Course Preparation

Law Students have a range of course preparation resources: academic support collections, CALI, course reserves, exam archive, grade distribution reports, and Online Study Aids. Read more about each of these resources below.


Academic Support Collection

The print academic support collection is located in the bookcases facing the Library Service Desk.

The collection contains Nutshells, Examples and Explanations, and hornbooks that are often used by law students to better understand the cases and key concepts covered in their casebooks. Academic support items may be checked out for two hours, but may be kept overnight if checked out within two hours of closing and returned within one hour after the Library opens the next morning.

For electronic access, read below about Online Study Aids from West and Aspen Study Aids Collections.

CALI

The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) lessons are online interactive tutorials on law school subjects. Registration instructions are available on the Law School IntranetOnce registered, UNM law students receive unlimited free access to CALI lessons.

For further assistance, email their helpline, calitech@cali.org.

Course Reserves

Course reserves are kept at the Circulation Desk.

To see what materials a professor has placed on reserve, ask at the Circulation Desk or search the library catalog, as detailed below. Course reserve items may be checked out for two hours, but may be kept overnight if checked out within two hours of closing and returned within one hour after the Library opens the next morning.

 

Search for Course Reserve Materials by Instructor

Type the name of the professor, last name first, then press the Enter key or click Submit

For example:

Villa
Villa, Cliff

 

Search for Course Reserve Materials by Course Name

Type the course name, then press the Enter key or click Submit

For example:

art law
entertainment law
legal writing
legal research

Exam Archive

Law faculty members frequently release past examinations. In addition to providing an historical record, these documents may be useful to students preparing for law school exams. Because the law changes, students should consult with their professors to determine which, if any, of the released examinations may be helpful for study purposes. Faculty members do not reuse released essay examination questions.

Exams from the years 1982-2004 are available in print on the lower floor of the Library at call number KF292.U54 A2. The years 1999-2004 are available in both paper and electronic versions and the years 2004-current are exclusively electronic. Please inquire at the reference desk if you need assistance.

Grade Distribution Reports

Grade Distribution Reports show the grades given for each class within a respective semester. Students often review these when making their course selections.

West Study Aids provide online access to the full text of series like Nutshells, hornbooks, Gilbert Law Summaries, and Blackletter Outlines as well as guides to law school success and starting a legal career. The subscription may be accessed by following the above link. However, if you'd like to highlight or add notes, you will need to create your own account by selecting Create an Account." on the home page. After creating your account, you can access these features by logging in with your account.

Note: West Study Aids CANNOT be accessed through your Westlaw account. West Stuy Aids is a separate subscription accessible from the above link.

Aspen Learning Online Study Aid Library provides access to popular study aid series such as Examples & Explanations, Glannon Guides, Emanuel Law Outlines, In Other Words (audio and video), and Casenote Legal Briefs. To read offline, highlight, and write notes, create a personalized login from the homepage and/or download the Aspen ebook reader app from the Apple App store or Google Play store.