Some of my classes that I care to comment on
- Crim pro with Dripps was a great class and he really forces you to try and form an opinion and by doing so teaches you material that you need to know
- Evidence with Devitt is a fun and energetic class: D’s teaching style is not for the faint of heart. No section of the class room is safe from his roving eye and the usual trick of not locking eyes with the professor does not work when trying to avoid being called on
- Wills and Trust with Lilly: his teach style tends to be more in line with the flow of molasses but he is a great/awesome grader: class attendance is not mandatory or even encouraged
- Tax with Burke: She was a fun professor – but come on it’s tax
- Lawyering Skills II with Hartwell: In my mind it is THE MUST take class in law school – if you do not like speaking in public its perfect for you because it will force you to do that and if you like to hear the sound of your voice, well its tailor made
- Cal Civ Pro with Heiser: it is a practical course and will be added to the bar next year so good to have it under your belt. He makes the material flow and keeps the class very organized
- Community Property with Wesley: (currently in that class) it appears to be rather chill will know more after the final attendance is taken via a paper handed round for initials. He is one of the most relaxed professors I have ever seen and he tries to make the class relevant to every day life
- Employment Law with Lobel: Judgment still being formed – powerpoints are available for all the material which is a bonus
- PR with Murr: She loves and the Cali J means LOVES stories and analogies so if you like that teaching style you will be very comfortable in this class – it flows along nicely and she encourages class participation – which does sometimes lead to ridiculous situations of students raising their hands to spout nonsense
- Paper requirement w/ no one: I resolved the writing requirement by doing an independent research which was great because it allowed me to work on my own with a Professor as an advisor and removed from the stricture of the class room environment (Can be taken for 1 or 2 credits and the choice is YOURS)
Please add any questions or comments that you have (and no u do not have to register for a blog to comment – just click on other[the web page portion is optional]) and hopefully we can all help each other!
While I do enjoy a good slam page now and again this page was meant to be for help and constructive criticism so let’s please avoid the personal shots at professors at least for this page!
18 comments:
M. McGowan - She is a great professor, and her powerpoints that she posts on TWEN are extremely helpful. Not sure what she's teaching next semester, but Employment Discrimination and Con Law II taught by her were both great classes.
Fellmeth (both of them) - Incredible professors, very committed to their students. I definitely recommend taking Public Interest Law and Practice (if it's your thing).
Lilly - I agree that class attendance was not mandatory or encouraged in Wills and Trusts, but coming from a person who only went about a 1/3 of the classes, you should go to class. If you go to class you don't really have to do the reading. Of course if you don't go to class OR do the reading, Lilly isn't such an awesome grader.
Lobel - Very good in small seminar type settings, and if you're taking a paper class with her she will offer a ton of advice and guidance, unlike some other professors.
Ursin - I definitely recommend taking any seminar Professor Ursin is teaching. The subject matter is always interesting and he encourages interesting but not intimidating class discussion.
Law - TAKE ADMIN LAW WITH PROFESSOR LAW! Trust me. I'm not sure yet how the final is going to be, but his teaching style is amazing and he is very helpful and committed to making sure students understand what is going on.
Hope this helps!
WOW,
Ok, this page is meant to help people in law school not send them on a wild goose chase for easy prof's and find not a golden egg, but a semester full of forced attendance and reading.
Dont take Lobel, If I could combine lack of self confidence, NUT JOB, and drops more name than a Valet on Rodeo drive into a word it would only begin to describe her complete ineptitude.
And LAW, are you fucking kidding me, that is one to stay away from, you will have to buy the books and go to class, TWO things that 2 and 3l should be avoiding.
I mean why dont you just tell people that remedies is the greatest class at USD law.
In the end it depends on what you want your law school expierience to be, in my opinion the expierience gets better every moment I dont have to spend in this campus.
GL all,
Heriot is by far the worse prof I have ever had in my life. You learn absolutely nothing from her. She's a waste of space and tuition. Stay away!
Pretrial Practice with Martin is an excellent class that will give you a good idea of what you will be doing in practice. Plus he's hilarious.
Interviewing and Counseling was the best class ever. I think this is THE MUST-TAKE class at USD. 1 paper (less than 10 pages), 1 5-minute presentation, 4 journals.
Law Skills II is good but don't take the small section with Wyzga unless you like talking about stories and story-telling.
