My first day at Northwestern California University School of Law is scheduled for December 1, 2026. With a month to go, I'm focusing less on trying to learn an entire first-year curriculum in advance and more on getting ready to study consistently.
I already know something about organizing education. After years of homeschooling eight children, I'm comfortable using checklists, calendars, flashcards and charts to keep track of what needs to happen. Now I'm adapting those familiar tools for my own classes: Contracts, Torts, Criminal Law, and Legal Writing and Research.
The biggest question is how law school will fit into an ordinary week. I'm considering a target of roughly 16 to 20 hours of study, but that's a plan, not a prediction. I'll be balancing coursework with journalism, homeschooling and family life. Once classes begin, I'll track the hours I actually spend and adjust the schedule if necessary.
I'm also setting up a simple system for case briefs, notes and outlines. My goal isn't to produce a perfect set of materials before day one. It's to start with a workable system and find out which parts help me understand and retain the law.
This website will document that process as it unfolds. I'll share my experiences as a student, along with original study tools that other online law students may find useful. When something doesn't work, I intend to say so.
For now, the next milestone is straightforward: be ready to begin on December 1.