What is a legal case note?
•A concise summary and analysis of a legal case
•It helps readers (including legal professionals) to understand the case’s significance, key legal principles and implications
Structure
1.Case Title & Citation
2.Introduction
3.Facts
4.Issues
5.Ruling/Decision
6.Analysis
Introduction
Case Facts
•Summarize the key facts that are relevant to the legal issue
•Focus on the facts that the court considered critical to its decision
•Be concise but ensure the facts are clear
Identifying the Legal Issues
•Identify the main legal questions the court needed to resolve
•Make sure to state the issues clearly – you can state them as questions
•Consider why these issues are important in the broader legal context
Decision
Analysis
•Discuss the legal reasoning used by the court
•Highlight ay significant legal principles relied upon
•Highlight any precedents used
•Analyse the case’s impact on future legal rulings or its broader legal implications – in other words – why/how is this case important to the development of the law in the area of X?
Style
•Objective tone – keep the tone neutral and professional
•Clarity – be clear and concise – the word count is tight so make sure every word counts!
•References – in your analysis section, you may want to reference some recent journal articles in the area
