Preparing Legal Memoranda

(Memoranda of Law) (25 Training Hours)

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day 1
Understanding the Nature and Purpose of a Legal Memorandum
  • Axis 1: The Difference between a Legal Memorandum, Pleadings, and Legal Opinion. (When and how to use each type).
  • Axis 2: Analyzing the Client’s (or Manager’s) Question to Precisely Define the Legal Issue. (Extracting the legal question from the facts).
  • Axis 3: Structure of a Professional Legal Memorandum. (Heading, Statement of Facts, Analysis, Conclusion).
day 2
Systematic Legal Research
  • Axis 1: Research Strategies for Legislation and Regulations. (Researching from general to specific texts).
  • Axis 2: Researching Case Law (Jurisprudence). (How to find relevant rulings and assess their weight).
  • Axis 3: Researching Legal Scholarship and Studies. (Using jurists’ opinions to support the analysis).
day 3
Applying the IRAC Methodology in Analysis
  • Axis 1: Formulating the “Issue” Accurately. (Drafting the legal question that the memorandum will answer).
  • Axis 2: Presenting the Relevant “Rule” of Law. (Explaining the legal text or principle derived from precedents).
  • Axis 3: “Analysis” and Application to the Facts. (Linking the rule to the facts, and discussing different perspectives).
day 4
Precise Legal Drafting and Conclusion
  • Axis 1: The Language of Legal Drafting. (Precision, neutrality, and using correct legal terminology).
  • Axis 2: Writing the “Conclusion” Section. (Summarizing the findings of the analysis clearly).
  • Axis 3: Documenting Legal Sources. (How to correctly cite legislation, rulings, and references).
day 5
Final Review and Evaluation
  • Axis 1: Reviewing the Memorandum for Analytical Strength and Logic. (Is the reasoning sound? Are there gaps?).
  • Axis 2: Linguistic and Formal Review. (Linguistic proofreading and final formatting).
  • Axis 3: Practical Workshop. (Analyzing samples and preparing a complete legal memorandum from start to finish).

References: The IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) methodology for legal analysis, and The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation for documentation style.