Customer Reviews

Sum & Substance Audio on Civil Procedure, 6th (CD) (Sum & Substance-Audio Tape Series)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Prof. Miller is widely acknowledged not only as tops in the field, but as an extremely effective teacher of the subject. Prof. Miller has perfected his teaching of this course over many years, and these recordings provide a condensed version of the course he has taught at Harvard Law School for many years.

I was lucky enough to have Prof. Miller as my Civ Pro professor - but this is your chance to hear the "highlights" of his course for yourself. Professor Miller explains it all in very clear terms, and alerts you to potential exam questions and pitfalls. Also, much of Prof. Miller's sense of humor and love for his subject comes through on these recordings -- if anyone can make you love (or at least like) this subject, it's him.

I listened to this before school started and replayed certain sections for review during school. Miller makes the material interesting and not as dry as what I thought it would be. He does not go into great detail, but offers a good overview of Civ Pro with examples you can follow. I found it very helpful to listen to during my drive to and from school, but I would not just want to sit down and listen. It will not be your only supplement, but if you have a 1/2 hour+ drive it will help you understand the concepts. It's a little pricey at $70+ but so is law school.

Don't make the mistake I made and wait until second semester to buy these Arthur Miller cds. Spend the money up front and between these cds (and the Glannon books) you will be set and you'll find it was well worth it right from the get go. The cds got me through all the tough topics and made Civ Pro one of my favorite subjects. Miller trudges through all the big items in an easy, sensible way with very clear hypos, and a sense of humor that totally grows on you. His teachings stood out in my mind so many times during my final and honestly think I would have been in a terrible position without these cds.

Instead of simply memorizing all the rules, the CD's group the rules into clusters that make sense and provide helpful context. I listen to the CD's before class which makes the lecture easier to follow and understand.

The explanations of the Erie Doctrine, along with Examples and Explanations book, got me an A in Civ Pro. I would not have gotten an A without these CDs. Civ Pro can be dry, it's true, but Arthur Miller makes it about as entertaining as it can be. What's more, he made it comprehensible.

The two hour plus commute I endure every day to get to school has forced me to get ultra-creative in my study methods. Sum and Substance CDs in general have been a godsend. The Civil Procedure set in particular is easy to understand, meticulous,entertaining enough to keep one's interest, and follows right along with the classic two semester first year civil procedure class. Now instead of fuming silently over wasted time, I can anchor my knowledge while I ride.

Arthur Miller gives a nice outline to CivPro with clear examples and explanations for the terms. Don't expect it to be a party listening to the monotony (it IS CivPro), but if you need simple instruction and a very structured lecture, this is the tape/CD set that may help you.

Mr. Miller speaks very clearly but too slowly sometimes. He's a little obtuse at times-- doesn't define some concepts very well, pontificating about a subject using terms and phrases that, in my opinion, he shouldn't presume the listener knows. The sound quality of the recordings is poor, but acceptable. Not as much "fun" as the S&S Torts recordings by Finz. A little bit dated-- (about 8 years old?). Overall good.

My Civ Pro class was a nightmare. My professor might as well have taught the class in Greek because I was terribly confused and none of my class notes made a bit of sense. I heard these CDs were helpful, so I decided to make them my primary source of information for studying for the exam. I listened to these CDs while sitting at my computer typing up an outline from the CD lectures. This became the outline I studied for the exam. Other than this outline, the only other material I used to prepare for the final exam were the practice questions in Glannon's Examples & Explanations book. I was worried that my preparation would be horribly inadequate, as I completely ignored my class notes since they made no sense. However, I received an A in the class!

(5) Excellent! Everyone I've spoken to loves these as well. He is a great speaker with a great voice and he is a known expert on Civil Procedure. He has the ability to take a potentially boring subject and making it interesting and enjoyable to listen to. That is a major accomplishment. It's the longest set of CDs I've gotten so far, numbering at 10. But it is well worth the investment financially and with regard to one's time. It is an excellent review of the subject. I listened to these CDs between 4 and 6 times throughout the semester and it really helped me keep my understanding of the subject organized and clear during the exam. These are really indespensible. A must-buy! I've reviewed other CD lectures with links back to Amazon here: http://schlissellaw.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/review-of-select-law-school-audio-cds/