How to speed read like an expert

Hello everyone and welcome to another blog post on the underage lawyer.

 One of the topics that have been coming up frequently in my conversations with others is speed reading. It’s a skill that you probably only think about when you have three days to complete an essay, and you haven’t started researching yet. However, speed reading is an important skill that can assist you in everyday life. It shouldn’t be disregarded as useless skills. 

Those who want to pursue a career in law need to know that they will spend every day of their life reading. 


Client’s files can be anything from one to forty volumes long – and it’s your job to read and study them all. Reading is also the best way to expand your vocabulary and improve your thinking capabilities.

 Think of reading as upgrading technology. The more you do it, the better it gets. The less you do it, you eventually fall behind. Here are a few ways to improve your reading speed:

 1. Read a lot

 This is a basic essential. The more you read the faster you get. The less the read the slower you will become. Some scientific studies suggest that reading things on the screen of a computer is actually different to reading on paper. I’m not entirely convinced, but just to be certain you’re actually reaping the benefits of reading make sure you read both on and off screen. To improve your reading, think of it a little like sprinting. You have to run as fast as you can regardless of whether you can maintain the speed or not. When you are first beginning training yourself to speed read, don’t worry so much about comprehension. As your retrain your eyes to move along the page at a faster rate, you’ll begin to take more in.

 2. Pick the operative words 

One fatal mistake when it comes to non-recreational reading is that we read all of it. It’s very rare that all of the text will be relevant to you. To improve your reading pace identify what it is you’re looking for. Then pick three or four words that will describe that thing. From there you can run your eyes over the text. Every time you see a relevant word stop and read a few sentences surrounding the word. If it applies, congratulations. If it doesn’t apply, then keep skimming through. This way you’ll be able to ascertain just how relevant the material is. If you don’t see any words that seem relevant then either rethink your operative words or move on to the next paper. 

3. Read the first and last line 

There’s a lot to be said for introductions and conclusions. Remember learning about topic sentences in high school? Well, this is why you use them. Academic literature uses these to highlight what they’re going to say. When you’re in a rush, don’t bother with the rest of the paragraph. Just focus on the first lines of every article. By the time you reach the end, you’ll have a general idea of what’s being said. Additionally, if you read the last line of every paragraph, you’ll have a concluding statement and a linking statement. The linking statement usually explains how the next section will connect to the first. This is important because it will show you the pace that the essay evolves at and any assumptions that you need to be aware of. 

 4. Don’t sound the words aloud in your head 

When reading a lot of readers like to ‘speak’ the words in their head. This is a waste of time. Your brain is capable of comprehending the phrase without sounding it out. The more you read, the more you will be able to do this. But to begin with, help yourself to lose the habit by reciting random words in your head as you read. I began doing this by saying ‘aeiou’ over and over again while I was reading. To do this at first, it is best, to start with relatively simple reads. Try reading opinion articles or Buzzfeed pieces. They’re much easier to comprehend than academic literature and will build your confidence. You may be surprised at how much you can understand without having to focus too much on sounding out the words. 

 5. Dot point as you go 

A critical issue with speed reading is that people are concerned they can’t read quickly and understand the text. A simple way to of getting around this is to write one word describing the paragraph. Skim read the article as fast as you can and then summarize it immediately. The use of summaries in one or two words helps to lessen the fear of not understanding. The human brain is far less reliant on the sound of the words than people think. When reading the shape of the letters is just as important.

 6. When you don’t understand keep reading 

This may sound a little counter-intuitive. However, the biggest trap for slow readers is that they are hesitant to move on before they understand something. That will slow you down. Some points are poorly explained, and it will take multiple readings to understand. You need to know that if a point is badly explained it’s likely not essential to the argument and is irrelevant to your reading. It may also be that you’ll come to understand it when you read something later in the document. Your best bet when trying to rush your way through a massive pile of information is just to keep reading. Stopping and rereading things will break the rhythm of the reading. That may also cause you to read slower.

The major flaw in a young legal mind

This piece is available in audio form - can you believe it!? 

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Recently I found myself questioning what it is that I love about law. For years, I've boldly claimed that I love everything about it, the good sides, the boring sides, the dull sides, the corrupt sides and the mind-blowingly complex sides.

However, I've discovered that I don't.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still in love with the law, I'm just coming to realise I don't love it all. Some may claim that this is the natural reaction of maturity. A realisation that law is as diverse as it is complex. No one area can be called the same for each were created to deal with a different issue.

Each field has its appeal much like various types of burgers. Vegetarian burgers offer healthy choices, but meat always seems more satisfying. Just like property law provides clear legal intrigue – but we all know human rights law holds the complexity that can only be described as the way your mouth waters when you see the juice run off a steak.

Some parts of law seem to sizzle with excitement and something in my brain can't help but choose it over other options. What's interesting is that I have never before considered I would choose one area over another.

And why not choose property law?

Who can deny the thrill of sending a caveat request or delving deep into native title to discover a real and continuous connection to the land?

What is not to love about intense contractual negotiation? Surely there is no lawyer that can't feel that warm-belly satisfaction of having both the best deal and a happy client. It's a rare combination but the drive to achieve it lives in the heart of every property lawyer.

So then why do lawyers find themselves not enjoying it – or any other branch of law?

I could give hundreds of analogies for where the enjoyment and deep-set love for each branch and denomination of law come from but it wouldn't explain what I mean.

It is not merely a branch of law I have questioned my love for, it is the traditional study of it.

In some senses, the study of law is not the law itself. The study of law often misses the raw truth about the foundations of our society.

For the study of it misses the fact that the law is merely concrete.

I am speaking in metaphor, where concrete refers to the dark grey, rough-edged and unattractive foundations upon which a house is built. The house is society and it is because of concrete that it can stand firm. Just like the law the concrete we know remains partly unfinished because there's always a chance of extending the house; somewhat unsightly, because there's no way to ever completely make it polished and mostly it does not carry the flourish and beauty of the house above it.

A builder, as a lawyer, will see the beauty in concrete – but I am beginning to question if the study of law can create people that appreciate such imperfection. Too often I have been taught to ask why there is a hole in the law.

Should it not be assumed that if there is such issue, it is open to interpretation? Do I honestly need another academic to tell me this?

As a young student of the law, I'd like to propose that the study of law is failing to build the legal mind. The legal mind must learn that law is not a solid block of polished marble which is the feature of a house. Rather it is the unpolished and unfinished block of concrete that holds up the house.

So what is it that I have fallen out of love with?

Arguably it is not a side of the law. Perhaps it is more a theology of law – I wish more academics openly embraced the imperfection and omissions of law. If we had such comprehensive documents not only would governments become overwrought with predicting, protecting and presuming but courts would lose their flexibility.

Is it not the beauty of the common law system, that it advocates for adaptability? Is not a national pride that our judges have an acute awareness of the need for interpretation when providing modern justice.

Is it not obvious that this openness to interpretation has provided justice in times of hopelessness. While easily overridden, statutes should not be a comprehensive source of law, rather they are a mere crutch upon which the courts rest interpretation.

I am no legal theologian but the more I study independently and work with professionals it dawns me that I have held the law to be perfectly created. Studies of law propose old law is overwritten with new law. But the truth is, there is no such thing as new law. Instead we merely refine and add to an old, imperfect foundation.

Students and lawyers all must realize the aim for perfection is not futile in law, but perfection in law will not come from what is recorded. Rather each lawyer must act as the mouth piece through which justified interpretation can occur. I have fallen out of love with calling law perfect – rather, it is imperfectly providing the lectern from which lawyers provide justice.

Lulu Hensman