Things I wish I'd have known in law school.

Buffalo Wings and Vodka sets out a great list of classroom participation strategies.  My favorites:

The Admiral Stockdale:  Most professors will simply move on to the next student if faced with an answer like "POTATOES! I LIKE POTATOES! WHERE'S MY PONY? MOM? ARE YOU THERE? POTATOES!" Also known locally as "The Shawn Rutherford?"

The Paige Pipkin:  Really just a stalling tactic, forces the professor to clarify as many parts of the question as possible while you frantically flip pages in your case book: "Could you repeat the question?" "Could you say that one  word again?" "Could you give me the language of origin?" "Could you use it in a sentence?" "Could you use it in a sentence other than the original question?"

Scorched Earth Policy:  If the professor is going to take you down, then you're going to take him down with you.  Pull in an unrelated law review article.  Cite Blackstone.  Bring up the war in Iraq.  Or abortion.    Calling your professor a racist is also good for this, though it often takes a little bit of creativity in some of the drier classes. Trust your instincts.

To that, I’d add the Mutharika Mambo:  When the professor dislikes your answer and asks you the question again, repeat your first answer verbatim.  The professor will likely be so confused he’ll move on to another student.  Or, in my case in first year contracts, reward the second answer (that, remember, was identical to the first) with a “very good, Mr. Homann.”