Introducing the Components of IRAC

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Introducing the Components of IRAC

• LLM Legal Research and Writing
• November 17, 2006
• Riddhi Jani

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IRAC

• Issue
• Rule
• Application
• Conclusion

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Issue / Introduction

• A thesis statement will forecast for the reader
  what you will be writing about.
• A thesis statement in an essay is a sentence that
  explicitly identifies the purpose of the paper or
  previews its main ideas.
• A thesis statement is an assertion, not a
  statement of fact or an observation.
• People use many lawn chemicals.
• People are poisoning the environment with
  chemicals merely to keep their lawns clean. 

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Introduction / Issue

• Identify the Issue
• Statement of conclusion in the Introduction
• Enables reader to understand where you are going
  
• May provide general background information for
  context

5
Introduction / Issue

• Is the problem you are analyzing clearly stated
  either as an issue or as a thesis statement?
• Is the conclusion stated, either separately from
  the issue or in the thesis statement?
• Do you need a brief background discussion to
  provide context for the analysis?

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RULE

• The foundation for the next section -
  Application.
• Why does this rule govern the problem?
• How does the rule work?

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RULE

• "Civil Code 305 requires that all actions
  arising out of an accident be filed within two
  years from the date of the accident."

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APPLICATION

• Written Expression of the Legal Reasoning Process
• Straightforward Rule ? short statement of facts
  showing requirements met.
• If the rule comes from a case ? compare/
  contrast facts of the case to the facts of your
  problem. See whether the reasoning behind the
  rule is appropriate to your situation.

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APPLICATION

• Must weave the rules into the facts.
• A good legal analysis document must include all
  the specific details especially the relevant
  facts of the problem.
• Bad legal writers will go directly from the rule
  ? conclusion and assume that the reader can see
  how the law applies.

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CONCLUSION

• Ties points together.
• Ensure it answers the question in the
  Introduction / Issue.