The Socratic method is one of the most written about, talked about, and feared aspects of law school. There is an extensive debate about this method's usefulness as a teaching tool.

But if you are going to law school, you will have to deal with the Socratic method. So here is a little summary of the Socratic method including some personal experience and advice.

More below...

What is the Socratic Method?:
Here is a definition from Wikipedia:

"Socratic method is widely used in contemporary legal education by many law schools in the United States. In a typical class setting, the professor asks a question and calls on a student who may or may not have volunteered an answer. The professor either then continues to ask the student questions or moves on to another student.
These subsequent questions can take a few forms. Sometimes they seek to challenge the assumptions upon which the student based the previous answer until it breaks. Further questions can also be designed to move a student toward greater specificity, either in understanding a rule of law or a particular case. Finally professors use the Socratic method to allow students to come to legal principles on their own through carefully worded questions that spur a particular train of thought."
--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_Method

There are different variations on the Socratic method that you will encounter in law school. With the traditional Socratic method, the professor calls on a student at random and focuses on that student for a time by continually asking follow up questions to the student's answers.

But a lot of professors use versions of learning that only resemble the traditional Socratic method. For example warning the class before that a certain group of students will be "on call" the next class. Other professors will not resort to the Socratic method unless students refuse to voluntarily.

My Battles with Socrates:
(or "How I Look Absolutely Foolish Every Time I am Involuntarily Called upon in Class:") Between, maybe, one-fourth and one-half of my professors used the pure Socratic method. So in approximately one-fourth to one-half of my classes I ended up looking ridiculous at one point or another. And this was not always simply me thinking that I looked ridiculous, it was actually giving the impression to my professor and peers that I had no idea what was taking place in the room at that time, oftentimes passing on the question altogether.**

The truth is, I do not always feel comfortable when put on the spot in class. You may not either. Does that mean you will fail out of law school? Does that mean that you will be a terrible lawyer?

Not at all (at least I can speak on the first question). The one good thing about the Socratic method is this: it does not matter. Granted, coming to class unprepared or having an inability to understand the material is not a combination for excellence in law school. But looking foolish in class will not affect your grade, just your ego.

Unless you are extremely comfortable with someone who is head and shoulders smarter than you on a certain subject challenging you in front of a large number of people, the Socratic method will make you uneasy. It may cause you to leave some classes feeling like you looked foolish in front of everyone in the room. But...

Advice:
Forget about the Socratic method. It should be the least of your worries coming into law school or even once you are in school. The exam is almost always the only important (grade-determining) aspect of the course. Always remember, you are preparing for the exam, not necessarily preparing to look smart in class.

When you are called on in law school, just do the best you can. Most professors do not take class participation into account when handing out grades. In my experience the ones that do take participation into account are not the traditionalists who stick strictly to the Socratic method anyway.

Volunteering for a case or question will often lessen the chance that a professor will put you on the spot when you are not ready.

And finally, if you have a less than stellar Socratic encounter, coming from a person who has had his share, just forget about it. Everyone else in your class (probably including the professor) likely will forget. You may be a little embarrassed but all that matters is the performance on the exam.

Links:

http://www.wcl.american.edu/pub/handbook/approach.html

The debate over the Socratic Method:

http://webapp.utexas.edu/blogs/archives/bleiter/000294.html

http://www.slate.com/id/3133/

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/socrates/method.html