I'm a huge fan of Peter T. Wendel's illustration of the different "planes" of a case (from his book, Deconstructing Legal Analysis). The idea that there are three discrete levels of thought and analysis involved in cases seems to be helpful and rather mind-blowing for many students. I've also found it particularly helpful when I am trying to help students categorize and breakdown different rules and ideas (like breaking up the levels of scrutiny in a Con Law question, or splitting apart subject matter and personal jurisdiction on an essay). So, I drew a picture.
I'm not sure if it exactly inspires confidence, but it gives students something to look at during a lecture besides me.
(Alex Ruskell)
