, the counselor will propose a program of individual consultations to address issues that need long-term work.
LL.M. Support
Case-Briefing and Note-Taking Workshop
A case-briefing and note-taking workshop designed specifically for LL.M. students is presented at the start of each fall semester. This workshop covers the same material as the workshop offered to 1L students but includes additional information of interest to LL.M. students. In addition to the orientation workshop, 1L students typically get guidance and instructions on case-briefing and note-taking from their first year professors. However, LL.M. students often begin taking classes that are only offered to 2L and 3L students. Consequently, LL.M. students might not receive these elementary recommendations. This workshop attempts to provide those insights and to address language issues that LL.M. students might encounter.
Contacts
Walter G. Bublé
Academic Support Counselor
119 Myron Taylor Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
wgb7@cornell.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesdays 3:00 - 7:00 pm
Wednesdays 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Thursdays and Fridays by appointment
Mahnaz Mousavi
Counseling and Psychological Services
252 Hughes Hall
Ithaca, New York 14853
mm436@cornell.edu
Office Hours:
Wednesdays 1 - 5 pm
(607) 255-5208
Anne Lukingbeal
Associate Dean and Dean of Students
165 Myron Taylor Hall
Ithaca, New York 14853
anne-lukingbeal@postoffice.law.cornell.edu
(607) 255-5839
John DeRosa
Assistant Dean for Student Services
144a Myron Taylor Hall
Ithaca, New York 14853
john-derosa@lawschool.cornell.edu
(607) 255-9982
Liz Peck
Director of Career Services
142 Myron Taylor Hall
Ithaca, New York 14853
elizabeth-peck@lawschool.cornell.edu
(607) 255-9057
