Atticus Falcon is offering an Examsmanship Course Forum

[mhernton]

Atticus Falcon author of PLS II is offering an course on practical skill for 1L to include exam taking, Legal Writing and basically thinking like a lawyer. Here is a letter from a former student:


I had intended to comment sooner, not only to your e-mail, but life got in the way. I just completed 1L. I stumbled on PLSII 5 weeks before first semester. I completed the 6 week review before classes started. I know I did better than I would have without the prep. Even then, my writing was extremely conclusory. I would mention causes of action in passing and indicate that they would fail in a few sentences. My biases influenced my analysis. I tried to be balanced. I would interweave facts sufficiently to establish an element or show that it fails, and ignore other relevant facts. I am not a wordy sort of person. Remember, I prepped with LEEWS as well.

Last semester, I took Atticus' zamsmanship course. There were times when he would propose a cause of action based on a fact pattern and I would actually go "what?" because I thought it was really stretching it. In time I began to see what I had read and listened to previously, which did not register for whatever reason. Once I internalized what Atticus was teaching, then I could see the value of creating a short outline and memorizing it. All the recommendations I had read about began to make sense. It wasn't that I didn't believe them initially. I just did not get it as much as I tried. Worse of all, I really didn't realize that I didn't really get it.

After each exam last spring, I would be on a high! I had so many issues I could not get to all of them. During last fall's exams, I would sit and look around and wonder what everyone is furiously typing about. Remember, we have already established that I am not wordy. Then I would chuck it to their verbosity. It's not how much you write (which is true), but what you write, I would think. Spring exams? I was one of those furiously typing away to the very last second. With each exam it became easier. I can tell you that I almost went over that ledge thinking that I am a natural born genius of the law. LOL!!! It was empowering.

What is my point? I don't know what sort of learner you are, but I would put aside the self study for now and take the zamsmanship course. I believe that Atticus deprived me of much better grades in the fall because although he offered the course I must have appeared on the scene a little too late. If only I knew then what I know now, even with the 5 week prep, life would have been so much easier. Mind you, I know that the 5 week prep was very helpful. As I told Atticus, with what I now know I would do 1L over again and extremely happily. Grades should be coming out any day now. No matter what, I will do extremely better than I would have done without the zamsmanship course. The course also made finals not as nerve racking as they could have been.

So, for all of you 1Ls, I have done my duty. You all have been duly informed. Best of luck to you.

If you are interested please contact him directly at atticusfalcon@gmail.com. Regardless of what people have heard or believe about PLSII I have heard only good thinks about the course and his ability to prepare students for 1L year.

We need a few more students to make the course worthwhile to put it on.

[06072010]

Beware. I don't think Atticus has been very forthcoming re: his grades in law school. The guy doesn't even stand by his crap with his real name. He prays upon law students insecurities. Beware.

[TheBigMediocre]

I use his methods to pick up girls in bars. A fake name and extravagant stories.

Just kidding. I'm very affluent.

[mhernton]

I've got no issues with someone using a pen name because they don't want their opinion of the legal industry interfering with their professional life. Secondly, I don't know what his grades were and I don't really care. Its not like he had the strategy in place while he was a law student, he is reflecting on all the things he wish he knew as a law student going forward. So his grades are irrelevant to the conversation. Lastly, if you have taken the course, or some other course to prep for 1L year then your criticism is warranted, but you didn't even offer an alternative to his course. If you have something constructive to say then please continue to contribute, if not please do something else...

[MURPH]

He writes about his grades in PLS2. He said they sucked in 1L and 2L before someone told him about LEEWS and how to get good grades in law school. FWIW I signed up for his course.

[06072010]

I've got no issues with someone using a pen name because they don't want their opinion of the legal industry interfering with their professional life. Secondly, I don't know what his grades were and I don't really care. Its not like he had the strategy in place while he was a law student, he is reflecting on all the things he wish he knew as a law student going forward. So his grades are irrelevant to the conversation. Lastly, if you have taken the course, or some other course to prep for 1L year then your criticism is warranted, but you didn't even offer an alternative to his course. If you have something constructive to say then please continue to contribute, if not please do something else...

Hey bro, this is open to discussion. Not to be a dick, but I (and the other mods) make the rules. Telling people not to buy into this type of bullshit is constructive. I'm very sorry you are insecure and want to get a jump on your classmates that will likely not pay off, but I've also been through law school. His methods are untested by him. I've been quite vocal about study techniques -- especially Pre-L prep -- and they're all over this board. I'll put up my GPA and methods against his any day.

