A Sample Research Problem: From Start to Finish

• Author: Arlene Blatt/JoAnn Kurtz
• Pages: 255-286

PART VII

Putting It All Together

In Part VII, we put together for you everything we’ve covered in this book, taking you

through a research problem from beginning to end. Then we focus on two common

forms of legal writing: memos of law and opinion letters. Finally, we discuss some of

the key requirements of good legal writing.

Copyright © 2020 Emond Montgomery Publications. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2020 Emond Montgomery Publications. All Rights Reserved.

257

14

A Sample Research

Problem: From Start

to Finish

Learning Outcomes

After reading this chapter, you will understand:

• How to examine a fact situation and identify the

issues that arise from it

• How to find the law that applies to the fact situation

and to the issues that arise from it

• Why you should preserve your research in a memo of

law

• What a memo of law looks like

• What an opinion letter looks like

Introduction 258

Researching a Problem: A Recap of the

Steps 258

The Client’s Story 259

Analysis of the Fact Situation 259

Finding a General Statement of the Law 260

Using the Print Version of the CED 260

Using the Online Version of the CED 264

Reading the Results 268

Finding the Primary Sources of Law 268

Statute Law 268

Case Law 270

Applying the Case to Our Issue 276

Updating the Primary Sources 278

Statute Law 278

Case Law 278

Our Conclusion 279

Memo of Law 279

Opinion Letter 280

Exercise 281

Appendix 14.1 282

Memo 282

Appendix 14.2 285

Opinion Letter for Client 285

Copyright © 2020 Emond Montgomery Publications. All Rights Reserved.