FOR LAW STUDENTS

To fully understand the law with respect to cases, you need to be able to read and understand court decisions. To make this task easier, you can use a method of case analysis that is called briefing.

There is a fairly standard procedure that you can follow when you “brief” any court case. You must first read the case opinion carefully. When you feel you understand the case, you can prepare a brief of it.

1.    CITATION

2.    FACTS

3.    ISSUES

4.    DECISION

5.    REASON

1.    Citation

Give the full citation for the case, including the name of the case, the date it was decided, and the court that decided it.

2.    Facts

Briefly indicate

(a) The reasons for the lawsuit;

(b) The identity and arguments of the plaintiff(s) and defendant(s), respectively; and

(c) The lower court’s decision—if appropriate.

 

3.    Issue

Concisely phrase, in the form of a question, the essential issue before the court. (If more than one issue is involved, you may have two—or even more—questions here.)

4.    Decision

Indicate here—with a “yes” or “no,” if possible— the court’s answer to the question (or questions) in the Issue section above.

5.    Reason

Summarize as briefly as possible the reasons given by the court for its decision (or decisions) and the case or statutory law relied on by the court in arriving at its decision.

        By Nana Arnold