[06072010]

He writes about his grades in PLS2. He said they sucked in 1L and 2L before someone told him about LEEWS and how to get good grades in law school. FWIW I signed up for his course.

You still don't know what they are. One year of grades in law school from an anonymous guy doesn't sound like the evidence I'd want before I plunked down a bunch of cash. Also, he's selling this course to you -- it IS his "professional" life. Don't be fooled by that.

[howcani111]

did you see a preplist for 1L prepping? he's a jack ass...

[Mr. Matlock]

I've got no issues with someone using a pen name because they don't want their opinion of the legal industry interfering with their professional life. Secondly, I don't know what his grades were and I don't really care. Its not like he had the strategy in place while he was a law student, he is reflecting on all the things he wish he knew as a law student going forward. So his grades are irrelevant to the conversation. Lastly, if you have taken the course, or some other course to prep for 1L year then your criticism is warranted, but you didn't even offer an alternative to his course. If you have something constructive to say then please continue to contribute, if not please do something else...

Hey bro, this is open to discussion. Not to be a dick, but I (and the other mods) make the rules. Telling people not to buy into this type of bullshit is constructive. I'm very sorry you are insecure and want to get a jump on your classmates that will likely not pay off, but I've also been through law school. His methods are untested by him. I've been quite vocal about study techniques -- especially Pre-L prep -- and they're all over this board. I'll put up my GPA and methods against his any day.

Game, Set, Match, Mr. Sebben.

Thank you for attending today's thread. Please exit in a calm and orderly fashion.

[06072010]

astly, if you have taken the course, or some other course to prep for 1L year then your criticism is warranted, but you didn't even offer an alternative to his course.

This part kills me. Only if I've taken a course is criticism relevant. Holy logic fail. What about not taking a course and still doing well in law school. My own viewpoint is that pre-L study at best gives you no advantage and at worst can be harmful. I don't have any horse in this race. I know what works for me and many others on this board. I'm not trying to sell you a book or a course. You'd think you'd put that into your calculus.

[mhernton]

He writes about his grades in PLS2. He said they sucked in 1L and 2L before someone told him about LEEWS and how to get good grades in law school. FWIW I signed up for his course.

You still don't know what they are. One year of grades in law school from an anonymous guy doesn't sound like the evidence I'd want before I plunked down a bunch of cash. Also, he's selling this course to you -- it IS his "professional" life. Don't be fooled by that.

It sounds like your very objective, listing all those pros and cons, and telling us to make an informed decision, you make the rules, and are certainly being constructive. Like I said in my original response, I welcome anything constructive, so put up your prep methods and send me to your posted 1L prep threads so I can evaluate those too. I don't really need to see your grades, and in my prep for 1L I'm synthesizing a lot of different methods. Its not insecurity that has me prepping for Law School,n its wisdom. I've been to grad school before and one of my regrets from that time was not prepping before had. So like I said before give me sound advice and let me make my own decision. Don't bash some guy that has a valid point of view and list his choice to stay anonymous, and not list his grades as reasons I shouldn't follow his advice.

[Mr. Matlock]

He writes about his grades in PLS2. He said they sucked in 1L and 2L before someone told him about LEEWS and how to get good grades in law school. FWIW I signed up for his course.

You still don't know what they are. One year of grades in law school from an anonymous guy doesn't sound like the evidence I'd want before I plunked down a bunch of cash. Also, he's selling this course to you -- it IS his "professional" life. Don't be fooled by that.

It sounds like your very objective, listing all those pros and cons, and telling us to make an informed decision, you make the rules, and are certainly being constructive. Like I said in my original response, I welcome anything constructive, so put up your prep methods and send me to your posted 1L prep threads so I can evaluate those too. I don't really need to see your grades, and in my prep for 1L I'm synthesizing a lot of different methods. Its not insecurity that has me prepping for Law School,n its wisdom. I've been to grad school before and one of my regrets from that time was not prepping before had. So like I said before give me sound advice and let me make my own decision. Don't bash some guy that has a valid point of view and list his choice to stay anonymous, and not list his grades as reasons I shouldn't follow his advice.

Good god you reek of douche. Seriously, this could be a problem for you. Maybe some kind of "self help" class over the summer would be better use of your time and focus. Hopefully your vast "wisdom" can help you see this.

