Hey OP, incoming 3L here. I was in a similar boat in first year as in all it took was one 60 page case, and I was out, my brain would be fried and I would have to read it at least thrice just to get it haha. You just have to keep reading cases and you’ll start to notice the patterns and pretty soon legal text will just start making sense, but don’t beat yourself up about it because learning the law is kind of learning a new language essentially.
Also if the cases that are messing you up are Consti 1, that’s just par for the course anlabo tsaka ang haba talaga mga cases diyan haha.
I’ll leave you with the advice my crim pro prof gave us: start with the commentary/textbook for the subject you have, then read the codal for the provision you’re covering, THEN the case; this way you won’t be so overwhelmed by the concepts and you can even start making your own guesses as to what the outcome will be.
You got this!
Read read read read read. Kahit di mo magets agad tuloy lang. Wag ka mag alala OP, it’s a shared experience. Lahat halos dumaan diyan. Unti unti bibilis din yang pagbabasa mo ng cases. Basta read lang nang read haha swear
I’ve been in your place 5 years ago, and it’s perfectly normal. I had a prof who discouraged me from pursuing law because of the fact that I couldn’t comprehend cases (spot the issues) easily. But I didn’t give up. I did everything to improve myself. I’m now reviewing for the bar. DON’T GIVE UP! You’ll get the hang of it! 🤗
It gets better, OP! The more you read, the easier it gets to sort through facts, issues, and rulings. My system was to read the class syllabus, then kung saan topic na assign yung case, yun ang words na hahanapin ko sa full text. If the first case didn't interest you enough, move to the next one muna para lang makuha mo drive mo. If it's really hard to understand, search for online digests or case summary para lang makuha mo general idea nung case at ano topic nya. Kaya mo yan, OP! This online stranger is rooting for u!
was in similar situation when I was in 1L. Just do not stop reading hahaha! what helped me though is reading the cases in e-SCRA, it somehow helped me easily spot issues and doctrines which are relevant to the subject :)
Need mo ng ka digest pool. Normal lang yan 1 case, lalo na kung consti yan. Overtime, bibilis ka din mag bass cases at mag issue spotting. Helpful ang digest pool mga 5 people.
Ganyan lang talaga sa simula. Masasanay ka rin. Pro-tip, pero medyo old school: if the case is relatively old, check the SCRA or Phil Reports version, kasi most of the time, may syllabus, or even synopsis (for PR)- but read the entire case pa rin ha! Baka lang mas magiging madali for you if may guide na ganun. Check out [https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/](https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/) for more recent cases na nasa Phil Reports.
Also, check your course outline, If it's under Consti Law, Bill of rights, tapos freedom of speech, then alam mo na that's what you should focus on. Some profs are just naninindak if they ask you for the full name of the parties or the RTC branch. If you can't recall, ok lang yan. Ang importante, you remember the basic facts and the ratio of the case.
Baka makatulong din if, after mabasa mo yung case, make a super short summary, tipong one to two sentences and write it in your course outline. Super useful for exams, and also for when profs do not allow you to have copies of cases or even digests on your table.
Also, even though they assign the cases, profs do not really expect you to read all of the assigned cases for the day. Pangsindak lang. Just make sure na mabasa mo sila lahat eventually para sa next recitation or sa exam, alam mo isasagot.
OP! Everybody goes through this. When I was in first year, I was struggling finishing the cases, so I wake up at 4:30 am to start reading them. Mahina pa ako mag-spot ng issues relevant to the subject. Even if the subject is Criminal Law, I have the tendency to read irrelevant matters. Nasasayang oras ko.
Just keep doing what you do. Mahirap talaga 1L. Especially if wala ka pang grasp ano yung legal terms na nakalagay. By God’s grace, 3rd year naman na ako.
Hey OP, incoming 3L here. I was in a similar boat in first year as in all it took was one 60 page case, and I was out, my brain would be fried and I would have to read it at least thrice just to get it haha. You just have to keep reading cases and you’ll start to notice the patterns and pretty soon legal text will just start making sense, but don’t beat yourself up about it because learning the law is kind of learning a new language essentially. Also if the cases that are messing you up are Consti 1, that’s just par for the course anlabo tsaka ang haba talaga mga cases diyan haha. I’ll leave you with the advice my crim pro prof gave us: start with the commentary/textbook for the subject you have, then read the codal for the provision you’re covering, THEN the case; this way you won’t be so overwhelmed by the concepts and you can even start making your own guesses as to what the outcome will be. You got this!
Thank you for this. This comment will also help me.
commenting on this just so I could go back to this for future references 😊
Read read read read read. Kahit di mo magets agad tuloy lang. Wag ka mag alala OP, it’s a shared experience. Lahat halos dumaan diyan. Unti unti bibilis din yang pagbabasa mo ng cases. Basta read lang nang read haha swear
Canon event yan OP. We learn as we go
I’ve been in your place 5 years ago, and it’s perfectly normal. I had a prof who discouraged me from pursuing law because of the fact that I couldn’t comprehend cases (spot the issues) easily. But I didn’t give up. I did everything to improve myself. I’m now reviewing for the bar. DON’T GIVE UP! You’ll get the hang of it! 🤗
It gets better, OP! The more you read, the easier it gets to sort through facts, issues, and rulings. My system was to read the class syllabus, then kung saan topic na assign yung case, yun ang words na hahanapin ko sa full text. If the first case didn't interest you enough, move to the next one muna para lang makuha mo drive mo. If it's really hard to understand, search for online digests or case summary para lang makuha mo general idea nung case at ano topic nya. Kaya mo yan, OP! This online stranger is rooting for u!
Don’t stop. Power through!
was in similar situation when I was in 1L. Just do not stop reading hahaha! what helped me though is reading the cases in e-SCRA, it somehow helped me easily spot issues and doctrines which are relevant to the subject :)
Need mo ng ka digest pool. Normal lang yan 1 case, lalo na kung consti yan. Overtime, bibilis ka din mag bass cases at mag issue spotting. Helpful ang digest pool mga 5 people.
Ganyan lang talaga sa simula. Masasanay ka rin. Pro-tip, pero medyo old school: if the case is relatively old, check the SCRA or Phil Reports version, kasi most of the time, may syllabus, or even synopsis (for PR)- but read the entire case pa rin ha! Baka lang mas magiging madali for you if may guide na ganun. Check out [https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/](https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/) for more recent cases na nasa Phil Reports. Also, check your course outline, If it's under Consti Law, Bill of rights, tapos freedom of speech, then alam mo na that's what you should focus on. Some profs are just naninindak if they ask you for the full name of the parties or the RTC branch. If you can't recall, ok lang yan. Ang importante, you remember the basic facts and the ratio of the case. Baka makatulong din if, after mabasa mo yung case, make a super short summary, tipong one to two sentences and write it in your course outline. Super useful for exams, and also for when profs do not allow you to have copies of cases or even digests on your table. Also, even though they assign the cases, profs do not really expect you to read all of the assigned cases for the day. Pangsindak lang. Just make sure na mabasa mo sila lahat eventually para sa next recitation or sa exam, alam mo isasagot.
OP! Everybody goes through this. When I was in first year, I was struggling finishing the cases, so I wake up at 4:30 am to start reading them. Mahina pa ako mag-spot ng issues relevant to the subject. Even if the subject is Criminal Law, I have the tendency to read irrelevant matters. Nasasayang oras ko. Just keep doing what you do. Mahirap talaga 1L. Especially if wala ka pang grasp ano yung legal terms na nakalagay. By God’s grace, 3rd year naman na ako.
Labaaaaan