 | University of Virginia catalogue |  |
COURSE OF STUDY.
The course is arranged for two years, and it is not prudent for the student
to devote less time to preparing himself for the practice of the law, since
his future professional success depends upon his full mastery of elementary
principles. It is a maxim sanctioned by long and wide experience that "he
who is not a good lawyer when he comes to the bar, will seldom be a good
one afterwards." In order to acquire such thorough acquaintance with the
elements of the law, thought is requisite as well as reading; and, for the
purpose of thought, there must be time to digest as well as industry to acquire.
One cannot expect to gorge himself with legal principles and to
digest them afterwards; the process of assimilation must accompany the reception
of knowledge, if it is to proceed healthfully and beneficially.
The course is organized with a view to acquaint the student familiarly and
practically with the principles of his profession. Especial care is taken to
teach him to think for himself, and to rely upon reason and principle, rather
than upon memory or impulse; it being considered that it is better for the
student to follow the principle to its legitimate conclusion, even though that
conclusion be at variance with the decision of the courts, than to arrive at a
faultless result by the exercise of memory, or by accident.
The instruction is as thorough as possible, and is given partly through
text-books and partly through lectures, with careful daily examinations upon
both.
| University of Virginia catalogue | |