Understanding The Format Of The Briefs Posted On Law4LandSurveyors

It is important to understand what a brief is. In essence, it is a summary of a court case and the
resulting decision. I hope to explain briefs, and how to write them, in future articles.

I would like to briefly describe the format I have chosen for the briefs that will be posted on Law4LandSurveyors. Each brief will have 7 sections.

[1] Identification: The first section will identify the case and the parties involved.
[2] Overview Of The Case: This section will present a short, 1 or 2 paragraph summary of the case.
[3] Facts Of The Case: This section will strive to present the facts of the case, in an unbiased manner.
[4] Issues Raised By The Case: This section lists the issues raised in the case. These issues will help the reader understand why the case important.
[5] The Courts Decision: In this section the courts final decision is reviewed. The arguments and reasoning presented in both the majority and minority opinions will be covered.
[6] Citations: In this section other cases cited in this case will be listed.
[7] Special Notes: This section will include any special notes to be considered with the brief. These notes may clarify or define terms in the brief, or provide references to other important information that may affect the readers understanding of the legal decision in the case.

If you have suggestions on items I have left out, or how I can improve the format of the briefs posted on this blog, please e-mail them to me at law4landsurveyors@gmail.com.

The Sunburned Surveyor