Torts Study Aids
by Lauren Riley, 1L
Foundations of Tort Law (2nd ed.)
Saul Levmore and Catherine M. Sharkey
KF1250 .A2 F68 2009
Foundation Press
Good for: Understanding Concepts
Foundations is best used for understanding the underlying ideas that permeate tort law. There are explanations of the overall goals of tort law and the economic driving force that shapes how courts have developed rules. Overall, this book is helpful in understanding the policy reasons behind the rules and standards in tort law.
Understanding Torts (6th ed.)
John L. Diamond, Lawrence C. Levine, and Anita Bernstein
KF1250 .D5 2018
Understanding Series
Good for: Understanding Concepts
This one would be most helpful for understanding concepts and outlining. It's arranged in an outline format, which is great for when you are putting your outline together and need a more in-depth understanding of a concept or a synthesized rule. If you are struggling with a subject and need a comprehensive review of it, this book will do the trick. If you just want to find a broad explanation of rules and explanations for them, this is also a good source. The only downside is that it can be a lengthy read if you need to go over a lot of concepts.
Questions & Answers: Torts (4th ed.)
Anita Bernstein
KF1250 .Z9 B47 2018
Questions and Answers Series
Good for: Exam Preparation
The majority of this study aid is composed of multiple choice questions divided by subject with some short answer questions peppered throughout. These questions are classified as easy, medium, and hard to give you a variety of difficulty. There's a 90 minute practice exam at the end to help you get in test-taking mode. Overall, this study aid is a good way for you to practice the application of your knowledge to various hypotheticals when you are getting ready for the exam.
Torts (5th ed.)
Steven L. Emanuel
KF1250 .Z9 E468 2015
CrunchTime Series
Good for: Outlining, Exam Preparation
The CrunchTime series is focused solely on exam preparation. There are six sections: flow charts, a capsule outline of torts, short answer questions-and-answers, multiple choice Q&As, and essay Q&As. The flow charts are helpful for determining the basic prima facie case for torts and would likely be better served in supplementing your outline. The short outline provides a quick review of everything likely to be on an exam. The short answer questions and essay questions are the most useful part of this book and provide a great last-minute way to test your knowledge of tort law.
Torts (25th ed.)
Marc A. Franklin, W. Jonathan Cardi, and Michael D. Green
KF1250 .Z9 F7 2017 (and online)
Gilbert Law Summaries
Good for: Outlining, Exam Preparation
Gilbert's is a well-known provider of study aids and is best used for outlining and preparing exam answers. It provides a comprehensive outline of torts with sufficient explanations of the subjects and rules. At the beginning of each subject there us a section on "Key Exam Issues" that tells you what to focus on when studying. The outline is very helpful in that it lays out the elements of each tort right away and provides several examples for each tort to illustrate the issues and remind you of landmark cases that mirror those issues. There are also "exam tips" throughout that keep you focused on how to respond to possible exam questions. I also found the charts throughout the book to be quite helpful. While this aid is mainly helpful with outlining, you might also use the 166 multiple choice questions and ten essay questions in your exam preparation at the end of the semester.
Acing Tort Law (3rd ed.)
Shubha Ghosh
KF1250 .Z9 G48 2017 (and online)
Acing Law School Series
Good for: Understanding Concepts
With its short and sweet overview of tort law concepts and hypotheticals this book makes for a good supplement. It provides straightforward explanations of the law and then tests your knowledge with hypotheticals after every chapter. There are also handy checklists at the end of each chapter to keep you thinking about what to write for an exam answer. While there are these hypotheticals and checklists this aid is not meant for exam preparation and is best used to get an overview of the subjects and test your knowledge of the broad topics.
The Law of Torts: Examples & Explanations (5th ed.)
Joseph W. Glannon
KF1250 .Z9 G58 2015
Examples and Explanations Series
Good for: Exam Preparation
Just as the title suggests, this book is filled with examples and explanations for almost every tort imaginable. The book is divided into the different torts and gives a brief overview of the substantive law. The examples are in-depth and provide a wide variety of possible issues so you should be ready for anything on the exam. Near the end there are practice essays and sample answers so you can test yourself in a timed manner. This study aid will be helpful throughout the semester in reviewing issues you have already gone over and help you with any concepts you may be struggling with. The E&E is also helpful for exam preparation and I understand that this is a very popular series among students.
Torts (5th ed.)
Edward J. Kionka
KF1250 .Z9 K527 2013 (and online)
Black Letter Outlines
Good for: Outlining, and Exam Preparation (sort of)
The Black Letter outlines provide a comprehensive overview of tort law in an outline format. There is a capsule summary at the beginning which would be helpful to review in the week before your exam. The rest of the study aid is a more extensive outline with review questions at the end of each subject. There are also two issue-spotter essay questions at the end with suggested completion times. This book might be helpful for exam preparation, but is most helpful for making your outline.