Lawstu Session

When to use

Reach for this when you sit down to study and want structure instead of aimless re-reading. The skill runs a single session end-to-end: it clarifies your goal, routes you to the right drill (briefing, IRAC, flashcards, Socratic), keeps you in timed blocks, and closes with a recall check so the time sticks.

Not for: planning the whole term (see lawstu-study-plan) or replacing the specific drills it routes to — it orchestrates them. It never does the work for you or produces submittable answers; it structures your effort. Not for a live cold-call rehearsal alone (see lawstu-cold-call-prep).

Method

1. Name one goal. "Understand promissory estoppel well enough to IRAC it," not "study Contracts." Decision point: if the goal needs more than 90 minutes, split it into two sessions.
2. Pick the mode that fits the goal: new material → lawstu-case-brief; consolidation → lawstu-outline-builder; recall → lawstu-flashcards; application → lawstu-irac-practice; pressure-test → lawstu-socratic-drill.
3. Work in timed blocks (e.g., 25/5 or 50/10). Phone parked; one doctrine per block.
4. Active over passive. Every block ends in output you produced — a rule stated, a hypo answered — not pages re-read.
5. Recall check. Close by reciting the session's core rules from memory, no notes. Gaps become the next session's opener.
6. Log the next step so tomorrow starts without warm-up friction.

Example

Goal: apply the hearsay exceptions. Block 1 — flashcards on the exceptions (recall). Block 2 — three short hypos via IRAC practice (application). Close: recite the exceptions cold — you blank on present-sense-impression vs. excited-utterance timing. That distinction becomes tomorrow's first block. One hour, measurable gain.

Pitfalls

• Re-reading highlights and calling it studying; passive review feels productive and isn't.
• Vague goals you can't tell you achieved.
• No recall check, so you never learn what didn't stick.
• Doctrine-hopping mid-block; context switches shred retention.

Output format

Goal (one, testable) | time budget
Mode routed to: [brief / outline / flashcards / irac / socratic]
Blocks: [doctrine → output produced]
Recall check: rules recited cold | gaps
Next session opener:

Reference

• Active recall + spaced practice drive retention; every block yields output.
• IRAC is the default application format when the goal is exam readiness (lawstu-irac-practice).
• Case-brief format structures new-reading blocks (lawstu-case-brief).