A case brief comprises of the following key components: parties, facts, reasoning, and judgment or holding. First, the parties within a case can be identified using their names. For example, in Smith v. Jones case, “Smith” and “Jones” are the parties. However, parties are given titles depending on their roles. Parties are referred to as either the plaintiff or defendant at the trial level. At the appellate level, they are referred to as either the appellants or respondents (Putman, 2009). Specifically, the plaintiff and appellant are the suing people at the trial and appellant level respectively. A brief must outline both parties.
Facts are other key components of a brief. There are two types of facts: necessary and context facts. Necessary facts are legally relevant facts. The court relies on these facts while solving legal issues. Contrary, context facts help in the understanding of necessary facts (Carper, & McKinsey, 2012). They are not important in court decisions; however, they facilitate the understanding of court proceedings. Many cases have different facts that may distract parties from understanding the crucial facts. Therefore, shifting through facts before writing a brief is important.
The reasoning is another crucial element of a case brief. Specifically, the reasoning is the rationale of arriving at the court holding. It entails the explanation of legal questions in a case by the court. Court reasoning is found in areas where laws are applied to facts (Carper, & McKinsey, 2012). A brief must contain laws used in answering legal questions. Courts may also apply policies in analysing facts. In case a court discusses policies during reasoning, these policies must be noted. Their precise applications must also be indicated.
Lastly, courts holdings are also crucial elements of a case brief. Holdings provide important information regarding the approach the court used to resolve a legal issue (Putman, 2009). Precisely, holdings are courts judgments or decisions regarding a case.
References
Carper, D. L., & McKinsey, J. A. (2012). Understanding the law. Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Putman, W. H. (2009). Legal analysis and writing. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
