Guides: Law Student Resources: Study Aids Overview

Study Aids Overview

There are a wide variety of study aids designed especially for law students. While the law library does not obtain copies of all law school study aids, many of the most popular titles are available.

Students often develop their own preferences for specific study aids based on what works best for them. Your professors may also recommend or even require specific study aids in the course syllabus or may have specific titles placed on Course Reserve in the law library.

The law library provides access to online study aids. More information about accessing this resource is available elsewhere in this guide.

For print, the most recent edition of a specific title will be kept on reserve and circulate for 4 hours. Older editions are usually available in the general collection and will circulate for the normal loan period.

If you are not sure which study aids may be most useful to you, you should consult the charts below.

In addition to print study aids, students often rely on Past Exams and CALI materials to help them study and prepare for their classes and exams.

Law School Study Aid Series

These series include simplified summations of a variety of legal topics.

Law Stories Series Learn the stories behind the landmark cases.
Nutshell Series Provides nearly every legal course subject, with titles focusing on providing an overview of a specific area of the law. Nutshells are useful for gaining a broader, "big picture" view of a subject.
Short & Happy Guides Titles in this series explain legal principles, practices and policies in terms students can grasp quickly.

These series include expert case briefs to help you prepare for class discussion and exams.

High Court Case Summaries This series from West Academic features case briefs and summaries keyed to major casebooks. Because these titles are keyed to specific casebooks, the Law Library does not actively collect High Court Case Summaries.
Legal Lines This series from West Academic combines case briefs with a review of black-letter law principles, keyed to specific casebooks.

These series include in-depth, insightful analysis of core legal principles and concepts.

Aspen Treatise Series This series features a straightforward explication of key legal concepts and analytical discussion of important case law, supplemented with numerous examples and hypotheticals and generous footnotes, all authored by prominent experts.
Concepts and Insights This series of mini-treatises by leading scholars provides concise conceptual overviews of major subjects, focusing on the principal legal issues and leading cases, supplemented by footnotes and references to other sources.
Concise Hornbooks Each text is authored by a prominent legal scholar, is lightly footnoted, and focuses on the core principles and concepts fundamental to understanding the subject matter.
Examples and Explanations Each title offers hypothetical questions complemented by detailed explanations that allow students to test their knowledge of key course topics.
Hornbooks Hornbook titles explain the law in great depth and offer insights into a law's historical development, as well as contemporary issues and possible future development. By citing landmark cases, statutes and articles, they are more lengthy and comprehensive than other study materials and make both excellent reference guides and a great starting point for legal research.
Mastering Series Titles in the Mastering Series are designed to be easy to read, with key terms emphasized and explained in detail, while footnotes and citations to secondary sources are used only sparingly.
Understanding Series Titles in this series offer comprehensively annotated but concise analysis of the core subject. While not as expansive as Hornbooks, the Understanding series is useful for obtaining deeper, nuanced insight into a subject.

These series include comprehensive, easy-to-understand outlines of the law.

Black Letter Outlines Comprehensive outlines paired with "capsule summaries" - abbreviated outlines of key terms, topics, and doctrines - and keyed to major casebooks.
Emanuel Law Outlines Emanuel Legal Outlines pair detailed subject outlines with black letter principles, definitions, and examples and practice questions all cross-referenced to leading casebooks.
Gilbert Law Summaries Detailed topical outlines paired with summary overviews, visual aids, exam tips, and sample questions and answers.

These series include sample tests to build exam skills.

Acing Series The Acing Series provides a unique checklist approach paired with questions and problems to help learn and internalize legal subjects.
Exam Pro Series (Sum & Substance) Practice exams and model answers indexed by topic that can be used to simulate a full exam or to focus on specific question types and topics.
Glannon Guides Glannon Guides include multiple-choice questions with clear explanations of all answers.
Questions & Answers Each title in the Q & A Series is designed to help students with test prep and contains over 150 multiple-choice and short-answer questions, a comprehensive “practice final exam,” and model answers and explanations for each question.

