After reviewing Part 1. What is a Memorandum of Law?
1. Indicate which OPTION you are choosing and explain how your proposed legal research is based upon a policy review, training proposal, or predictive legal analysis. Give sufficient details to explain your purpose (what you are looking for and why,) your audience, and how you plan to create the issue (for example, providing a policy for review or agency concern to create a policy, what issue that you propose for training, or what incident you plan to research which can either be based on real incident or hypothetical.) A news article may be attached to show relevant current issues, if pertinent to your research inquiry. BE SURE TO READ THE GUIDELINES in the instructor notes about the memo requirements. Points will be deducted if research is too elementary.
2. Comprise and document a key term search. Remember that the goal is to create the BEST wording for a given search. For example, using our Week 1 search problem, the final search wording should be similar to “racial profiling or disparity in Terry stops.” For most of us, we need to try different key words at first to come up with better search terms as we fine-tune our search. The end result should be ONE search entry that brings up primary and secondary sources RELEVANT to our jurisdiction. Comprise and state your final key term search AND designate your jurisdiction. Indicate how you would locate cases pertinent to your jurisdiction. (If needed, refer to the LEGAL RESEARCH supplemental information provided for this week.)
Part B. LEGAL WRITING METHODS – WHAT IS IRAC? ASSIGNMENT
(DUE SUNDAY MIDNIGHT) (20 points)
After reviewing Part 2. A Guide to Writing a Legal Memorandum, after reviewing examples of sample memos in Part 3, and reviewing Part 4. Organizing a Memo –IRAC, complete the following assignment:
1. Identify the four components of the IRAC method and explain the purpose of each component succinctly.
2. After reading above documents, list at least five rules or pointers when writing the memorandum that pertain to organization of the memorandum (but do not include IRAC or format construction.) These should be pointers about how to organize and write the memo so that the writing flows and is easy for the reader to understand.
3. Specific to your research option, compose the statement of facts or inquiry.
4. Specific to your research option, compose the issue statement or question.
5. Specific to your legal research, identify one conclusion or objective analysis and explain.
Part C. LEGAL WRITING RESEARCH PROCESS – FINDING BINDING AND PERSUASIVE AUTHORITY
(DUE SUNDAY MIDNIGHT) (10 points.)
1. Locate and identify five sources that you plan to use in your memorandum. (Repeat your jurisdiction in this section. Give sufficient information that I know where the source is coming from.) For each source, do the following:
a. Indicate whether