Communications Law and Policy with Kammer is good to take...class is chill (he doesn't call on a single person in the whole semester) and the final was like a high school history test. Don't know when its offered but its a great filler class.
UCC Sales with Lawrence was ok - but you should sit in the front bc he starts calling on ppl from the back and you can't hear him unless you're closer up. Final was fair but hard curve bc everyone knows the material.
While I do enjoy a good slam page now and again this page was meant to be for help and constructive criticism so let’s please avoid the personal shots at professors at least for this page!
This was just posted on the older blog version (http://calijamaican.blogspot.com/2005/04/registration-help_13.html)so copying it here
Anonymous said...
Tax with Shue is as good as youre gonna get and trust her when she says she doesn't hide the ball. Her test is straight forward
Schwartzchild is super chill professor with minimal reading and attendance required. Great if you are taking other courses that require a lot of work
M Ramsey - the best, smartest professor ever.
Partnoy - hands down the most sarcastic and enjoyable class I have had. But his test is hard and he requires a lot of reading. But his jokes make up for it.
Murr (PR) - really nice lady
I highly recommend Evidence with Devitt and Criminal Procedure with Dripps.
Law and Socioeconomics with Dallas is centered on interesting concepts and topics, but her teaching style doesn't really lend itself to a particularly enjoyable classroom experience.
Con Law II is a very helpful class if you intend to do anything in the future that might involve civil rights or equal protection issues.
The clinics are great too, but some are compeptitive to get into...so make sure you take the application process seriously.
Negotiations with Prof. Smith is fun and super easy.
Ditto on Murr, Dripps, Devitt, and Wesley... they are all awesome. Don't miss the opportunity to take classes with them.
Spiedel is a good UCC Sales professor, but the subject is boring.
Take European Legal cultures whenever its offered. Its short, and the grade is the easiest you will ever get (take home final).
I also think that for the lazies out there, International Sales transactions with lawrence isn't too bad (3 short papers and a 12 page final paper- no final).
Take tax with Caron over the summer is the best time to take it. The subject sucks no matter which way you cut it. He is just a good teacher and a funny guy.
Reed -- Environmental Law and Federal Land Law. He is boring and dry but he will teach you the stuff. Environmental law is very complex but he did make somewhat simple. He's actually dealt with it in his life as a Justice Dep't attorney.
Wharton -- Environmental Clinic. I never learned more in any class than I learned in that clinic. Wharton forces you to be prepared; he will berate you in class if he feels you didn't prepare. The only professor I know of to actually use the Socratic Method at this school. (On a side note, any clinic is an excellent opportunity to go beyond the theory and not risk your employment.)
D McGowan -- PR. Confusing and I don't feel like he was a good teacher. Not helpful on the MPRE but maybe that's a standard complaint for all PR classes.
Rappaport -- Administrative Law. Good class. He knows his stuff. Admin law, in my opinion, wasn't that difficult.
Mergers & Acquisitions with Tom Smith was okay, the test was fair.
Corporate Finance w/ Partnoy is extremely interesting but also pretty darn difficult.
Comparative Corporate Law is really boring, but I got a good grade on my paper, so it was worth the boredom.
Crim Pro with Dripps was interesting and the test was fair. I was originally enrolled in Kamisar, but I dropped for Dripps because Kamisar seemed to biased.
Anyone know about Dripps for Evidence? I've heard about him for Crim Pro, but nothing about Evidence.
Aaron, can you e-mail the spreadsheet mentioned in last year's blog to cooldadvl@yahoo.com?
take Devitt for Evidence if you want to learn the law and how to use it in practice. Dripps is cool, but much more theoretical and a little "all over the place." Devitt's class is fun, and so far has been the best class I've taken in law school.
Are there any recommendations for Tax I professors?
I liked Burke: She made the material interesting which is hard to do with tax. She teaches in a rather relaxed manner and always welcomes questions. She snakes through the rows when asking questions so you know when its your turn and when to prepare. Her problem sets come from the book and are easy to follow!
Is it a bad idea to take Civil Procedure I (Schwartzschild) and Criminal Procedure I (Huffman) during the same semester?
There's a helpful "Grade my Professor" page at myspace.com. It doesn't have too many entries yet, but seems to be growing. I like the report card style. If you're a myspace member, go and contribute!
Does anyone know about Adler for Employment Litigation?
It's not a bad idea to take Civ Pro and Crim Pro in the same semester many have done it and I have never heard a complaint
Post a Comment