Abstract
"I read recently that one of the professors at your law school died." "Who?" "I think his name was Gaubatz." "Gaubatz? You mean John Gaubatz? I knew he was ill - but dead? What an incredible loss. Professor Gaubatz was one of my first-year teachers. He taught me Elements, 1 and I also took him for Trusts and Estates." "Elements? What's that?" "Well, you know how the first year teaches you 'how to think like a lawyer,' whatever that means?" "I guess. I know I think about things differently after law school. Even my ex-girlfriend noticed it. We broke up during my first year. It reminded me of my Marine Corps basic. I don't know how it was done, but it seemed to work." "Well, Elements is sort of like the first year - concentrated and on steroids. It's not on the bar, so profs don't have to worry about teaching anything but some of the fundamental skills of lawyering. Elements is one of the things that makes University of Miami Law special." "Did it work for you?" "Well, when I started, I was confused most of the time. I had no idea what was going on. But slowly it developed my ability to distinguish cases from each other. It was my most difficult course but by far my favorite." 2 "Wow, the lectures must have been terrific." "Well, that's what is so unusual. Professor Gaubatz asked questions; there wasn't much lecturing. It really forced me ...