Posted: September 16th, 2017

IRAC style

IRAC style

Paper instructions:
The brief should be no more than two pages and ideally should be one.

FACTS: Remember to make the facts about four sentences. Remember to make them the RELEVANT facts to the case.

ISSUE: The issue is the question of the case.
For students who would like practice doing one more brief I have posted a third optional assignment. I would like you to brief a case from the chapters we read in the Rosenbloom book using the IRAC style.
RULE: The rule is why we even read the case usually a direct answer to the question.

APPLICATION: The application is the reason we have this rule. It is usually an explanation of how a law is interpreted. It may discuss precedent or use an analogy.

CONCLUSION: The conclusion is how the case was resolved.

I have attached examples of cases and briefs from different websites. I used the IRAC method. Other methods may have different acronyms but the concepts are all the same. What happened? What is the question of the case? Why is it decided this way?

http://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/research/brief.html

http://www.cjed.com/brief.htm

http://www.oyez.org/cases/1950-1959/1952/1952_1/

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Brown I)