I Became a Law School Genius

Chapter 18

『 Translator – Divinity 』

The first week of the semester flew by in a flurry.

First of all, the number of classes increased significantly.

During the pre-law program, there was only one Civil Law lecture, but in the regular semester, it was divided into two: ‘General Provisions of Civil Law’ and ‘Property Law’, each with its own lecture.

Not only that, but I also had to properly manage Constitutional Law, which I had neglected, as regular lectures began.

There were even elective courses I had to take to earn credits, so my schedule inevitably became packed.

“Park Yoo-seung. What elective are you taking?”

“International Transaction Law.”

International Transaction Law was the most popular elective for the bar exam.

Since I had to take an elective anyway, I wanted to choose one that would be helpful for the exam.

Han Seol chose International Law. That was also a popular subject with a high enrollment rate.

“What about Ha-ru?”

“Internet and Law.”

“…What’s that?”

“I don’t know. It was on the course registration list. I quickly grabbed it because it said there were no midterms or finals.”

True to Lee Ha-ru’s nature, she chose the option that seemed the most comfortable, then and now.

Well, with the pre-law program over, maybe I should be grateful that she was still consistently attending classes.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter to me since there are no more group evaluations.’

Still, I had invested time in her, so I wanted to get as much out of it as possible.

For that, she needed to have a certain level of foundation before the time came.

‘It’s around the end of this month, right?’

That was the reason I was dragging her around and making her study at least the minimum.

Anyway, it was a busy and fulfilling day-to-day life.

Every day, from morning until 3 PM, I attended lectures, then went straight to the library and repeated the cycle of previewing and reviewing.

Occasionally visiting the arcade to maintain Lee Ha-ru’s motivation was the entirety of my leisure time.

“Isn’t that today?”

“Ahem. We have to finish today’s study quota first.”

“Damn it…”

I grabbed Lee Ha-ru, who was limp with exhaustion, and dragged her to the study room.

Han Seol seemed to have mastered the art of reservation competition, as she never failed to book a study room.

“This is the result of being trained in the hell of course registration for four years,”

Han Seol said with a proud smile as she put down her things across from me.

As expected, good things happened when you were close to excellent people.

Burying myself in the soft chair, I spread out the books I needed to study on the desk.

“Then, as always, let’s each do our own thing until 8 o’clock.”

It was 3:30 PM. We had at least four and a half hours to concentrate on studying.

First, I looked at the two books I had taken out on the desk.

One was [Untying the Knots of Civil Law].

The other was [Summary of Criminal Law].

They were the steady-selling basic textbooks for Civil Law and Criminal Law that I had been using.

“…Is that all you’re going to look at?”

“All? These alone are already thousands of pages long.”

“But there are many precedents that aren’t in there.”

As Han Seol said that, piles of precedent collections were stacked high on her side of the table.

It was a mountain of books that made my jaw drop just by looking at it.

Good heavens, with that amount of studying, it’s no wonder she could see any problem and immediately come up with the conclusion, saying, “Oh, this is that precedent.”

But I had no intention of going that far.

In the first place, my belief was that there was no need for that.

“You don’t need them.”

“?”

“If you build a solid foundation, you can solve even questions with unfamiliar facts.”

With that, I opened [Untying the Knots of Civil Law].

It was hard to believe that it was a book I had bought not too long ago, as the corners were worn and frayed.

“There’s something many people mistake when studying for law exams.”

I turned the pages one by one.

“It’s studying by increasing the quantity.”

It was the same during the bar exam era, and it was the same for law school students now.

Those who studied to become legal professionals, then and now, were generally top-class elites.

Monsters who could easily digest the level of studying required for high school grades, CSAT mock exams, or even university courses.

That’s why they often suffer from the compulsion to study ‘until they know everything’.

All the letters included in the exam scope had to be in their heads, and there must never be a question they encounter in the exam hall that they haven’t seen before.

But,

“That doesn’t work in law.”

Because the amount of material is absurdly vast.

Even if you combine all the studying done in three years of high school and four years of university, it still falls short of the amount needed to ‘perfectly’ master just one subject of Civil Law.

There are over 1,000 articles in the Civil Act alone.

How many theories and precedents accumulated over decades are there for each article, each concept?

It’s absurd to try to memorize them all.

Moreover, the bar exam doesn’t just consist of Civil Law.

There were Civil Law, Criminal Law, Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Administrative Law, Commercial Law, and even elective courses to study for and take exams in a hurry.

