Notes

You now must write, using the best possible grammar, in paragraph form (and never in anything that looks like an outline) you argument for this point. You start with your premise – the defendant was denied his 6th amendment right – explain what the law is; state what the pertinent facts are that the court should be looking at; apply the law to the facts; and reach your conclusion on this issue which should be consistent with your initial premise or heading. In the past, the formula of: Conclusion, Rule, Argument, Conclusion has been used.

I prefer to look at it as Premise, Law, Facts, Law applied to Facts, Conclusion.

Remember to write persuasively. You want to convince the justice that you are correct. Finally, what do you do if there is a major law or case that goes against you or there is something in the facts that is not favorable to you? Well, ignoring such a problem would be like ignoring a pink elephant in the room – everyone knows its there! If there is something that is a problem, address the problem. Explain why your case is different or unique or why the other case does not apply. The most common approaches to these problems are showing factual differences or reasons why the other case should be viewed narrowly so that the holding does not apply to you situation.