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Westlaw & Lexis Vs Casebooks
Most of my lecturers to date have been at pains to discourage the purchase of textbooks - saying that the library has copies of most recommended texts running into double figures on a variety of loan duration (from library only reference copies trough 2 day to 1 week and upwards loan) and you can renew up to 10 times... Having said that, I like to have a textbook - if only to have something to read sat on the fire engine listening out for incidents whilst the rest of the crew are doing a Home Fire Safety Check or something... a productive use of personal downtime...
HOWEVER - I wonder what benefit (if any) exists with Casebooks when I have access to Lexis and Westlaw... I have the facility to have the cases, statutes, journal articles emailed or printed - are casebooks therefore wholly unnecessary?
HOWEVER - I wonder what benefit (if any) exists with Casebooks when I have access to Lexis and Westlaw... I have the facility to have the cases, statutes, journal articles emailed or printed - are casebooks therefore wholly unnecessary?
Reply 1
Casebooks contain analysis and just the important extracts so can often avoid the endless trawl through cases ... having said that I am going to honestly say that I am yet to read a case from start to finish and actually most of the time the headnote of the case will suffice, with a little bit of mroe detailed reading of a specific paragraph or two. Many will advocate the use of casebooks but I don't personally like them. But their advantage is that they do explain some cases quite well, but its nothing you can gain without a short read of the case and its vital parts, unless you have serious difficulty with them.
The textbook thing I would definately get them, without a doubt.
The textbook thing I would definately get them, without a doubt.
Reply 2
A good up-to-date textbook is a worthwhile purchase. They can be quite detailed and form the base for your understanding. I personally build up on that base by reading cases in full and other academic commentary.
Casebooks are supposed to be particularly good when it comes to revision time. I don't use them that much around that time however. I have a good casebook for all my modules as its using this that I decide which cases and academic commentary to read in full as well as considering the further reading that it suggests.
I think that there are two kinds of casebooks. One type is either a full-blown casebook (just containing cases) or a cases and materials book (containing cases and extracts from academic sources). The second type is the Text, Cases and Materials textbook. This is my personal favourite and in most cases they are particularly good and so I don't even read the other textbooks that I have for the module or don't even by them in the first place.
I think that any casebook is only good for extracting the most important part of a case. I often find where I have read the case in full (in a hard-copy law report) that exactly the bits that I found to be most important were the parts that were extracted in the case-book, it makes me think that I shouldn't have bothered really. But in some cases (generally the smaller issue cases rather than the big House of Lords decisions) you can be thankful for reading the case in full as you are able to take note of other important issues and debates that were discussed/resolved elsewhere in a judgment. Also, when you think of how long a judgment is compared to how many pages it's edited version takes up in a casebook you can reasonably believe that you are likely to be missing something that can be important.
I think that you shouldn't be discouraged from buying a casebook (either kind) because you think that you can access all you want on one of the internet law reports providers. Instead it should be casebooks that you read whilst the rest of the boys are on active duty, as it is better source of information and exposition to primary materials is far more interesting as you get to form your own views on the material.
Casebooks are supposed to be particularly good when it comes to revision time. I don't use them that much around that time however. I have a good casebook for all my modules as its using this that I decide which cases and academic commentary to read in full as well as considering the further reading that it suggests.
I think that there are two kinds of casebooks. One type is either a full-blown casebook (just containing cases) or a cases and materials book (containing cases and extracts from academic sources). The second type is the Text, Cases and Materials textbook. This is my personal favourite and in most cases they are particularly good and so I don't even read the other textbooks that I have for the module or don't even by them in the first place.
I think that any casebook is only good for extracting the most important part of a case. I often find where I have read the case in full (in a hard-copy law report) that exactly the bits that I found to be most important were the parts that were extracted in the case-book, it makes me think that I shouldn't have bothered really. But in some cases (generally the smaller issue cases rather than the big House of Lords decisions) you can be thankful for reading the case in full as you are able to take note of other important issues and debates that were discussed/resolved elsewhere in a judgment. Also, when you think of how long a judgment is compared to how many pages it's edited version takes up in a casebook you can reasonably believe that you are likely to be missing something that can be important.
