How Do You Write A Student Case Brief?
Law students read a large volume of cases during law school and use a note-taking system in which cases are written in short, concise “briefs” in order to distinguish cases and recall the pertinent facts of each. A good case brief includes all of the relevant factual information and also details the legal reasoning used by the court in making its decision. A case brief notebook will allow the law student to distinguish between the cases and note times when decisions contradict one another. Briefs can also be useful to see the growth of the law and the various procedural and legal changes along the way. Note the facts of the case at the top of the brief. The facts are usually outlined at the beginning of a case and describe all the relevant facts the court used in determining the outcome. Be aware that some new facts omitted in the majority opinion may appear in the dissenting opinion, so read the dissent if there is one before filling out the facts section. Write the procedural posture
