A memorandum of law will be used throughout your law school and legal career. Our article gives you more information on understanding and creating memorandums

Memorandums of law are utilized by lawyers and law students alike; they are helpful documents that organize the facts of a legal case and list analyses of relevant laws. You may find that you are asked to write memorandums of laws throughout your law school career and while practicing as an attorney or other legal professional, as they are highly important and have many uses.

Our article gives you more information on why memorandums of law are used and the basics of crafting one of these important cohesive legal documents.

Why Are Memorandums of Law Used?

Memorandums of law are used to create cohesive documentation surrounding a specific case or legal issue. The memorandum will often have a list of basic facts regarding the case, relevant law or legal notes, and an analysis of laws that might be relevant to the case overall. These documents are commonly used by attorneys in court to show how relevant case holdings and legal standings support their argument.

Judges may also use memorandums of law to announce their overall reasonings and decisions without going into extreme detail. In these cases, a more detailed written document surrounding the legal decision or case along with any opinions connected to the relevant law cited in the memorandum of law, will be used.

The Basics of a Memorandum of Law

A memorandum of law has several basic elements that are important to understand. Before you get to work crafting or reviewing one, you should carefully review each part of what makes these documents effective.

Every memorandum that you write or come across for review should include:

• A heading
• A cohesive statement of the legal issue
• An answer to the legal issue
• A statement of the facts of the legal issue or case
• Discussion of the legal issue and facts
• A conclusion

Memorandums of law must be organized logically and flow well for readability. The point of a memorandum is to present the facts of the case, relevant case law and legal precedents, and a discussion of these issues and facts in a cohesive document with sources—more extended arguments and legal opinions will find their way into other types of documents.

How Do I Write a Memorandum of Law?

Writing a memorandum of law is something that you will learn how to do throughout your time in law school. However, you can review the steps below to understand how to write a memorandum of law.

1. Craft the heading of your memorandum with the author’s name, the recipient of the memorandum, the date, the client, and the overall subject of the memorandum.
2. Include a brief statement of the legal issue, provide an answer for it, and utilize a concise explanation for your answer. Make sure to include facts for support where possible.
3. Add a table of contents so readers can easily navigate the structure of your memorandum or find specific parts quickly.
4. Include a one-section statement of the legal issue, case problem, or question at hand. Make sure this sentence is concise, and list multiple legal issues in the order they will be discussed in your memorandum.
5. Complete your statement of facts on the legal issue. This is one of the most important parts of your memorandum of law, as the facts in this section are the relevant pieces of information you use to craft the rest of the document and complete your legal research. This is necessary for the reader to follow your memorandum’s logical progression.
6. Answer questions presented in the legal issue directly and completely. Make sure your answers are based on legally supported reasons and that you avoid language that may be vague, indirect, or inconclusive.
7. After you have answered relevant questions with facts and legally supported answers, you must include a section on assumptions. These are assumptions you can make about the legal issue based on the facts you know and the questions you can answer. You will need to support your assumptions with sources and other relevant case law.
8. Discuss your legal issues by describing relevant law to the case and including the application of legal issues to the questions you have answered in your memorandum. There are several strategies for discussing legal issues that you will learn about in law school to direct this discussion section.
9. Create a conclusion with a summary of the memorandum or a statement of facts. You may also briefly outline the legal analysis used in your memorandum.

Overall, you should make sure that your memorandum is organized logically and that someone without any knowledge of the law or legal proceedings would have an easy time reviewing it. These factors are key to knowing whether or not your memorandum of law is successfully and cohesively written.

Pursuing Your Legal Career Dreams

When pursuing your legal career dreams, learning all about memorandums of law is essential. You will use these documents throughout law school and while practicing as an attorney or elsewhere in your legal career.

Make sure that you listen to any instructions or special requests regarding the memorandum you have to write and that you take your time crafting it. You want to be sure you include all important information, relevant case law, and facts to make it the most comprehensive document it can be while still being easy to read.

If you are still in the preparation process for law school, don’t hesitate to reach out to all of the resources you can to make your application cycle a successful one. It’s crucial to consult with an LSAT tutor if you need help to improve your LSAT scores. You can also speak to current students at your chosen law school or even reach out to admissions committees for more information on the application process and the best ways to achieve your legal career dreams.