What an outline is
An outline is a study document, not a transcript of the class. It puts the subject in a hierarchy: course, unit, rule, element, exception, case.
It has one purpose: to let you answer any exam question by finding the right rule and applying it. Everything in it should serve that.
The structure
Use the same hierarchy for every course.
- Level 1: the unit, such as Formation or Remedies.
- Level 2: the doctrine, such as Promissory Estoppel.
- Level 3: the rule, in one or two sentences.
- Level 4: the elements, tests, and exceptions, as a short list.
- Level 5: the cases that illustrate the rule, each with a phrase on what it added.
- Level 6: policy and professor notes: why the rule exists and how your professor tests it.
- Level 7: a one-line hypothetical you can apply on the exam.
A sample row
Each row follows the same pattern.
| Part | Entry |
|---|---|
| Doctrine | Promissory estoppel. |
| Rule | A promise the promisor should expect to induce reliance, and that does, is enforceable if injustice can be avoided only by enforcement (Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 90). |
| Elements | Clear promise; foreseeable reliance; actual reasonable reliance; injustice without enforcement. |
| Cases | Ricketts v. Scothorn (gift promise plus reliance); Hoffman v. Red Owl (negotiations); Drennan v. Star Paving (bids). |
| Remedy note | Often limited to reliance damages. |
| Hypo | Employer promises a pension, employee retires in reliance: enforceable. |
A weekly schedule
Build the outline weekly. After each class, spend 20 minutes adding that day's rules under the right heading. On weekends, spend an hour reading the outline from the top and fixing the parts that feel loose.
Start in the first week of the semester. A student who begins in reading period is writing a summary. A student who has built it all term is testing it.
From outline to attack outline
The attack outline is a one- or two-page checklist you can use during the exam. For each doctrine, write the question you ask of the facts, such as 'Was there an offer, and was it revoked before acceptance?'
Keep the attack outline short enough to scan in a minute. The full outline is for learning. The attack outline is for the exam room.
Your own outline or a commercial one
Building your own is how you learn the material. A commercial outline can help you check your work or fill gaps, but it will not match your professor's emphasis.
If you use one, read it against your class notes and change it to fit. An outline you did not build is one you do not know well enough to use under pressure.
Common mistakes
The most common is length. An outline of 80 pages is a book, not a tool. Aim for 15 to 40 pages for a four-credit course, and a 2-page attack outline.
The second is copying the professor's slides without organizing them by rule. The third is leaving out the cases. The cases are what you will cite on the exam.
Questions this guide answers
How long should a law school outline be?
Fifteen to forty pages for a four-credit course is typical. Longer than that, and it stops being something you can review.
When should I start outlining?
In week one. Add to it after every class.
Should I outline with a study group?
You can compare and fill gaps, but build your own first. The learning happens in the building.
What is an attack outline?
A short exam checklist of the questions to ask about a fact pattern, built from your full outline.
Your next steps
- Set up an empty outline today with your syllabus's units as level-1 headings.
- Add the rules from your case briefs each week, in the same doctrine order.
- By week 10, write your attack outline from your outline without opening your notes.