I think that you shouldn't be discouraged from buying a casebook (either kind) because you think that you can access all you want on one of the internet law reports providers. Instead it should be casebooks that you read whilst the rest of the boys are on active duty, as it is better source of information and exposition to primary materials is far more interesting as you get to form your own views on the material.
Reply 3
Lewis-HuStuJCR
I am going to honestly say that I am yet to read a case from start to finish and actually most of the time the headnote of the case will suffice, with a little bit of mroe detailed reading of a specific paragraph or two.
I suppose when you put it like that, reading 'just' the headnote of a judgment isn't that bad an idea after all. At least you are reading some of the important parts of the judgment. However, reading the headnote just by itself is likely to be only as fruitful as reading the detail about it in a textbook, so you may as well not even look the case up in the law reports.
By 'Headnote', I take it to mean the important facts of the case in quite a bit of detail and a rough outline of the decisions made up on those facts.
We were told to buy a Casebook for every module in 1st year and I can honestly say that I've never wasted so much money on books before. I didn't really use the casebooks, they were all dense and tedious, especially the Constitutional and admin one which was quite easily the most boring book the world ever - it was so bad that whenever I looked at it I would have visions of me sending it through a paper shredder.
This year I've bought just a textbook for each module [apart from Child, not any decent textbooks] and a couple of other recommended texts, plus statute books.
Stay away from casebooks, just go on Westlaw or Lexis and look up the cases you need to. Your tutors should give you lists of articles and further reading which will more than cover the extracts and often mind numbingly dull jiz in a casebook.
This year I've bought just a textbook for each module [apart from Child, not any decent textbooks] and a couple of other recommended texts, plus statute books.
Stay away from casebooks, just go on Westlaw or Lexis and look up the cases you need to. Your tutors should give you lists of articles and further reading which will more than cover the extracts and often mind numbingly dull jiz in a casebook.
Reply 5
Well super, I personally dont believe that you can generally gain as much from cases as you say ... I find academic commentaries on them to be far far more useful, beyond as you say picking out the basics... judges talk too much rubbish for my liking! Although, of course their reasoning is the most important so its always good to read what they have to say to a point... but I find you often dont need to know the little arguments here and there in order to attain the top marks provided you knwo the criticisms etc.
Reply 6
Lewis-HuStuJCR
Well super, I personally dont believe that you can generally gain as much from cases as you say ... I find academic commentaries on them to be far far more useful, beyond as you say picking out the basics... judges talk too much rubbish for my liking! Although, of course their reasoning is the most important so its always good to read what they have to say to a point... but I find you often dont need to know the little arguments here and there in order to attain the top marks provided you knwo the criticisms etc.
;rant; :withstupi
Reply 7
Oh wait, I probably shouldn't advocate my way of working as it is not the norm...
Reply 8
Hmmm... Well, it sounds like a case of (no pun intended) "horses for courses"! Superdillon's idea of taking a casebook as opposed to a text book on the road with me sounds sensible... We tend to be parked up on a roadside for 30 minutes or so... a duration probably appropriate for digesting the details and material facts of most cases. Having started on a couple of text books I'm fding them requiring a high level of concentration and consideration, constant referral back to earlier points etc... but maybe that's just because my brain needs to get conditioned to a new style of learning!
Thanks for the opinions - I think the key point to come out of it is that everybody is different and I need to find out what's gonna work for me...
Thanks for the opinions - I think the key point to come out of it is that everybody is different and I need to find out what's gonna work for me...
Fireman John
I think the key point to come out of it is that everybody is different and I need to find out what's gonna work for me...
Quite right - have a good go with casebooks in the library and see how you find them.
Personally I had all textbooks, and just a few casebooks (I used my contract one a *lot*) but just see what works for you
Reply 10
Nutcases is absolutely fine!
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