Think Style

Today’s Tip is less about legal research and more about the output of your research – often a research memo. There are some good general tips about writing and analysis at Catherine Best’s Legal Resarch site, and there are even sample memos like this one from UBC.

Some of the best advice I have heard comes from Wendy-Anne Berkenbosch, Research Partner at Davis LLP. When addressing articling students at the Edmonton Law Libraries Association Head Start Program, she says:

Provide your answer in a comprehensible and useable format:
– Introduction (what the memo is about);
– Brief Conclusion (if the memo is more than a few pages);
– Facts;
– Issues;
– Analysis (with subheadings for each issue);
– Conclusion and Recommendations;
– Sources Consulted.

and

Give yourself time to edit your work. If you read it again in a day or two, you will be better able to identify areas that need work.