The Academic Enhancement Program (AEP) is a collaborative effort involving law school administration, faculty and students with the goal of assisting all students in developing the critical experiences and skills necessary for academic success in law school and beyond.
The AEP program is designed to promote academic excellence through enhancement and supportive services for students at all levels of academic performance. For first year students, the learning curve for mastering the law school curriculum can be steeper than expected because the study of law is unique and challenging.
"Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives-choices, not chance determine your destiny." - Aristotle
Year Specific Information Available
Looking for year-secific (1L, 2L, 3L, LLM-LI) information? Skip to the year-specific information »
Spring 2023 Semester Materials
We encourage you to use the following materials to help you as you plan for the spring semester.
AEP 1L Spring Workshops
See schedule of workshops below for the spring 2023 semester.
- Closing Arguments for Mock Trial
- Tues. Feb. 7th at 12:05pm
- Appellate Brief Writing for Moot Court
- Wed. Feb. 8th at 12:05pm
- Write-on: Tips on Note-Writing for Law Journals
- Tues. April 11th at 12:05pm
Using Academic Resources
The AEP has a collection of 1,000+ books that serve as secondary sources with focus on subject areas of select law classes.
- View the full list of study aids and learning resources.
- Stop by the AEP office on the 5th floor to check out books.
- Questions? Email the AEP aep@law.wisc.edu.
Bar Success Preparedness
The AEP has external exam prep resources available and offers a Bar Success Skills Class to help students enhance critical reading, thinking, and writing skills to maximize the chances of success on the bar exam.
Year/Program-Specific Information
1L
The AEP has the following support services specifically designed to help make your first year at law school a success. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with AEP programs and services, then plan to take full advantage of them.
- LASSI
- Skills Workshops
- Individual Consultations
- Enrichment Workshops
- AEP Study Group Program
- AEP Library Resources
- Exam Period at AEP
- Academic and Learning Skills
- Additional Resources
Not sure where to start? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions guide (PDF).
1. LASSI
The Learning And Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) is an online assessment tool which assesses skill-sets proven to help students maximize academic performance and be strategic learners. All incoming 1Ls are required to take the LASSI. More information about LASSI will be provided during Orientation.
Instructions for Completing LASSI (PDF). No longer available.
Your results will be emailed to you shortly after completing the assessment. The AEP also gets a copy. If you have questions about your LASSI results, you may discuss the results with the AEP assistant Dean by scheduling an appointment.
2. Skills Workshops
AEP skills workshops are designed to equip students, sooner rather than later, with academic, learning, and study skills needed to master the law school curriculum. Workshops focus on topics such as outlining, issue spotting, legal analysis for exam writing, and exam prep. See schedule below.
- Closing Arguments for Mock Trial
- Tues. Feb. 7th at 12:05pm
- Appellate Brief Writing for Moot Court
- Wed. Feb. 8th at 12:05pm
- Write-on: Tips on Note-Writing for Law Journals
- Tues. April 11th at 12:00pm
3. Individual Consultations
You are able to meet one-on-one with the AEP Assistant Dean to brainstorm and strategize about how to academically succeed in law school.
The following are a few topics that students often address during one-on-one meetings:
- Individualized study strategies
- Outlining: feedback on your drafts
- Exam prep: planning ahead for finals
- Exam-writing skills: practicing questions and getting feedback
- Time-management tips
- Grade follow-up: to highlight the good and brainstorm on improving performance
- Stress Management: to achieve balance and avoid over-loading
- Other related topics
Please make an appointment to meet with the AEP Assistant Dean.
4. Enrichment Workshops
The AEP works collaboratively with Moot Court, Mock Trial, and Law Journals to provide workshops as requested. See schedule below. Be sure to watch for email announcements about these workshops.
- Closing Arguments for Mock Trial
- Tues. Feb. 7th at 12:05pm
- Appellate Brief Writing for Moot Court
- Wed. Feb. 8th at 12:05pm
- Write-on: Tips on Note-Writing for Law Journals
- Tues. April 11th at 12:00pm (Tentative)
5. AEP Study Group Program
The AEP study groups are designed to provide out-of-classroom opportunities for students to further clarify topics, and to discuss practice questions sometimes provided by the professor. Study groups are led by 2Ls (or 3Ls) who took the class with the same professor during their first year of law school. Weekly discussion sessions are on Fridays at 12:00pm during the semester. Participation is not required but strongly encouraged.
