β Scribed by Christine Coughlin; Joan Malmud Rocklin; Sandy Patrick
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Β· How Attorneys Communicate
I. What Is an Objective Analysis?
II. How Do I Present My Analysis?
A. An Office Memorandum
B. An Email
III. How Do I Convince an Attorney My Analysis Is Sound?
A. Know Your Client and Your Client's Question
B. Research Thoroughly
C. Organize
D. Draft and Revise
E. Edit and Polish
F. Think Recursively
IV. What Happens Next?
Practice Points
Chapter 2 Β· Sources and Systems of the Law
I. Sources of the Law
A. The Legislature
B. The Executive Branch
C. The Judiciary
II. Weave a Tapestry of Law
III. Systems of the Law
A. Jurisdiction
B. Hierarchical Court Systems
C. Stare Decisis
D. The Effect of These Three Principles
Practice Points
Chapter 3 Β· Reading for Comprehension
Section 3.1 Reading Statutes
I. The Structure of a Statute
II. Reading Statutes for Comprehension
A. Get Context
B. Skim the Most Pertinent Statutory Sections
C. Read the Statute Critically
Practice Points
Section 3.2 Reading Judicial Opinions
I. The Structure of a Judicial Opinion
A. Preliminary Information
B. The Facts
C. The Court's Analysis
D. Concurring and Dissenting Opinions
II. Reading a Judicial Opinion for Comprehension
A. Get Context
B. Skim the Case
C. Read the Opinion Critically
Practice Points
Chapter 4 Β· Finding Your Argument
I. Identify the Governing Rule
A. A Statute as the Governing Rule
B. Common Law as the Governing Rule
C. A Synthesized Rule as the Governing Rule
II. Inventory the Governing Rule
A. Elements
B. Factors
C. Red Flag Words
D. Diagramming the Governing Rule
E. Tests
III. Think Like a Lawyer: See the Governing Rule as Individual Legal Arguments
Practice Points
Chapter 5 Β· Organizing Your Legal Authority
I. Step 1: Organize Your Research
A. Case Charts
B. Case Notes
II. Step 2: Organize by Element or Factor
A. Charts
B. Outlines
C. Mind Maps
III. Step 3: Prepare to Write
A. Outlines
B. Mind Maps
IV. Write for Your Audience
Practice Points
Chapter 6 Β· One Legal Argument
Chapter 7 Β· Explaining the Law
Section 7.1 Β· Explaining the Law: Rules
I. The Role of Rules
II. Finding the Rules
A. Explicit Rules
B. Implicit Rules
III. Writing the Rules
Practice Points
Section 7.2 Β· Explaining the Law: Case Illustrations
I. The Role of Case Illustrations
A. Clarifying Rules
B. Proving Rules
C. Foreshadowing the Application
D. Representing Legal Principles
II. The Parts of a Case Illustration
A. The Hook
B. Trigger Facts
C. The Court's Holding
D. The Court's Reasoning
E. Order of the Parts
F. The Length of Case Illustrations
III. Determining Whether a Case Illustration Is Necessary
IV. Using Case Illustrations
A. Parameters of Behavior
B. Threshold of Behavior
V. Choosing Prior Cases
VI. Organize Around Legal Principles
VII. The Order of Case Illustrations
VIII. Writing Case Illustrations
Practice Points
Section 7.3 Β· Explaining the Law: Citing and Avoiding Plagiarism
I. Citing
II. Avoiding Plagiarism
Chapter 8 Β· Applying the Law
Section 8.1 Β· Applying the Law: Rule-Based Reasoning
I. When to Use a Rule-Based Argument
II. Crafting a Rule-Based Argument
Practice Points
Section 8.2 Β· Applying the Law: Analogical Reasoning
I. When to Use Analogical Reasoning
II. How to Construct an Effective Analogy
A. State Your Point
B. Construct Your Comparison or Distinction
C. Explain Why the Comparison Matters
III. Using Analogical and Rule-Based Reasoning Together
Practice Points
Section 8.3 Β· Applying the Law: Counter-Analyses
I. The Role of a Counter-Analysis
II. Crafting a Counter-Analysis
A. Explain the Opposing Argument
B. Explain Why a Court is Unlikely to Adopt the Opposing Argument
C. Return to Your Initial Conclusion
III. When to Include a Counter-Analysis
IV. Where to Include a Counter-Analysis
V. The Counter-Analysis and Your Explanation of the Law
Practice Points
Section 8.4 Β· Applying the Law: Organizing Your Application of the Law
Practice Points
Chapter 9 Β· Conclusions to One Legal Argument
I. Using a Conclusion to Begin a Legal Argument
II. Using a Conclusion to End a Legal Argument
III. Using a Conclusion to Introduce Your Application
IV. Drafting Conclusions
Practice Points
Chapter 10 Β· Policy
