Understand what your grade will be based on. At the beginning of the class, your professor will give you the breakdown of your grade. For example, your grade may come from a final paper, an exam or a combination of the two. Some professors may also include class participation as a small percentage. Learn the criteria your professor uses for grading to help you focus your studies.
Prepare to do well on the exam. Review other law-school exams given by this professor to see what types of questions you are likely to encounter on the exam. Then, when reading case studies, consider how that case fits into the course and into the test.
Take a course that bases the grade on a paper. This is especially important if you tend to do poorly on tests. Start your final paper early and ask the professor if she can review your draft. Incorporate all of her suggestions into the final paper.
Talk to your professors. Ask a past professor what you did wrong in his class to help you improve in the future. Ask a current professor what you can do to excel in her class.
Share your notes wisely. Remember that your grade is determined by how well you do as compared with the other students. If you feel that lending your notes to a student may help him do better than you, you may not want to share your notes with him.