Includes index.

Before reading: the purpose for reading cases -- Before reading: read as an advocate and read with focus -- Before reading: case structure and civil and criminal procedure -- Before reading: context and overview -- During reading: facts -- During reading: strategies to understand text -- During reading: strategies to understand main ideas (issue, holding, and reasoning) -- During reading: finding rules -- After reading: case evaluation -- During and after reading: case brief -- After reading: case synthesis -- Reading statutes.

"[This book] presents critical reading strategies in a systematic sequence so that students can become effective readers who are successful in both law school and in law practice. This reading system was developed by identifying the characteristics of expert readers at different stages of the reading process and then creating a curriculum to teach these skills. It contains essential ingredients for developing skills in reading comprehension as well as legal analysis, case evaluation, and case synthesis. [This book] starts with chapters on reading as an advocate and with focus and then introduces students to case structure as well as civil and criminal procedure. Students are then introduced to specific comprehension techniques such as case context, reading for an overview, reading facts, and strategies for understanding unclear text. [This book] then addresses strategies for making inferences, evaluating cases, and synthesizing cases. [This book] focuses on comprehension of full reported cases as students must be able to read full decisions in practice. It is designed to be used in law school pre-orientation and orientation programs, academic success courses, legal writing and doctrinal classes, as well as individual student support."-- Provided by publisher.