IRAC Method of Legal Writing PDF

Preview

Summary

Notes...

Description

When reading and briefing court cases, remember the acronym "IRAC". The acronym "IRAC" stands for (1) Issue; (2) Rule; (3) Analysis; and (4) Conclusion. The IRAC method of briefing is commonly used in Australian, New Zealand and American law schools. 

ISSUE When attempting to figure out the issues presented in a particular case, ask yourself “what question(s) is/are the court faced with? What must the court answer in order to decide the case?” To determine what the issue is, you need to know the parts of the case that are in dispute. The issue of a case is based on the pivotal questions which will determine the outcome. When you write about the issue in your assignment, it should be in the form of a question (e.g., "Did the Plaintiff commit a material misrepresentation?").



RULE

Rule = the law or laws which govern the outcome of a case. Rules can be in the form of statutes, regulations, case opinions, and other guidelines. In this section, you must simply state the rule or rules to be applied to the facts of the case.



ANALYSIS

The analysis section applies the rules to the specific facts of the case. In this section, you will apply the rules to the facts of the case and explain or argue why a particular rule

applies or does not apply in the case presented. The application/analysis section is the most important section of an IRAC because it develops the answer to the issue at hand.



CONCLUSION

This section restates the issue and provides the final answer. The Conclusion section directly answers the question presented in the issue section of the IRAC....