Writing Case Briefs: The Ultimate Guide for Legal Students and Professionals

If you study law, you should know how difficult it can be to get on with the assignments. They are usually time-consuming and require a lot of effort. There are many different tasks that a student studying law can be asked to do, and a case brief is one of them. It is thought to be a very complicated and tiresome law assignment that some of the students feel discouraged from doing. However, as they say, the devil is not as black as it is painted, and neither is a case. The task may seem troublesome if you don’t know how to brief a case properly. In this guide, you will find common rules and explicit tips to make the task an easy one.

Case Brief: What is it?

For starters, our task is to define what is a case brief and then move further to the notions. Among the paralegal students who study law, a case law paper is known to be an essential part of the studying process. In a nutshell, you need to list major points that led to particular court decisions. In other words, this type of legal academic assignment prepared in law classes is basically a summary. When you take a closer look at the case example, you will realize that this type of paper is concise and doesn’t usually exceed a one-page format. Make sure to dig deeper into the topic and find out how to do a case, since you will need it during the final examination. 

Let’s Format a Case Brief: List of Main Points to Cover

If you are assigned a case for the first time, you can be confused with the uncertainty of the task. Confidence comes with experience, and if you lack some knowledge, it is necessary to know the basic structure of a winning case. If you know the brief format and what are the next steps, you will not be stuck halfway through the process and will definitely get the best of it. So, these are essential points that you need to consider:

• Title. This is an obvious part of any academic law work. 
• Find and mention who published the report. 
• Year and court are responsible for the issue. 
• The procedure postures.
• List the main legal facts.
• Issue
• Show law arguments made by each side.
• Implications for policy.
• The supremacy of law.
• Conflicting views, if any. 

Time to Delve Deeper

Now we are aware of the basic draft, and it is time to get to the practice. Let’s find out how to write a case brief. Here we will cover the major points and components of your case brief draft. 

Come Up with a Text Title and Proper Citation Format

The title is what your reader first sees when he or she gets the paper. This is a very important component of your case law paper, and it is your duty to pay major attention to the creation of the title. Here you can introduce substantial information and let the reader know the details of the procedure described in writing. 

Corp with the Procedure Posture

This aspect is another point that needs thorough research and great attention. Basically, in this section, you have to dwell upon the case and tell how it ended up in the court of appeal. It should be performed in the form of a brief summary where you will have to tell in a more detailed way what measures took the lower courts. 

List the Facts

A good case is supposed to give the reader only relevant information about the major facts and legal issues raised during the case procedure. Here you need to dwell upon the essence of the judicial procedure, who are the parties of the proceedings, and what are the court reasons for it. There is no specific place in your case where you should put the facts. You can do it either at the beginning or in the dissenting opinion section. 

Cover the Issue

This will be the main case considered in the court. Here you need to be extremely attentive and appreciate the importance of the case. Your job lies in covering the information with precision. 

List the Rules

When the issue is covered and every aspect considering it is established, you need to list the court laws that were used by the judges to come to the final decision. The number of rules used during the procedure will vary and eventually depend on the complexity of the case. It often happens that the judges point out the main rules, and your job is to comprehend them and describe them precisely so that the reader can understand. 

Reason the Decision

The legal reasoning is another essential part of your legal case, where you should demonstrate your analytical skills and state what the reasons that forced the judges to make their decision were. Here you need to be extremely attentive and make use of every legal piece of information connected with the particular case. To make your text full and informative, you need to read what is the court’s opinion and how it was expressed. There can possibly be dissenting opinions that you cannot miss or abandon. Look through them and then choose the best to describe the process law was applied.

Make a Final Conclusion

This is a closing section that is relatively short if compared to the overall legal paper volume. This is time for you to note whether the court of appeal dismissed the case or confirmed the decision previously made by the subordinate courts. You can also share your reflections relating to the fact that won or lost the game. 

Workable Tips for Creating Best-Quality Case Brief

It often happens that students fear this kind of task when, in reality, there are not many things to be confused about. You simply need to know some peculiar features of the case paper complete writing. 

• Make use of the legal examples. If you don’t really know how to cope with the task, you can easily look it up on the Internet or ask another student to share the template. The topic isn’t a big matter. You can consult a case brief with a different theme. All you need is to see the structure and the way information is performed. You can also find out what are the formats commonly used by Internet users. 
• Practice more. If you want to achieve great results, you need to start practicing early. The legal assignment is time-consuming, and if you want a decent legal paper, in the end, you need time to prepare. Try to delve deeper into the challenges and take an interest in the issues. Thus, you will start researching the topic, and it will be easier for you to gather your thoughts. 
• Start working on the legal task when you get it. Procrastination is not the best option. The work requires time, and if you postpone everything till the last day of the deadline, you will probably fail. When you have time, you can distribute it equally and work on additional resources. 
• Try to cover the legal facts considering the selected case fully. This information is substantial for the brief if you want to come up with complete writing. 
• Be careful, and try to notice everything. If you overlook something or underestimate the importance of any legal fact, it can badly influence the results. Include all necessary information so that the readers are aware of the whole procedure. 
• Be precise with the legal information and facts you introduce to the reader. You can’t mess up with the information. Don’t be too loose, since the case is supposed to summarize the main points. You will not be able to put everything in your legal paper. Moreover, if you want to get great results, develop the skill to highlight the basics. 
• Take your time and check the legal text. Even if you are an experienced writer and know how to write a case, don’t be in a rush. Read the writing thoroughly and look for mistakes, as they can harm even the most relevant content.

You can easily master case brief writing by following the above-mentioned tips. Otherwise, you can always refer to the  assignment writer who will cope with the task for you. In any case, just pay attention to the legal details, and always find time in advance for such assignments to succeed and earn a good grade.