Acing Series The Acing Series provides a unique checklist approach paired with questions and problems to help learn and internalize legal subjects.
Aspen Treatise Series This series features straightforward explication of key legal concepts and analytical discussion of important case law, supplemented with numerous examples and hypotheticals and generous footnotes, all authored by prominent experts.
Black Letter Outlines Comprehensive outlines paired with "capsule summaries" - abbreviated outlines of key terms, topics, and doctrines - and keyed to major casebooks.
Concepts and Insights This series of mini-treatises by leading scholars provides concise conceptual overviews of major subjects, focusing on the principal legal issues and leading cases, supplemented by footnotes and references to other sources.
Concise Hornbooks Each text is authored by a prominent legal scholar, is lightly footnoted, and focuses on the core principles and concepts fundamental to understanding the subject matter.
Emanuel Law Outlines This resource pairs detailed subject outlines with black letter principles, definitions, and examples and practice questions all cross-referenced to leading casebooks.
Exam Pro Series (Sum & Substance) Practice exams and model answers indexed by topic that can be used to simulate a full exam or to focus on specific question types and topics.
Examples and Explanations Each title offers hypothetical questions complemented by detailed explanations that allow students to test their knowledge of key course topics.
Glannon Guides These titles include multiple-choice questions with clear explanations of all answers.
Gilbert Law Summaries These titles detail topical outlines paired with summary overviews, visual aids, exam tips, and sample questions and answers.
High Court Case Summaries This series from West Academic features case briefs and summaries keyed to major casebooks. The Law Library does not actively collect High Court Case Summaries.
Hornbooks These titles explain the law in great depth and offer insights into a law's historical development, as well as contemporary issues and possible future development. By citing landmark cases, statutes and articles, they are more lengthy and comprehensive than other study materials and make both excellent reference guides and a great starting point for legal research.
Law Stories Series Learn the stories behind the landmark cases.
Legalines Combines case briefs with a review of black-letter law principles, keyed to specific casebooks.
Mastering Series Titles in the Mastering Series are designed to be easy-to-read, with key terms emphasized and explained in detail, while footnotes and citations to secondary sources are used only sparingly.
Nutshells The nutshell series covers nearly every legal course subject, with titles focusing on providing an overview of a specific area of the law. Nutshells are useful for gaining a broader, "big picture" view of a subject.
Questions & Answers Each title in the Q & A Series is designed to help students with test prep and contains over 150 multiple-choice and short-answer questions, a comprehensive “practice final exam,” and model answers and explanations for each question.
Short & Happy Guides Titles in this series explain legal principles, practices and policies in terms students can grasp quickly.
Understanding Series Titles in this series offer comprehensively annotated but concise analysis of the core subject. While not as expansive as Hornbooks, the Understanding series is useful for obtaining deeper, nuanced insight of a subject.

Carolina Academic Press / LexisNexis

Mastering Series Titles in the Mastering Series are designed to be easy-to-read, with key terms emphasized and explained in detail, while footnotes and citations to secondary sources are used only sparingly.
Questions & Answers Each title in the Q & A Series is designed to help students with test prep and contains over 150 multiple-choice and short-answer questions, a comprehensive “practice final exam,” and model answers and explanations for each question.
Understanding Series Titles in this series offer comprehensively annotated but concise analysis of the core subject. While not as expansive as Hornbooks, the Understanding series is useful for obtaining deeper, nuanced insight of a subject.

West Academic

Acing Series The Acing Series provides a unique checklist approach paired with questions and problems to help learn and internalize legal subjects.
Black Letter Outlines Comprehensive outlines paired with "capsule summaries" - abbreviated outlines of key terms, topics, and doctrines - and keyed to major casebooks.
Concepts and Insights This series of mini-treatises by leading scholars provides concise conceptual overviews of major subjects, focusing on the principal legal issues and leading cases, supplemented by footnotes and references to other sources.
Concise Hornbooks Each text is authored by a prominent legal scholar, is lightly footnoted, and focuses on the core principles and concepts fundamental to understanding the subject matter.
Exam Pro Series (Sum & Substance) Practice exams and model answers indexed by topic that can be used to simulate a full exam or to focus on specific question types and topics.
Gilbert Law Summaries Detailed topical outlines paired with summary overviews, visual aids, exam tips, and sample questions and answers.
Hornbooks These titles explain the law in great depth and offer insights into a law's historical development, as well as contemporary issues and possible future development. By citing landmark cases, statutes and articles, they are more lengthy and comprehensive than other study materials and make both excellent reference guides and a great starting point for legal research.
Law Stories Series Learn the stories behind the landmark cases.
Legalines Combines case briefs with a review of black-letter law principles, keyed to specific casebooks.
Nutshells The nutshell series covers nearly every legal course subject, with titles focusing on providing an overview of a specific area of the law. Nutshells are useful for gaining a broader, "big picture" view of a subject.
Short & Happy Guides Titles in this series explain legal principles, practices and policies in terms students can grasp quickly.

Aspen Publishing

Aspen Treatise Series Wolters Kluwer's comprehensive student treatise series features straightforward explication of key legal concepts, analytical discussion of important case law, with numerous examples and hypotheticals and generous footnotes, all authored by prominent experts.
Emanuel Legal Outlines Titles in this series pair detailed subject outlines with black letter principles, definitions, and examples and practice questions all cross-referenced to leading casebooks.
Examples and Explanations Each title offers hypothetical questions complemented by detailed explanations that allow students to test their knowledge of key course topics.
Glannon Guides Glannon Guides include multiple-choice questions with clear explanations of all answers.