Good luck!

[mhernton]

Thanks Matlock, your my hero...

[06072010]

Whatever. Being anonymous, fear-mongering, and hiding the ball on grades are all relevant. Would you take LSAT prep from a bunch of guys scoring 145s on the exam? Maybe, right? Perhaps they have a great strategy and just can't execute it. Maybe they're better teachers of a method. But I think it's safe to assume you're going to get better advice on the LSAT from people who scored highly on it. What about those who fail the bar? Would you let them teach a bar review course? The proof is in the pudding. Not that I think grades are everything, but I'd want to know whether the results of a method are effective or even necessary. Crazy me and my want of evidence.

I'm certainly letting you make your own opinion. I'm not trying to change your mind. I'm trying to change the next person's.

My study method is all around in a bunch of different posts but I'll lay it out quickly. I endorse megatrons, Xeos, and Arrows methods. I did something a little different from all of them, but you need to see what works for you.


1. Do the reading. Read it until you understand it. No short cuts. Brief at first, then go to highlighting / margin notes.

2. The process of making an outline is more useful than the outline. I outlined towards the end of the semester when I can see all how the different doctrines interplay. You score huge points on exams by tying domains together.

3. You must know the black letter law cold. But it is not nearly enough to know just that. You also must understand the policy behind the rules. I suggest only the "Czar" chapter of getting to maybe.

4. You must do practice exams. I at least look over old exams by the mid point of the semester.

5. Supplements are fine, but I would not rely on them heavily.

6. Not necessary, but useful: I read recent scholarship of my profs. If you know their interests, you can sniff out an exam question or two. This only paid off a couple times, but when it did, it payed off big.

7. Do not fucking prep. It is not necessary nor useful. Law school is a marathon, not a sprint. There is no substitute for hard work. Doing the reading carefully and methodically -- re-reading it until you understand the logic intimately is much more useful than any E&E will ever be. E&E's are useful for the questions and answers, but not so much for the substantive law in them. What is in the E&E is the absolute bare minimum what you will be asked. The sups are not tailored to your professor and you may spin your wheels learning crap that is never, ever, ever, tested. You will need your energy at the end of the semester and burnout is a very real thing. Don't think it can't happen to you. Law school hallways are littered with people who simply abandon their work ethic and anything you can do to guard against burnout during the critical period near exams is worth way more than any black letter law you may possibly learn prepping.

[Mr. Matlock]

Thanks Matlock, your my hero...

Well if you look back, he wasn't "attacking" you, he was just putting out some "food for thought". Your reaction to it was one of a company shill with the tactics of a Scientologist.

Do whatever you want. But OL prep threads are posted throughout the site with the majority of "top-performers" recommending little to none.

[mhernton]

Sebben, your analogy about the LSAT study is appropriate to the conversation, lets look at it from another point of view. If I took the LSAT and got a 145, then went back and analyzed how I did and figured out the mistakes I made and figured out how to teach people another more effective method to score well on the test after learning from my mistakes and my pupils were scoring in the 170s, is that proof positive? There are people that swear by the AF method. I am not one of them. I look at what he says and take the good with the bad

I've looked at GTM, and LEEWS, LSC and read some of the other stuff that is out there to get an idea of what I'm walking into. What I have found in all of this searching is that you and AF agree on every point you mentioned except 1 & 7. There are a lot people I've talked to that don't agree with the case method, that believe that point out black letter law and how it applies to facts, instead of looking at fact sets to try to decipher what the black letter law is. As far as not prepping is concerned, it just doesn't make any sense to me. I went to business school and didn't prep or study beforehand. I took three classes that I had never looked at before. The instructors had their own agendas, one was testing out his new book and teaching method on us, another was trying to prove that that he was smarter than us, and one actually cared. All of the people that were familiar with subject matter beforehand found school a little easier to handle. I'm trying to develop a familiarity with the subject matter so I can better learn, not to develop some edge over my classmates.

All in all I appreciate the constructive input you provided. I will look at Xeos, Arrows and megatrons and see what they have to say. Those things worked for you, but as you said I need to see what may work for me. Right now I'm looking for something interactive that will give insight into how to write a law school exam.


Matlock, if you look back, I wasn't attacking him either, I just offered some food for thought about having reasons for discouraging the PLS Method when others speak well of it, and to offer advice on what to do if not that. Your reaction to it the conversation left a lot to be desired, ad hominem attacks aside.