Maximising Your Reading List: Further Reading Tips for Law Students

It’s pretty common to get given compulsory and further reading lists when it comes to law. Add in the suggestion to read outside of those lists, and it’s easy to feel lost. So welcome to tips and tricks of what to read and how to read… everything we wish we knew :) 

• Read the compulsory stuff 

It may seem obvious, but actually read your required cases and articles. Exam problem questions often mirror the facts of required case law reading. Case summaries can be super helpful (even though most professors refuse to admit it), but only full readings give you the exact language and reasoning you need to distinguish cases based on facts. The same goes for academic articles - exam essay questions are often built around them.

• Find articles

Search for academic articles, case commentaries, and Law Commission reports on the areas you’re studying. Read abstracts first to ensure they are actually relevant! Depending on the article and how much you know about area you could just toggle to the section relevant for your research - I would caution doing this without scanning the rest of the article so you are aware of the context and argument that runs through the article. 

• Follow the trail 

When reading, note any referenced articles or authors with opposing views. These contrasting perspectives are perfect for critiquing the law and expanding your understanding. Think of authors referencing others’ work as further relevant sources being served to you on a silver platter. 

• Collate notes 

Keep a running document of your further reading notes, organised by topic or in a way that suits you. Well-structured notes are easy to find and incorporate into your exams, avoiding panic during exams. Our biggest tip is to use the table of contents feature in Microsoft Word to organise your notes. 

• Build and review as you go 

Add 2 or 3 extra articles as you prep for tutorials - it should only take an extra 30-45 minutes as you get good at it. By the time exams come around, you’ll have a curated bank of reading ready to review, instead of scrambling to create it from scratch last-minute.

Hope this helps!