Should you brief cases in law school? Forum

[Alexandria]

So, I just want to make sure you realize that "writing a brief" and "briefing a case" are two separate things. "Writing a brief" (a document to the court arguing your side of a case, citing precedent, rules of law, etc.) is something that you will learn to do in Legal Practice/Legal Writing/whatever your school calls it. "Briefing a case" is basically writing a summary of it, including all the important things like court, holding, reasoning, etc.

[GodSpeed]

Are you supposed to go into law school knowing how to write a brief? Because I don't.

You need to be functionally literate- that's it. You don't need to know a damn thing other than how to spell well enough to have the spell checker correct it. Super-Basic econ and poli-sci would be a plus though. I'm really talking like bare bones minimum you learn in in the first 2 weeks of econ 101.

[blacwolve]

So, I just want to make sure you realize that "writing a brief" and "briefing a case" are two separate things. "Writing a brief" (a document to the court arguing your side of a case, citing precedent, rules of law, etc.) is something that you will learn to do in Legal Practice/Legal Writing/whatever your school calls it. "Briefing a case" is basically writing a summary of it, including all the important things like court, holding, reasoning, etc.

No, I didn't realize that.

I decided to go to law school really late in the game, so I'm perpetually terrified that I'll get there and be ages behind everyone who's been planning to go into law since they were 5.

[Alexandria]

So, I just want to make sure you realize that "writing a brief" and "briefing a case" are two separate things. "Writing a brief" (a document to the court arguing your side of a case, citing precedent, rules of law, etc.) is something that you will learn to do in Legal Practice/Legal Writing/whatever your school calls it. "Briefing a case" is basically writing a summary of it, including all the important things like court, holding, reasoning, etc.

No, I didn't realize that.

I decided to go to law school really late in the game, so I'm perpetually terrified that I'll get there and be ages behind everyone who's been planning to go into law since they were 5.

Nah, there will be a wide variety of people, in terms of how informed they are about these things. You'll catch on very quickly.

[Katkins]

I never do it. I like to summarize the facts of a case in a phrase of less than 10 words and the black letter holding in the same, both in the margin of my book as I read.

When making my outline, I might write 4-5 lines/sentences on each case, explaining the reasoning behind it and the facts in more detail.

On my exams, I hardly cited to cases at all--I don't think I cited one on my Torts exam, probably 5-10 each on Civpro and Ks. Broader concepts/tests are more important.

[Alexandria]

I never do it. I like to summarize the facts of a case in a phrase of less than 10 words and the black letter holding in the same, both in the margin of my book as I read.

When making my outline, I might write 4-5 lines/sentences on each case, explaining the reasoning behind it and the facts in more detail.

On my exams, I hardly cited to cases at all--I don't think I cited one on my Torts exam, probably 5-10 each on Civpro and Ks. Broader concepts/tests are more important.

Yeah, I'm the same way... I don't tend to cite much to cases in exams. But I know for sure one of my profs this semester really wants it, so I'm going to try to be better.