In how much time?

Just three years.

It was an absurdly tight schedule.

If I approached it with the mindset of becoming a master of law, a conqueror who knew everything, I would inevitably fail.

Then how did I manage to pass the second round of the bar exam, which had a much higher competition rate than the current one, in just two years, even shorter than that?

“You have to go in reverse. Reduce the amount.”

I stopped my fingers that were flowing through the pages.

The open page had some paragraphs heavily underlined, while others were completely crossed out with an X.

“…What’s this?”

“Underlines are for frequently tested areas. The crossed-out parts don’t appear in the exam.”

Law is a terrifyingly voluminous subject.

But you can’t include everything in the exam.

Even in the formidable Civil Law, only three questions are included in one exam.

Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the examiner.

If you could only include three questions from all that vast content in the exam, what would you include? What would you want to include?

Naturally, you would have no choice but to pick out only the ‘important things’.

Then, the way to handle this thick Civil Law textbook has to change completely.

First, start by establishing a framework.

From the court, the very first part of the General Provisions of Civil Law, to the atypical security rights at the end of Property Law.

You have to have a mental framework of all the concepts.

“Significance. Requirements. Effects. Major leading cases.”

But there’s no need to try to fill in all those headings with detailed content.

It’s true that you have to memorize even the most trivial recent precedents for the main legal principles that are always tested.

Since everyone else knows them well, you have to do that much to differentiate yourself.

But for less important topics, it’s enough to be able to add a one-line explanation for each heading.

Even if they appear in the exam, other people won’t know them either.

If you have a solid understanding of the basic legal principles and can apply them with a legal mind, further memorization is unnecessary.

“By dividing what you need to see and what you don’t need to see like this, the amount you have to review when you read it again is significantly reduced.”

Mark the frequently tested parts and add new precedents. Ruthlessly erase the parts that need to be removed.

At first, it took me weeks to finish reading one “Minmae” because I was doing this while reading.

Then it took a week.

Then three days.

And then two days.

Now, in the first week after the pre-law program ended…

“One day.”

I picked up the 1,300-page “Minmae” and waved it in front of Han Seol.

“I can read this entire book, from beginning to end, in one day.”

This is called the single-book learning method.

Perhaps thanks to my experience with the bar exam, the process of reducing the review time was fast for me.

I had already finished the same process not only for “Minmae” but also for [Summary of Criminal Law].

What does it matter if legal knowledge is volatile?

It’s enough if the speed of input is faster than the speed of forgetting.

Once the foundation is established, the legal framework within me becomes stronger and stronger with each repetition.

Originally, this was a level reached by third-year law school students, right before taking the bar exam.

But as someone who had passed the second round of the bar exam, it wouldn’t be respectable to run at the same pace as others.

‘Although it’s limited to Civil Law and Criminal Law…’

I was a completely different person from a month ago.

The culmination of pouring all my exam know-how into this.

It was all thanks to these two treasures that I would keep with me until graduation.

“That’s impossible.”

“It’s true. Try asking me anything to test me.”

Han Seol took my “Minmae” and opened it to a random page.

“Can you deduct the tenant’s debt incurred after the notification of assignment of the lease deposit return claim from the return claim?”

“Yes, you can.”

I answered immediately.

“It’s an issue that arises because Article 451, Paragraph 2 stipulates that you can raise objections based on reasons that occurred ‘before the notification of assignment’, so by reverse interpretation, you cannot raise objections based on reasons that occurred after the notification, right?”

I searched for the heading in my mental framework where the question and answer would fit.

It wasn’t difficult. It was a question I had already addressed while reading through the book countless times.

“But it’s still possible. Originally, the lease deposit return claim arises after deducting all the tenant’s debts incurred until the return of the property.”

“…That’s truly impossible.”

Han Seol clutched her head.

“Is this the same guy who stayed up all night a month ago memorizing the requirements and effects of the statute of limitations?”

“It’s the power of single-book learning and repeated review.”

“I feel like I’ve become an idiot…”

Han Seol grumbled while looking at the pile of precedent collections in front of her, but that was an absurd deception.

In the first place, if she had the memorization skills to cram entire precedent collections into her head like that, she wouldn’t have done this.

‘Han Seol’s method is inefficient, but if you can do it, it allows you to perfectly prepare for anything without any surprises.’

But if a sparrow tries to follow a stork, its legs will split.

As a mere mortal, not a trained memorization genius, I had to compete with know-how.

