Law as a profession is one of the most respected, but it requires a lot of studying and years of practice to earn the reputation of a professional lawyer. When you have just begun your career in law, one of the most intimidating tasks you will come across, that too on a regular basis, will be writing a legal case brief. Writing a legal case brief can exhaust anyone because, after going through a lot of evidence, paperwork, research work, and citations, you have to write a brief that is concise and comprehensible for everyone involved.
However, many fail to write strong legal case summaries despite spending years in the field, and considering how complex it is, here we are sharing the best strategies to strengthen your research for writing a legal case brief.
Understanding the Purpose of the Case
Research makes the very foundation of any legal case brief, and before you start writing one, always ensure to understand the core context of the case, as it will help you with the initiation of the case and why it was made to the court in the first place. It also helps to understand which laws are applied in the case and how the final judgment is influenced. Also, when you understand the purpose of the case, you understand its relevance better and can present the facts, arguments, reasoning, and holdings.
Consider the Original Court’s Judgement
It is a good habit that you are referring to multiple resources to interpret your case before writing a legal case brief, but consider beginning with the original court’s judgment. It is important because you get to understand the legal reasoning, facts, backgrounds, counter arguments, supportive explanations, and a lot more. You may be writing a brief for one party, but it will help you to understand the sides and arguments from both parties. A court’s judgment is the primary source of information that is unbiased.
Understand the Laws Applied
You may have been practicing law for quite some years, but there is always a chance that the case for which you are doing a legal brief has some laws applied that you don’t entirely understand. Breaking down the laws and principles and how they fit the judgement and the nature of the case will help you delve deeper into the context and understanding. You will most likely get how the interpretation is made, and your own explanation of the brief will become more precise and accurate.
Always Cross-Check the Interpretations
Accuracy in legal cases holds supreme importance, and its relevancy plays an equally important role when you are writing a legal case brief. Always cross-check the facts and interpretation made on the case you are reviewing to check for its accuracy. It often happens that different legal sources interpret the same case differently as part of their own research work. Your aim should be to find at least two sources that have similar interpretations, holdings, legal principles applied, and reasoning.
You can never step away from writing a legal case brief if law is your profession, and yes, the task can be daunting, but if you use these strategies, you will not only become strong with your writing skills of legal cases, and you might start liking it.