Thursday, September 17, 2015

This Week: What's Happening at Capital University Law School?

Hello Everyone!


As week five approaches, hopefully everyone is settling into a successful routine and efficiently beginning to get ready for midterms. Many organizations are beginning to have their first general body meetings, and I encourage all students to get involved with each of the organizations that interest them. Have you loved Criminal Law thus far? The Criminal Law Association will be holding their first general body meeting on Wednesday, September 23 at 12 pm. There will be pizza during the meeting and it is your opportunity to learn what being a member of the Criminal Law Association is all about.

Also, don’t forget about the networking event being held at MAPFRE stadium when the Columbus Crew take on the Portland Timbers NEXT Saturday, September 26, at 6:00p.m.

I also hope everyone enjoyed the Dean’s Picnic that was held on Friday, September 11. The food
was excellent, and it was very nice to take a break from school and talk to fellow classmates and faculty.  

Lastly, if there is an event you want featured, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jschoenewald@law.capital.ed with the details!

-Jamie

This week's 1L Life Hack

Brilliance in the Basics:

Mastering IRAC for Exam Writing


As midterms are fast approaching, it is probably a good time to bring up IRAC.  Most of your professors will want you to write your answers in the IRAC format.  Here are the basics:

Issue:  Spot the correct issue being discussed in the question and restate it in a sentence or two.  
Rule:  Recall the appropriate rule and state it in the terms that your professor requires in order to give you  all of the available points. (Some professors like verbatim rule statements, so ask and see what his or her preference is for each class). 
Analysis:  Restate the elements of the rule and why each is satisfied using the facts from the exam question.  Use a highlighter or a pen to note when you have used each fact.  Most facts in the questions or hypotheticals will be pertinent to the call of the question, so make sure you try to use all of the facts. You may also be able to use one fact for multiple elements of one rule.
Conclusion:  Use one or two sentences to answer the call of the question and tell the professor which way the court would find.  Be decisive, avoid using words like should or may.

Ensure that each part of IRAC is a separate paragraph. A one sentence paragraph for the issue is perfectly appropriate for a law school exam. The Analysis part may take several paragraphs-- use a new paragraph for each element or sub element.

Use signposts in your exam answer for the professor to easily identify each part of your answer. Law students commonly use Under, Here, and Therefore as signposts to direct the reader to the different portions of the exam answer.  Under is for the rule statement; Here is for the analysis of the facts to the elements of the rule; and Therefore is for the conclusion statement. The easier you make it for the professor to read your exam, the more points you will likely get on the exam.

If your professor has asked that you use the CRAC (Conclusion, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) format, it is an easy transition from IRAC.  Instead of making an issue statement, just answer the call of the question first.  You can use the same idea for the conclusion sentences that you need at the end of your answer. 


Remember that practice makes perfect. Do NOT let the midterm be the first time that you write an exam answer.  Practice at home under exam timelines so that you are prepared for the actual midterm.

Until next week -

Meggan

Meet Kathy: Your Guide to What to Do Around Columbus This Week


No matter your interest-- Columbus Delivers!


Sports

Free tickets are back for Governors' Cup Finals! Columbus Clippers Game!








Date: September 16, 2015 Location: Huntington Park
Time: 6:05 PM Address:330 Huntington Park Lane, Columbus, OH 43215

 http://columbus.clippers.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t445

Arts
ARTIST'S TALKS: SARAH OPPENHEIMER
Date: September 16, 2015 Location: Wexner Center for the Arts
Time: 5:30-7 p.m. Address:1871 N. High Street, Columbus, 43210

http://wexarts.org/


Wine and Dine

Paint with Palette - Painting Event at the Winery
Dates: September 17, 2015 Location: Wyandotte Winery
Hours: Thursday 7-10 p.m. Admission: $35
Address: 4640 Wyandotte Drive, Columbus, 43230

http://www.paintwithpalette.com/


Germania Oktoberfest
Dates: September 18-20, 2015 Location: Germania Singing and Sport Society
Hours: Friday 5-11 p.m. Saturday 4-11 p.m. Sunday noon-8 p.m.
Admission: $5 Address: 543 S. Front St., Columbus, 43215

http://www.germaniacolumbus.org/


Music

Zeppelin Productions Presents: An Evening with Chuck Prophet
Date: September 17, 2015 Location: Natalie's Coal-Fired Pizza and Live Music
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 PM Address:  5601 North High Street, Worthington, OH 43085

http://nataliescoalfiredpizza.com/

Echo & The Bunnymen
Dates: September 15-16, 2015 Location: Newport Music Hall
Hours: 7 p.m.                                 Admission: $25
Address:1722 North High StreetColumbus, 43201

www.ticketmaster.com/event/05004EA7A4372C6D


Active

March of Dimes Night Moves
Dates: September 18, 2015 Location: Brewery District
Hours: Friday 7:45 p.m. Admission: $35 thru Sept. 17, $40 day of event
Address: 500 S. Front St., Columbus, 43215

www.marchofdimesnightmoves.com/



Check back later this week for details about what's going on next week in Columbus!