Crafting Logical Legal Analysis and Organization

The strength of your legal analysis and document organization directly impacts the persuasiveness of arguments.

Legal Analysis Tips

• Apply the law precisely – Accurately explain how statutes and case law govern the facts.
• Analogize and distinguish – Compare facts to favourable precedent. Distinguish unfavourable precedent.
• Highlight policy considerations – Discuss wider public policy implications and legislative intent.
• Address counterarguments – Raise and refute likely opposing arguments.
• Emphasize key themes – Repeat crucial terms, phrases and themes throughout the analysis.
• Use headings judiciously – Headings organize complex analysis into digestible segments.
• Define terms – Define legal terms and acronyms on first use.
• Cite sources meticulously – Cite statutes, cases, and articles to substantiate the analysis.

Organization Principles

• Use IRAC structure – Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion provides logical flow.
• Funnel information – Move from a broad introduction to specific analysis to summary conclusions.
• Group-related arguments – Link related discussions in sections using headings and transitions.
• Use point-first paragraphs – Begin paragraphs with topic sentences stating key points.
• Weave in facts chronologically – Integrate facts seamlessly rather than in isolated chunks.