It was pointless to feel wronged by this sad struggle.

I looked away from Han Seol and buried my head in the book again. I had to complete today’s quota.

While I was immersed in studying, Lee Ha-ru clapped her hands.

“Eight o’clock. Eight o’clock. Time to play games.”

She looked as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Is it that late already? Alright, let’s go.”

“I’m going to win at least one round today.”

“You’re still far from that, kid.”

Han Seol also got up from her seat.

“I’ll head out first.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Watching Han Seol’s retreating figure, Lee Ha-ru muttered softly,

“It would be nice if Han Seol unnie could play with us too.”

“She can’t because of her curfew. If she’s late, she’ll be dragged home right after class from now on.”

“Still…”

It was a shame, but I couldn’t interfere in someone else’s family affairs. Han Seol herself was following it too.

“Ah, I can’t play with you next week either.”

“What? Why?”

“I have something to do.”

“…?”

***

“I want you to gain diverse experiences.”

That’s what Jang Yong-hwan said at the first advisor meeting at the beginning of the semester.

“Choosing me as your advisor means you’re interested in the prosecution, right? But I don’t intend to train someone who’s only good at studying to be a prosecutor. Participate in various activities inside and outside of school and submit records of your achievements.”

With that, Jang Yong-hwan handed his mentees a list of all the programs and competitions they could participate in at Hankuk University Law School.

Volunteer work in underserved areas.

Mock trial competitions.

Legal clinics.

Intellectual property law competitions.

And so on.

Those with insufficient achievements would be expelled from the advisory group and assigned to a different advisor. Of course, there weren’t only penalties.

“I will write recommendation letters for those who excel for the prosecution internship that will take place in the summer of their second year.”

Sweet rewards were also promised.

Although the prosecution internship itself wasn’t directly reflected in the prosecutor selection process, it was a golden opportunity to broaden one’s horizons by experiencing prosecution work and making a good impression on incumbent prosecutors.

As someone aspiring to be a prosecutor, it was something I couldn’t ignore.

Therefore, I had to participate in as many activities as possible.

‘Among these… is it the legal clinic first?’

The Legal Clinic was a program conducted at the law school under the guidance of law professors or practitioners.

It was quite popular among top students because it allowed them to gain practical experience by conducting consultations and providing legal advice to clients.

Requests were made through the Legal Clinic counter on the law school website.

It was a win-win structure where students gained experience, and clients received legal assistance for free.

Even though students were the main actors, the final opinion letters were written after being reviewed by the professor in charge, so there was no need to worry about incomplete service.

It was free anyway, and it was sufficient as reference material before seriously going through the litigation process.

It was a course where you could continuously earn achievements with each consultation.

The burden wasn’t great either, as it was held within the school and only took place once or twice a week at most.

‘The only problem is… that the professor in charge of the Legal Clinic is Vice Dean Choi Sung-chul.’

I closed my eyes for a moment and recalled Vice Dean Choi Sung-chul as depicted in the original story.

He was, in a word, a ‘competent opportunist’.

As the saying goes, a craftsman resembles the tools he uses.

Choi Sung-chul, who had been active in the field of international financial disputes, was a very calculating type, and evaluated people solely based on the profit or loss they brought him.

Even after joining Hankuk University Law School as a professor in pursuit of honor, that trait didn’t change at all.

For him, students were divided into two categories:

Those who contributed to his achievements and those who didn’t.

He didn’t pay the slightest attention to the latter.

‘That’s why he clashes with Dean Kang Chang-soo.’

Although he rose to the position of vice dean due to his competence, Choi Sung-chul and Dean Kang Chang-soo had a relationship close to that of rivals.

They clashed and opposed each other on all fronts, from educational philosophy to factional strife within the school.

Even now, Choi Sung-chul must be constantly looking for an opportunity to oust Kang Chang-soo and seize the position of dean.

In the original story, he was the one who most actively pushed for disciplinary action when Park Yoo-seung was expelled.

He wasn’t someone I wanted to get involved with.

But I wouldn’t let fear of a bug prevent me from making soybean paste stew.

As I had nothing to be intimidated by now, I couldn’t miss the honey pot of accumulating achievements just to avoid Choi Sung-chul.

And so, I visited the classroom assigned for the Legal Clinic on the first day of activity.

————-

TL/N: Happy New Year everyone~ May this new year bring you health, happiness, and success in all you do!

1extra chapter today- Have fun reading!