The selected resources below are available through the Law Library’s study aid subscriptions. For more information on accessing our study aids, view our Introduction to Study Aids video and our 1-L Study Aids page on the 1-L Survival Guide.

CALI Lessons for Law School Success

What Is CALI?

CALI stands for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction.  CALI.org is a non-profit consortium of law schools – of which UC Law is a member – that develops and distributes legal education lessons to the consortium members.

How to Access CALI

You will need to set up a username and password to use CALI online. Go to the CALI Registration page and click the Create an Account link. You will be asked to enter UC Law’s authorization code. You can get this code from any reference librarian or at the Circulation Desk. Once you have entered the authorization code, you can set up your username and password. Read more at the CALI FAQs.

Time Management: Creating Your Plan

This lesson provides time management strategies for law students.It will help you create a daily, weekly, and semester time management plan.

Common Law Basics: What Faculty May Assume You Know

A basic introduction (or refresher!) about sources of law, court structure, and precedent.

Law School Lingo: How to Navigate A Brand New Vocabulary

If you are just starting law school, or thinking about doing so soon, it can often feel like you need to learn a foreign language. Not to mention all the abbreviations, odd acronyms, and more! This lesson is designed to help you get started on mastering the brand new language that is the field of law.

Note-Taking in Law School 101: The Basics

This lesson will walk you through things to consider before setting “foot” (physically or virtually!) in a law school doctrinal classroom. You’ll learn about how to listen for and capture the most important information, how to maximize your note-taking efficiency by using symbols and shorthand, and the various software options available for taking notes. It is recommended by the author that this lesson be completed before Note-Taking 101: Case-Based Content, which tests your note-taking skills in practice.

Note-Taking in Law School 101: Case-Based Content

This lesson, intended for incoming and current 1L law students, guides participants through the process of note-taking in law school classes with a focus on case-based information. Using a series of cross-doctrinal audio lecture examples and integrating periodic checks for understanding, students have the opportunity to develop their note-taking skills and practice categorizing the pieces of case-based information. This lesson is equally suitable for full-time, part-time, evening, or remote law students.

Class Participation Tips: Discussions in Law School Success

This podcast discusses methods to use to make you more comfortable with class participation, including case briefing templates. The podcast will provide you with the opportunity to do a freewriting exercise, explore some research in the field, and learn a few tips on how to hone your approach to speaking out loud in class.

Help! I am Zoning Out!

This lesson is designed to provide students with data about why their attention levels may dip during class or studying, including recent research regarding the effects of digital distractions on concentration. The lesson invites students to reflect upon the reasons they may lose focus and/or concentration while in class or while studying, and provides a robust set of strategies students can use to anticipate and control for that loss of focus, incorporating several free-writes.

Study Groups: Best Practices

This lesson gives best practices on whether and how to form a law school study group.

Creating Study Aids

Creating Study Aids is part of the Academic Support series of CALI Lessons. This lesson introduces you to law school study aids. It begins with a brief overview of self-regulated learning and Bloom’s learning taxonomy. Then, the lesson introduces law school study aids by pairing them with learning objectives at each level of the taxonomy. Finally, the lesson concludes with an activity designed to help you reflect on your learning. It can be used as an introduction, supplement, or as review.

Grit, Growth, and Why it Matters. Or, How to be Gritty!

This lesson will teach you what grit and growth mindset are, and why they are important for learning and mastering success, specifically as they pertain to law school.

What to Expect in Law School: Discussions in Law School Success

Law school is a vastly different experience from undergraduate work. In this podcast, four Academic Support professionals reflect on what came as a surprise to them when they entered law school, and share things they wish they would have known then.