Verbloom Law School Guides
1L doctrine, explained plainly.
Short, plain-English guides to the first-year concepts students search for most — Civil Procedure (jurisdiction and the Erie doctrine), Torts (negligence and intentional torts), and Contracts (consideration and promissory estoppel) — with the leading cases and tests, grouped by subject.
36 free Law School guides
Civil Procedure
Gasperini v. Center for Humanities (1996): Case Brief, Erie & Jury Awards, with Video
Gasperini v. Center for Humanities case brief: the facts, the 5–4 holding, how CPLR 5501(c) fits Erie and the Seventh Amendment, both dissents, and an exam hypo.
Byrd v. Blue Ridge (1958): Case Brief, the Byrd Balancing Test & Video
Byrd v. Blue Ridge case brief: the facts, the holding, Brennan's three-step Erie balancing test, the Seventh Amendment jury interest, and a worked exam hypo.
Asahi Metal Industry Co. v. Superior Court (1987): Case Brief, Stream of Commerce & Video
Asahi Metal v. Superior Court case brief: the facts, who joined which opinion, stream of commerce plus vs. pure stream, fairness factors, and a practice hypo.
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly (2007): Case Brief, Plausibility Test & Video
Bell Atlantic v. Twombly case brief: the facts, the 7–2 holding, the plausibility test, Stevens's dissent, Iqbal, and a practice fact pattern with an answer.
Relation Back of Amendments: Rule 15(c) Explained
Rule 15(c) lets an amended pleading take the date of the original, saving claims that would otherwise be time-barred. Learn the separate tests for new claims and new parties, and why the mistake-of-identity requirement decides most cases.
Rule 23 Class Actions: The 1L Framework
Class certification is a two-step test: all four Rule 23(a) prerequisites, then one Rule 23(b) category. Commonality after Dukes, predominance, and who gets opt-out rights.
Discovery Scope and the Work Product Doctrine Explained
Rule 26(b)(1) scope and proportionality, plus how work product differs from attorney-client privilege — including ordinary versus opinion work product.
Joinder, Impleader, and Intervention: Who Ends Up in One Lawsuit (1L Civ Pro)
The joinder rules decide which claims and parties belong in a single case. A plain-English guide to Rules 18, 20, 19, 14, 13, and 24, with a summary table for 1L Civil Procedure.
Venue, Transfer, and Forum Non Conveniens (1L Civ Pro)
Venue answers which courthouse hears your case — not whether the court has power. Learn 28 U.S.C. § 1391, transfer under § 1404 and § 1406, and forum non conveniens, with a quick decision map.
Supplemental Jurisdiction Explained: 28 U.S.C. § 1367 (1L Civ Pro)
After diversity and federal-question jurisdiction, § 1367 lets a federal court hear extra claims that couldn't stand on their own. Here's the same-case test, the diversity carve-out, and when a court can decline — with the leading cases.
Res Judicata and Collateral Estoppel: Claim and Issue Preclusion in Civil Procedure
Once a court decides something, that decision has consequences for future litigation. Here's a clear breakdown of claim preclusion (res judicata) and issue preclusion (collateral estoppel) — what they bar, when they apply, and how to distinguish them.
Summary Judgment vs. Motion to Dismiss: Rule 56 vs. Rule 12(b)(6) Explained
Both motions can end a lawsuit before trial — but they operate at different stages and use different standards. Here's a plain-English breakdown of Rule 12(b)(6) and Rule 56, with the key cases every 1L needs to know.
The Plausibility Pleading Standard: Twombly and Iqbal (1L Civ Pro)
Twombly and Iqbal replaced notice pleading with the plausibility standard. Here's a plain-English walkthrough of Rule 8, the two-step Iqbal analysis, and how a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss now works.
The Erie Doctrine Explained: Which Law a Federal Court Applies (1L Civ Pro)
The Erie doctrine decides whether a federal court sitting in diversity applies state or federal law. Here's a plain-English walkthrough of Erie, the substance–procedure line, and the tests from York, Byrd, and Hanna v. Plumer.
Subject-Matter Jurisdiction: Federal Question vs. Diversity (1L Civ Pro)
Can a federal court hear your case? This 1L Civ Pro guide explains subject-matter jurisdiction — federal question and the well-pleaded complaint rule, plus diversity jurisdiction, complete diversity, and the amount in controversy.
Personal Jurisdiction Explained: Minimum Contacts, Specific vs. General (1L Civ Pro)
Personal jurisdiction is one of the most confusing 1L Civ Pro topics. Here's a plain-English walkthrough of minimum contacts, specific vs. general jurisdiction, purposeful availment, and the fairness test — with the key cases.
