The Student Room Group

Remembering law

Reflecting on my first year at university, I can remember very little of what I learnt for my exams, once my exams are done, I just seem to disregard what I have learnt and it goes from my memory, I can still remember the general gist of things but not at the level I remembered them at the time.

I was just wondering if this is a problem if I want to pursue a legal career in the future (I'm not sure what I want to do yet but I want to keep my options open) or if it's just a natural occurrence that happens to everyone?
Reply 1
There was once an obituary for a very well-known City commercial lawyer. One of his colleagues said something along the lines of:

"x was the best lawyer I have ever known, its just a shame that he could have written all the law he knew on the back of a postage stamp with a marker pen"

Being a good lawyer is FAR more than just knowing your cases, legal principles etc. If it wasn't then I'd have been washed up a long time ago!

Its impossible to maintain an in-depth knowledge of the law across a broad range of subject areas once you start practising. Rather you tend to have a reasonable general knowledge of, say, contract, a very detailed level of knowledge in certain specialised areas (in my old days - aviation) and absolutely no knowledge of the rest!

Don't worry!
I know I keep harping on about "the fire service" - but it's where my experience is and in many instances my experience IS transferrable...

When I first started in this job neigh on 15 years ago we HAD to remember ridiculously (seemingly) unimportant figures, we had to be able to recall precisely what the ADR/Keemler Codes were (the ornge paltes on back of petrol tankers etc), the colours of cylinders denoting their contents... the cutting force imparted by hydraulic rescue tools (jaws of life), the mathematical formula for "jet reaction" (the reactionary force felt whilst handling a fire hose)... much of this was - to be frank - pure BO*&@#KS!!!

In more recent years the emphasis on RECALL has vanished... we know have, on appliances something called a "TACTICAL INFORMATION FOLDER" and booklets such as the "Symbol Seeker"...

The power of recall is fallible... we long argued this point, but the tradition was such that we had to commit such detail to memory. The result - ERRORS ON A LIFE THREATENING SCALE WERE VERY, VERY POSSIBLE OR EVEN LIKELY...

And I suspect the same is true in the legal field... Providing you know WHERE to get the detail, know WHAT you're looking for, HOW TO APPLY IT - that is the important point.

Memory is FALLIBLE - and even when you THINK you know the answer - only a fool would rely soley on memory!
Fireman John
Memory is FALLIBLE - and even when you THINK you know the answer - only a fool would rely soley on memory!

What else are you going to rely on in exams?
superdillon
What else are you going to rely on in exams?

exams are OK, it's just afterwards when there is no urgency to remember the information, thanks for all your replys though, they have been helpful.
Reply 5
superdillon
What else are you going to rely on in exams?


I don't think John meant you didn't *need* memory!!
I think what John meant was memorising huge chunks of text, namely law, is not what is expected... its using the materials you have and applying it to the facts using your understanding that you have developed through your study.

I know that I certainly didn't memorise loads of stuff, and I certainly couldn't recall it now!
Thanks Elle, that's precidely what I meant. I mean reliance on memory "long-term", recalling facts/detail that you don't deal with day in, day out...
Reliance on memory alone for recalling important detail from years ago is FOOLISH in the extreme. I am sure there are some that have excellent powers of recall and memory and there are always exceptions to the rule - but I honestly think it is asking and expecting too much of anyone to fill their heads with "detail" and keepi it there forever and a day. It's far more important (and expected of a competent person) to have an outline recollection, know how to find information, how to use it, present it etc...

The OP themselves stated that the problem wasn't "exams" - but longer terms...
Don't worry my memory is absoultely awful. I think technique and being persuasive can be really helpful combined with an ability to write clearly. :smile:
Understood.