[arbaaz]

Heyy guys!

Big problem here, I'm a law student and I find it extremely difficult to remember case names.
Is there a special method for learning them?
I will remember the case name for a day after learning it and then will forget it.
I need a proper way of learning them, especially the long ones like in eu law.
how do you cut the names down? can you do this in exams?
help please!

[gethsemane342]

Different people do it differently. I memorise them by associating images with them either from the facts or the name. For example, Lawrie-Blum - I think of a teacher in a classroom. Boxfoldia v NGA - I think of my old headteacher (who had a similar surname) dressed as a secret agent. Douwe-Egbert makes me think of eggs.

Cut out unnecessary words. For example, Baden Delvaux v Societe Generale (omitting the rest of that stupidly long name).

For EU, I always just put it down to one word (or called it Commission v Germany on the basis that 50% of the cases are Commission v Germany). Meca-Medina. Kaur. Walrave and Koch. Jany. Genhardt. Admittedly, I did nearly entirely substantive law for my exam. There are a few long German names you need to know though IIRC.

[arbaaz]

(Original post by gethsemane342)
Different people do it differently. I memorise them by associating images with them either from the facts or the name. For example, Lawrie-Blum - I think of a teacher in a classroom. Boxfoldia v NGA - I think of my old headteacher (who had a similar surname) dressed as a secret agent. Douwe-Egbert makes me think of eggs.

Cut out unnecessary words. For example, Baden Delvaux v Societe Generale (omitting the rest of that stupidly long name).

For EU, I always just put it down to one word (or called it Commission v Germany on the basis that 50% of the cases are Commission v Germany). Meca-Medina. Kaur. Walrave and Koch. Jany. Genhardt. Admittedly, I did nearly entirely substantive law for my exam. There are a few long German names you need to know though IIRC.

Ok thank you. I think because I'm first year law student that I'm not used to learning the case names but hopefully I will when I keep practising. Yeah I am trying to cut the words down a lot.
There was this one case in evidence which is called webber so I tried your method of associating it with pictures and imagined justin bieber because his surname rhymes with webber. It worked ! Thank you.

[cliffg]

(Original post by arbaaz)
Heyy guys!

Big problem here, I'm a law student and I find it extremely difficult to remember case names.
Is there a special method for learning them?
I will remember the case name for a day after learning it and then will forget it.
I need a proper way of learning them, especially the long ones like in eu law.
how do you cut the names down? can you do this in exams?
help please!

I do it by splitting the subject down into small areas and making very condensed notes with a principle, case name, and one or two words to trigger recall. So for example in torts, breach of duty, relevant factors the courts will take into account:

Probability of damage - Bolton v Stone - cricket ball
Magnitude of the harm - Paris v Stepney Borough Council - one-eyed worker
Cost of taking precautions - Latimer v AEC Ltd - flooded factory
Financial resources of defendant - Knight v Home Office - prison suicide
Public benefit - Watt v Hertfordshire Co. Council - injured fireman

I then remember I've 5 factors, therefore 5 cases. The couple of trigger words are enough to recall the facts if I need them. I give my notes to someone else each evening and get them to test me - give me the principle and see if I can give you the case - next night give me case, let me give you the principle. As the days go on the list gets longer so the key for me was going through it every night until it got lodged in my head. I also worked by visualising that page of bullet point notes to help my memory.
As far as exams go - I've always been told that the full case name is best, failing that the first name, failing that enough of the bare facts to establish which case you're referring to. Obviously you'll not score as many marks but better to say that the probability of harm was examined in a case where a cricket ball was hit of a ground and caused injury, than having no authority for it all.

[arbaaz]

hey you guys,
just a quick question,
is it possible to get book which have pastpaper questions and answer guides for criminal law?
where do you get them from?

[thecrimsonidol]

I also go for the memorising names based on a certain key fact or something. I also make big lists, if I visualize the list in my head and can think where on that list the case was, I find it easier to remember what it was about.

(Original post by arbaaz)
hey you guys,
just a quick question,
is it possible to get book which have pastpaper questions and answer guides for criminal law?
where do you get them from?

Are you at university? If so, probably not, as most places structure questions differently/focus on different areas of the topic. Try asking your tutor's for past papers.