Torts
Res Ipsa Loquitur: When the Accident Is the Evidence
Res ipsa lets a plaintiff reach the jury on negligence without proving what the defendant did wrong. Learn the elements, what the exclusive-control requirement has become, and the procedural effect — which varies more by jurisdiction than students expect.
Proximate Cause in Torts: Foreseeability, Palsgraf, and Scope of Liability
Proximate cause limits liability for harms an act factually caused. Learn the difference from cause in fact, the two competing tests, the eggshell and rescuer rules, and how superseding causes actually work.
Intentional Torts: Intent, Battery, and Transferred Intent (1L Guide)
What does "intent" mean for intentional torts — and why doesn't it require intent to harm? A plain-English 1L guide to battery, assault, the purpose-or-knowledge standard, and transferred intent, with the leading cases.
The Four Elements of Negligence: Duty, Breach, Causation, Damages (1L Torts)
Negligence is the backbone of 1L Torts. This guide breaks down all four elements — duty, breach, causation (actual and proximate), and damages — with the key tests like the reasonable person standard and the Hand formula.
Contracts
UCC 2-207 and the Battle of the Forms
Section 2-207 replaces the mirror image rule for sales of goods. Learn how each subsection operates, when additional terms become part of the contract, and how the knockout rule handles conflicting terms.
Contract Damages: Expectation, Reliance, and Restitution (1L Contracts)
When a contract is breached, the default remedy is money — but which measure? Here's a plain-English guide to expectation, reliance, and restitution damages, plus the limits (foreseeability, certainty, mitigation) every 1L is tested on.
The Parol Evidence Rule, Explained (1L Contracts)
The parol evidence rule decides when prior or contemporaneous agreements can change a written contract. Here's the integration question, the partial vs. complete distinction, the major exceptions, and the UCC twist — in plain English.
Consideration and Promissory Estoppel Explained (1L Contracts)
Consideration is what makes a promise enforceable — and promissory estoppel is the backup when it's missing. Here's a plain-English 1L guide to the bargained-for exchange, what isn't consideration, and the Restatement §90 reliance test.
Constitutional Law
Procedural Due Process and the Mathews Test (1L Constitutional Law)
Procedural due process asks two questions in order: was a protected liberty or property interest taken, and if so, what process was due? Here is how entitlement analysis works and how courts apply the Mathews balancing test.
The Commerce Clause Explained: Categories, Limits, and the Aggregation Problem
Congress's commerce power runs through three categories, and almost every hard case turns on the third. Learn the Lopez framework, why the economic/non-economic distinction does the real work, and how aggregation and the activity/inactivity line fit together.
The Three Levels of Scrutiny in Constitutional Law (1L)
Rational basis, intermediate, and strict scrutiny decide most equal protection and fundamental-rights cases. Here's what each tier requires, which classifications trigger it, who bears the burden, and how to pick the right one on an exam.
Criminal Law
United States v. Jewell (1976): Case Brief, Willful Blindness & Video
United States v. Jewell case brief: the facts, the jury instruction, the willful blindness rule, Kennedy's dissent, the Global-Tech test, and a worked exam hypo.
Felony Murder and Homicide Grading Explained (1L Criminal Law)
Murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter are separated by mental state, not by outcome. Here is how the four kinds of malice work, where felony murder fits, and the limits courts place on it.
Criminal Law Essentials: Mens Rea, Actus Reus, and the Model Penal Code
Every crime requires an act and a mental state. Here's a clear breakdown of actus reus and mens rea, the Model Penal Code's four mental states, and how to analyze criminal liability in 1L exams.
Property
Easements Explained: Creation, Scope, and Termination
Easements confuse 1Ls because five different creation methods lead to the same result. Learn appurtenant versus in gross, the five ways easements arise, when they run to successors, and how implication and necessity differ.
Adverse Possession: The Elements, Explained
Adverse possession turns a trespasser into an owner. Every element explained, plus tacking and privity, tolling, color of title, and why permission ends the analysis.
Estates in Land and Future Interests: A 1L Property Map
Future interests are the most disorienting unit in 1L Property. The trick is to name the present estate first, then ask what happens next. Here's the full map — defeasible fees, life estates, remainders, and executory interests — with a parsing method.
Evidence
Character Evidence and Rule 404(b) Explained (1L Evidence)
Character evidence is barred to prove propensity but admissible for many other purposes. Here is the structure of Rules 404, 405, and 406 — the exceptions, the permitted 404(b) purposes, and how proof method changes with each.
Hearsay and Its Exceptions, Explained (Law School Evidence)
Hearsay is an out-of-court statement offered for its truth — and the definition is where most of the points are. A plain-English guide to FRE 801–807, the "not for the truth" trick, and the 803/804 exceptions.