Legal rule

I learned how to take notes from my history professor. When I started in the Early Entrance Program, one of my biggest fears was not being able to take notes. Of course, I'd taken notes in junior high, but I thought that taking notes in college would be different and more important. And I suppose that's true. Also, maybe, it was a containable worry--something to focus on rather than the whole "I'm practically in college at age 14" thing.

The note taking method our history professor taught was to fold the paper not quite in half, length wise, put headings/asides on the left and the main body of the notes on the right. I put my notes in those paper binders with the metal prongs. I still have all my notes from history class. All through college and graduate school, I took notes this way. It worked. When I found it, I'd buy notepaper with the rule in the middle, but otherwise I drew a line down the page or made the fold.

I always thought this was called "legal rule" because that's what my history prof called it. I never really thought about why, though--why it would be handy for lawyers to use this style of paper.

I figured it out the first time a witness was questioned. On one side, you write what the attorney is saying. On the other side, you write what the witness is saying. Easy peasy!

I looked for some of this specially lined paper on the internet and it turns out it's called "litigation rule." I get it now!

Grateful for: note taking skills.