6. AEP Library Resources
There are over 1,000 books and numerous handouts available to assist law student's studying.
See a list of AEP resources and learn more about how you can use the resources.
7. Exam Period at AEP
The last 5-6 weeks of each semester the AEP calls Exam Period. It means:
- Practice questions and model answers are available.
- UW law past exam and student answers.
- One-on-one exam prep appointments with AEP Assistant Dean is encouraged to establish individual study and exam prep strategies.
8. Academic and Learning Skills
The AEP is committed to equipping law students with academic, learning, and study skills they need for mastery of course contents and to achieve sound academic success. To that end, the AEP subscribes to the notion that law students must be self-regulating and strategic learners. To achieve that goal, law students must be proactive and avoid procrastination.
Fill out the AEP Academic Self-Assessment form.
9. Additional Resources
The AEP has listed helpful links on a variety of subjects including outlining, stress management, and exam taking strategies form vetted sources. As with all other resources, please use information at these links as secondary study and learning suggestions only. Faculty members for your classes are the primary sources on all instructions regarding course contents.
View the Additional Resources page (Net ID required).
2L
As you know, the AEP provides support services and resources to assist you with your legal studies. For 2Ls, we highlight the following:
- Individual Consultations
- MPRE Prep Class
- AEP Skills Workshops
- AEP Library Resources
- Exam Resources at AEP
- Academic and Learning Skills
- Additional Resources
1. Individual Consultations
One-on-one appointments with the AEP Assistant Dean to brainstorm and strategize about any topic you may want to discuss to enhance your academic performance is available to you.
The following are a few topics that students often address during one-on-one meetings:
- Individualized study strategies
- Outlining: feedback on your drafts
- Exam prep: planning ahead of finals
- Exam-writing skills: practicing questions and getting feedback
- Time-management tips
- Grade follow-up: to highlight the good and brainstorm on improving performance
- Stress Management: to achieve balance and avoid over-loading
- Other related topics
Please make an appointment to meet with the AEP Assistant Dean.
2. MPRE Prep Class
If you are planning on taking the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) and a bar exam in another state, we have information about requirements and resources available. Learn more about resources and information about the bar exam (Net ID required).
3. AEP Skills Workshops
Check back.
4. AEP Library Resources
There are over a 1,000 books and numerous handouts available to assist law students learn the law more efficiently. In addition to first year classes, the AEP has resources for most required law classes (i.e. Evidence, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, etc.) as well as a few upper level classes (i.e. Federal Income Tax, Business Organizations, etc.). Note we do not have books for every law class.
View the list of AEP resources and lean more about how you can use the resources. Email us at aep@law.wisc.edu with the study aids you are requesting.
5. Exam Resources at AEP
Check back closer to exams.
6. Academic and Learning Skills
The AEP is committed to equipping law students with academic, learning, and study skills they need for mastery of course contents and to achieve sound academic success. To that end, the AEP subscribes to the notion that law students must be self-regulating and strategic learners. To achieve that goal, law students must be proactive and avoid procrastination.
Fill out the AEP Academic Self-Assessment form.
7. Additional Resources
The AEP has listed helpful links on a variety of subjects including outlining, stress management, and exam taking strategies from vetted sources. As with all other resources, please use information at these links as secondary study and learning suggestions only. Faculty members for your classes are the primary source on all instructions regarding course contents.
View the Additional Resources page (Net ID required).
3L
In addition to academic support services that the AEP provides for all law students, we provide comprehensive information for getting a license to practice law in all 50 states in the U.S. We also offer classes to help you learn the academic expectations and goals of Bar Examiners in the 3 major section of bar exam.
Below are the list of academic support and related services that the AEP makes available to all 3Ls:
- External Exam Prep
- Individual Consultations
- AEP Library Resources
- Exam Resources at AEP
- Academic and Learning Skills
- Additional Resources
1. External Exam Prep
General Information - MPRe and Bar Exam
If you are planning on taking the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) and a bar exam in another state, we have information about requirements and resources available. Learn more about resources and information about the bar exam (Net ID required).