I. When to Include Policy in a Legal Argument
II. Identifying Legislative Policy in a Statute
A. Policy Codified in a Statute
B. Policy Recorded in Legislative History
C. Legislative Policy Discussed in a Judicial Decision
III. Identifying Judicial Policy in the Common Law
IV. Where to Include Policy in Your Legal Argument
Practice Points
Chapter 11 Β· Statutory Analysis
I. Statutory Analysis: A Multi-Step Process
II. Reading the Statute
III. Interpreting the Statute
A. Understanding Methodologies
B. Sources of Evidence
IV. Drafting a Statutory Analysis
Practice Points
Chapter 12 Β· The Discussion Section: Introducing and Connecting Legal Arguments
I. Introduce Your Legal Argument: The Roadmap Section
A. State Your Conclusion to Your Client's Legal Question
B. Explain the Governing Rule
C. Dispose of the Obvious and Uncontroversial (if Necessary)
D. Map and Assess the Remaining Arguments (if Necessary)
E. Conclude Again (if Necessary)
II. Create Informative Point Headings
A. Make Point Headings βWorkβ
B. Restate the Conclusion after the Point Heading
C. Create Professional-Looking Point Headings
III. Use Mini-Roadmaps to Introduce Sub-Arguments
Practice Points
Chapter 13 Β· Question Presented and Brief Answer
I. The Role of a Question Presented and Brief Answer
II. The Form of a Question Presented and Brief Answer
III. Writing a Question Presented
A. Structuring the Question Presented
B. Tools for Drafting an Effective Question Presented
IV. Writing a Brief Answer
Practice Points
Chapter 14 Β· Statement of Facts
I. The Role of the Statement of Facts
II. Types of Facts to Include
III. Organizing Your Statement of Facts
IV. Reviewing for Thoroughness
V. Writing the Statement of Facts
VI. Examples
Practice Points
Chapter 15 Β· Conclusion to the Memorandum
Practice Points
Chapter 16 Β· Editing and Polishing
I. Edit Your Memorandum
A. Edit the Content of Each Legal Argument
B. Edit the Organization of Each Legal Argument
C. Edit the Discussion Section for Context and Flow
II. Polish Your Memorandum
A. Strengthen Sentences
B. Proofread Your Work
C. Check Your Citations
III. Customize Your Editing Checklist
Chapter 17 Β· Client Letters
I. The Types of Letters Lawyers Write
II. The Basic Parts of a Letter
A. Date
B. Return Address
C. Recipient Address
D. Subject Line
E. Salutation
F. The Body of the Letter
G. Closing
H. Confidentiality Warning
III. Editing and Polishing Your Letter
A. Create a Conversational, yet Professional Tone
B. Omit Legalese. Explain Legal Terms as Necessary.
C. Eliminate Errors
D. Choose a Traditional, Reader-Friendly Format
IV. Letters vs. Emails: Which to Send When?
Practice Points
Chapter 18 Β· Professional Emails
I. Correspond Professionally
II. Decide Whether Email Is the Best Mode of Communication
A. Administrative Matters
B. Difficult Conversations
C. Legal Analyses
III. Crafting a Professional Email
A. The Basic Components of an Email
B. Creating an Effective Email Through Content, Tone, and Style
IV. Sending a Legal Analysis via Email
A. Using an Attached Memorandum vs. the Body of the Email
B. Crafting a Condensed Email Analysis
V. Stop and Think Before You Press Send
Practice Points
Chapter 19 Β· The Transition from Objective to Persuasive Writing
I. Objective vs. Persuasive Writing
A. A New Perspective: The Advocate
B. A New Audience: The Judge
C. A New Format: The Brief
D. A New Focus: The Theme
II. The Parts of a Trial Brief: An Overview
III. The Caption
IV. The Introduction
V. The Statement of Facts
A. Organizing the Statement of Facts
B. Choosing Which Facts to Include
C. Refining the Statement of Facts
VI. The Argument
A. Organizing the Argument
B. Developing Persuasive Rules
C. Developing Persuasive Case Illustrations
D. Developing Counter-Analyses: Addressing Weaknesses from Your Client's Perspective
E. Other Ways to Shape Your Argument
VII. The Conclusion
VIII. Editing and Polishing Your Brief
Appendix A Β· Effective Memo: Adverse Possession
Appendix B Β· Effective Memo: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
Appendix C Β· Less Effective Memo: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
Appendix D Β· Effective Complex Memo: Factor Analysis in Fraud Claim
Glossary
Index
π SIMILAR VOLUMES