Legal Research and Writing

Instructions:



Legal writing all starts with tackling what legal issue or what general issue of life is going to be

the topic of the paper, memo, email, etc…



One of the first things you will have to practice is developing a quality issue statement that will

allow you to summarize the topic and issue that you are focusing on and then utilize that issue

statement to help you narrow your research.

This class will require you to write in the following format by using the “IRAC” method.

I- ISSUE: Tell the reader the issue that you are writing about.

R- RULE: Tell the reader what the rule or answer should be about your issue that you have

found based on your research.

A- ANALYSIS: Analyze the rule that you found with the facts of your issue and follow a

stream of logic while you write as to why your conclusion is the answer.

C- CONCLUSION: Plainly State your conclusion based off the rule and analysis.

In order to utilize the IRAC method style of writing you first need to understand and practice

drafting issue statements.



For this assignment I want you to think about any 2 topics in your life that you think is an issue

and draft an issue statement for each of the topics.



Example 1: “If I get home and there is no food prepared then I will have to make a decision of

whether to order food from a restaurant or make food from what I have at the house.”

Example 2: “Under the rules governing the student code of conduct does the student have to

cite a source when a student cuts and pastes their answer from an internet source to an online

exam for a class?”