The Law School Toolbox Podcast: Tools for Law Students from 1L to the Bar Exam, and Beyond

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! In this episode we explain the legal concepts of self-defense and defense of others, focusing on their importance in criminal law and in law school exams.  
In this episode we discuss:







Self-defense: rules and elements
Imperfect self-defense
Defense of others: rules and elements
Two hypothetical scenarios from previous California bar exams







Resources:
"Listen and Learn" series (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/law-school-toolbox-podcast-substantive-law-topics/#listen-learn)
California Bar Examination – Essay Questions and Selected Answers, February 2008 (https://nwculaw.edu/pdf/bar/February%202008%20Essays%20and%20Sample%20Answers.pdf)
California Bar Examination – Essay Questions and Selected Answers, February 2006 (https://nwculaw.edu/pdf/bar/February%202006%20Essays%20and%20Sample%20Answers.pdf)







Download the Transcript 
(https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-540-listen-and-learn-self-defense-and-defense-of-others/)
If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/law-school-toolbox-podcast/id1027603976) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). If you're concerned about the bar exam, check out our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/). You can also sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/get-law-school-podcast-updates/) to make sure you never miss an episode!
Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're diving into part one of a two-part series on the topic of impeachment. Specifically, we're focusing on character impeachment – that is, discrediting the credibility of a witness.
In this episode we discuss:
What is witness impeachment?
Demonstration of bias
Examining a witness's character for truthfulness
Evidence of prior bad acts and convictions
Analyzing two questions from previous bar exams
Resources:
"Listen and Learn" series (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/law-school-toolbox-podcast-substantive-law-topics/#listen-learn)
California Bar Examination – Essay Questions and Selected Answers, February 2016 (https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/admissions/Examinations/February2016CBX_QuestionsSelectedAnswers_R.pdf)
California Bar Examination – Essay Questions and Selected Answers, February 2020 (https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/admissions/Examinations/February-2020-Essay-Selected-Answers.pdf)
Download the Transcript 
(https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-539-listen-and-learn-impeachment-part-1/)
If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/law-school-toolbox-podcast/id1027603976) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). If you're concerned about the bar exam, check out our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/). You can also sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/get-law-school-podcast-updates/) to make sure you never miss an episode!
Thanks for listening!
Alison & Lee

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! As AI is becoming part of our everyday life, we're discussing the good practices and the questionable uses of AI in law school.
In this episode we discuss:
How law students are currently using AI
How law schools and professors are responding to AI usage
The upside: When AI genuinely helps you learn and practice 
Risks, pitfalls, and ethical landmines
Resources:

Tutoring for Law School Success (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/tutoring-for-law-school-success/)
AI in Higher Education: A Meta Summary of Recent Surveys of Students and Faculty (https://sites.campbell.edu/academictechnology/2025/03/06/ai-in-higher-education-a-summary-of-recent-surveys-of-students-and-faculty/)
ABA Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence releases survey on AI and legal education (https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2024/06/aba-task-force-law-and-ai-survey/)
This law school is among the 1% that allow use of AI to write admissions essays (https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/a-majority-of-surveyed-law-schools-have-no-policy-on-using-ai-to-write-admission-essays/)
Risks of AI in Legal Practice (https://law.stanford.edu/juelsgaard-intellectual-property-and-innovation-clinic/risks-of-ai-in-legal-practice/)
Podcast Episode 480: Ethical Uses of AI in Law School (w/Professor Susan Tanner) (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-480-ethical-uses-of-ai-in-law-school-w-professor-susan-tanner/)
Podcast Episode 505: Breaking ADHD Barriers with the Help of AI (w/Lindsay Scola) (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-505-breaking-adhd-barriers-with-the-help-of-ai-w-lindsay-scola/)
Podcast Episode 517: Teaching AI in Law School (w/Megan Hutchinson and Nicole Phillips) (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-517-teaching-ai-in-law-school-w-megan-hutchinson-and-nicole-phillips/)








Download the Transcript 
(https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-538-using-ai-in-law-school-smart-strategies-and-red-flags/)
If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/law-school-toolbox-podcast/id1027603976) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). If you're concerned about the bar exam, check out our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/). You can also sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/get-law-school-podcast-updates/) to make sure you never miss an episode!
Thanks for listening!
Alison & Lee

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! In the first week of January, we're talking about the second semester – how to make a study plan, get feedback on your first-semester exams, and even use AI to help you out with organization and studying.
In this episode we discuss:
Dealing with disappointing first-semester grades
Engaging with professors and seeking feedback
Creating and sticking to a study schedule
Minimizing distractions and maximizing focus
Utilizing AI for academic success
Resources:

Tutoring for Law School Success (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/tutoring-for-law-school-success/)
Podcast Episode 79: Making the Most of Your Second Semester in Law School (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-79-making-second-semester-law-school/)
Podcast Episode 110: Revisiting Mindset (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-110-revisiting-mindset/)
Podcast Episode 112: Managing Distractions in Law School (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-112-managing-distractions-in-law-school/)
Podcast Episode 226: Bouncing Back Second Semester in Law School (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-226-bouncing-back-second-semester-in-law-school/)
Podcast Episode 505: Breaking ADHD Barriers with the Help of AI (w/Lindsay Scola) (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-505-breaking-adhd-barriers-with-the-help-of-ai-w-lindsay-scola/)
Podcast Episode 513: Grappling with AI as a Law Student and Lawyer (1L Summer Series) (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-513-grappling-with-ai-as-a-law-student-and-lawyer-1l-summer-series/)
Podcast Episode 522: Is Social Media Destroying Our Ability to Focus? (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-522-is-social-media-destroying-our-ability-to-focus/)
Podcast Episode 533: Quick Tips – How to Engage Meaningfully with Your Professors in Office Hours (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-533-quick-tips-how-to-engage-meaningfully-with-your-professors-in-office-hours/)
Leveling the Playing Field: Using Resources and Seeking Accommodations in Law School (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/leveling-playing-field-using-resource-seeking-accommodations-law-school/)
Need to Get More Done in Law School? Try The Circles. (https://thegirlsguidetolawschool.com/08/tips-time-management-awesomeness-with-the-circles/)







Download the Transcript 
(https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-537-planning-for-a-better-second-semester-in-law-school/)
If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/law-school-toolbox-podcast/id1027603976) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). If you're concerned about the bar exam, check out our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/). You can also sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/get-law-school-podcast-updates/) to make sure you never miss an episode!
Thanks for listening!
Alison & Lee

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! In this episode from our "Listen and Learn" series, we're talking about the expectation damages of sellers and buyers of goods under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC).
In this episode we discuss:






Sellers' expectation damages
Buyers' expectation damages
Hypothetical scenarios dealing with remedies for breaches of contract






Resources:
"Listen and Learn" series (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/law-school-toolbox-podcast-substantive-law-topics/#listen-learn)
Podcast Episode 341: Listen and Learn – Contract Defenses (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-341-listen-and-learn-contract-defenses/)
Podcast Episode 354: Listen and Learn – Expectation and Consequential Damages (Contracts) (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-354-listen-and-learn-expectation-and-consequential-damages-contracts/)






Download the Transcript 
(https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-536-listen-and-learn-ucc-expectation-damages-contracts/)
If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/law-school-toolbox-podcast/id1027603976) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). If you're concerned about the bar exam, check out our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/). You can also sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/get-law-school-podcast-updates/) to make sure you never miss an episode!
Thanks for listening!
Alison & Lee