My Law School Story: How to digest cases fast?
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What is a case digest?
Allow me to begin by answering the question, "What is a Case Digest?"
In my understanding (based on experience because it was not defined in law books), a case digest is a one- or two-pages summary of a case decided by the Supreme Court. It contains the facts of the case, the issue, and the ruling. Sometimes I add the doctrine of the case, thesis statement, or ratio decidendi (according to a source from Google, this is the legal basis of the judicial decision).
The fact of the case tells the identity of the plaintiff/petitioner and the defendant. It elaborates on the story of both sides. It shows where/when it started and how the case progressed. We often keep the facts short, but it's difficult for me (considering the long facts in the original case). How I decide what facts to write is written down below.
The issue is the problem the Court is trying to resolve, but most of the time, a case contains various issues which may not be relevant to the topic of the subject. A further explanation is in the main heading (below).
The ruling (sometimes we call it "held") is the decision of the courts. This part of the case has the answers to the issues brought by the plaintiff and the defendant. The Supreme Court resolves the issues brought to the lower courts wherein the plaintiff/defendant is unsatisfied with the result. The petition is often called review on certiorari.
How I Digest Cases?
I will share step-by-step how I digest cases to make it easier for new aspiring lawyers who have zero ideas about case digests.
Let's begin.
- Look at the syllabus or know the topic the professor will be discussing. I listen carefully and take down notes during the discussion. Professors often tell what they will discuss next meeting at the end of the class session. I look at the syllabus to see what case is relevant to the topic mentioned.
- Remember or take note of the topic mentioned or written in the syllabus, and download and scan the case assigned. I don't trust case digests I see online. Although there are good case digests, most are not relevant to the topic of the subject. The majority of the case digests I found online are confusing (for me), so I do not rely on them. The websites I commonly visit to find cases are lawphil.net, chanrobles.com, and sc.judiciary.gov.ph. I copy and paste the cases into Word to customize them.
- Highlight relevant texts and phrases (see the tips below to make this process faster). When I'm in a hurry, I do not read the full text of the case. I just scan it and highlight, bold, or italicize the texts which I think are relevant to the topic. Then I create another Word file to save the case digest. It's what I open during the recitation. Sometimes, I also open the highlighted (full case) file to be sure.
- Find the most relevant facts, issues, and ruling by looking back at the topic (in focus). I listen to what the professors say. When I digest cases, I reminisce about their statements regarding oral recitations. I believe our professors want us to read and digest cases to let us understand the law better by knowing how it is applied in real scenarios.
- Rewrite (or copy and paste) the highlighted facts, issue, and ruling. Honestly, I don't usually rewrite the facts and rulings. I read an article similar to this one that stated that it is better not to change the wording in the decision of the Court because the meaning may differ from what the justices intended. I do not copy and paste the issue stated in the case. I create the issue relevant to the topic/subject (see the sample here). Then I look back at the ruling to determine if it contains the answer to the issue I wrote.
- Arrange (accordingly) in a convincing manner the texts/phrases.
Case Digest Tips
- Make use of the keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl+F. Easily find the topic by using a keyword.
- Understand the topic/subject and read the relevant law before digesting a case.
- Know what the professor wants.
- Approach the cases in the way the professors teach or do the recitation/examination.
- Think like you are in the Judge's shoes and genuinely appreciate the cases (for better retention.)