Skills and Strategies in Preparation
The AEP offers bar exam classes two times during an academic year (Fall and Spring semester). The classes are designed to teach skills and strategies needed to be well prepared in preparation for taking the bar exam. The class focuses on the 3 tests on the bar exam: the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)/State Essays Exam, and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).
The AEP Bar Success Skills class is not intended to replace commercial bar preparation courses such as Barbri, Themis, or others. The AEP class complements such courses to enhance chances of success on the bar exam.
Learn more about the bar exam skills classes.
Note: Please check the National Conference of Bar Examiners website regularly for detailed information and/or updates to the syllabi of the bar exam.
2. Individual Consultations
One-on-one with the AEP Assistant Dean to brainstorm and strategize about any topic you want to discuss to enhance your academic performance is available to you.
The following are a few topics that students often address during one-on-one meetings:
- Individualized study strategies
- Outlining: feedback on your drafts
- Exam prep: planning ahead for finals
- Exam-writing skills: practicing questions and getting feedback
- Time-management tips
- Grade follow-up: to highlight the good and brainstorm on improving performance
- Stress Management: to achieve balance and avoid over-loading
- Other related topics
Please make an appointment to meet with the AEP assistant Dean.
3. AEP Library Resources
There are over 1,000 books and numerous handouts available to assist law students learn the law more efficiently. In addition to first year classes, the AEP has resources for most required law classes (i.e. Evidence, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, etc.) as well as a few upper level classes (i.e. Federal Income Tax, Business Organizations, etc.). Note we do not have books for every law class.
See a list of AEP resources and learn more about how you can use the resources. Email us at aep@law.wisc.edu with the study aids you are requesting.
4. Exam Resources at AEP
Check back later in the semester.
5. Academic and Learning Skills
The AEP is committed to equipping law students with academic, learning, and study skills they need for mastery of course contents and to achieve sound academic success. To that end, the AEP subscribes to the notion that law students muse be self-regulation and strategic learners. To achieve that goal, law students must be proactive and avoid procrastination.
Fill out the AEP Academic Self-Assessment form.
6. Additional Resources
The AEP has listed helpful links on a variety of subjects including outlining, stress management, and exam taking strategies from vetted sources. As with all other resources, please use information at these links as secondary study and learning suggestions only. Faculty members for your classes are the primary sources on all instructions regarding course contents.
View the Additional Resources page (Net ID required).
LLM-LI
The Academic Enhancement Program provides academic support services and resources to assist you with most (not all) of your classes you take as electives. Below are the list of academic support and related services that the AEP makes available to LLM-LI students:
1. External Exam Prep
General Information
If you are planning on taking the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) and a bar exam in another state, we have information about requirements and resources available. Learn more about resources and information about the bar exam (Net ID required).
Skills and Strategies in Preparation
The AEP offers bar exam classes two times during an academic year: winter session (in January), and during the spring semester. The classes are designed to teach skills and strategies needed to be well prepared in preparation for taking the bar exam. The class focuses on the 3 tests on the bar exam: the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)/State Essays exam, and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).
The AEP Bar Success Skills class is not intended to replace commercial bar preparation courses such as Barbri, Themis, or others. The AEP class complements such courses to enhance chances of success on the bar exam.
Learn more about the bar exam skills classes here.
Note: Please check the National Conference of Bar Examiners website regularly for detailed information and/or updates to the syllabi of the tests on the bar exam.
2. Skills Workshops
Please watch for emails about upcoming skills workshops.
3. Individual Consultations
As an LLM-LI student, you may be allowed to meet one-on-one with the AEP Assistant Dean to brainstorm and strategize about your academic support needs by following these steps:
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Step 1: Go to the Graduate Studies Program and meet with Jason Smith to discuss your need for academic support.
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Step 2: Have Jason complete the Student Referral Form (PDF).
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Step 3: Bring completed and signed form to the AEP office in Room 5224 to schedule an appointment with the AEP Assistant Dean.
4. AEP Library Resources
Books and Study Aids: There are over 1,000 books and numerous handouts available to assist law students learn the law more efficiently. Note we do not have books for every law class. However, we do have them for most required law classes. View the list of AEP resources and lean more about how you can use the resources. Email us at aep@law.wisc.edu with the study aids you are requesting.
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