Law of Evidence - Revision Help?

Question

Does anyone have any tips as to going about revising for an Evidence exam? I am having trouble digesting the vast amount of info, my lecturer is refusing to help and has told us to we need to know everything!

Hey thanks for the reply, I should have mentioned in relation to English law. However I can still apply those suggestions to it

Answer 1

You mean reviewing for an evidence exam?
Well, start with the rules of evidence. Most evidence profs are going to test on the most important rules -- Relevance (Fed. R. Evidence401, 402, 403, 404, 405, but ESPECIALLY 404(b) -- other crimes wrongs acts entered for purpose other than conduct in conformity)
Hearsay (801, 802, 803, 804 -- especially the exemptions in 801 and the most important exceptions in 803, and the difference between the 803 exceptions and the 804 execeptions (declarant's availability))
Expert witnesses -- 701, 702, 703, Daubert standard for introducing experts compared with teh Frye standard still applicable in most states.
Then the rest -- witness impeachment (600s); Manner of questioning; Authentication 900s and 1000s.
Then maybe some Confrontation Clause issues, since that's been important with the Supreme Court recently (Crawford, right?) and since that's caused a sea change in the law as related to hearsay statements being offered in criminal trials.

What did you spend the most time on during class? Expect a question or two about it. What didn't you spend any time on? Don't expect to be tested much.

Take it easy -- get a commercial outline; outline your own class notes.
Good luck.

Answer 2

The papers were probably prepared at the end of last year. The thing to do is to look up any landmark cases as at that time or in the year or so before and concentrate on them. Look in the law reports under "evidence" and make sure that you learn those cases thoroughly, as they will have been foremost in the lecturer's mind. Otherwise, you should go through the notes you have taken in class, making sure that you learn any areas highlighted during lectures. Make sure you learn hearsay -- that always comes up. You don't say whether it's civil or criminal evidence or both -- but make sure you learn hearsay -- that always comes up.