【英美法】How to brief a case
2013-06-21 19:57阅读：
【中文材料系英文译得，如有异议，还请各位指出，交流、进步。】
How to brief a
case（中文）
1、case brief特征
A)CB是判决观点的分解——包括判决基本组成的摘要
B)CB是律师提交法庭用以支持其立场的有说服力的（初审和上诉）的摘要
2、CB的作用
A)案例分析、法律推理、帮助理解
B)帮助记忆
1）用于课堂讨论
2）用于期中（末）考试
3）用于写作、分析法律问题
3、如何做一份CB
A)写CB之前通读案例，识别重要事实
B)标题
1）案件名称
2）裁决法院名称
3）裁决日期
4）案例汇编中的页码
C)事实陈述
1）各方关系（不要仅写原被告名字，尽量描述各方关系，如：买方、卖方；雇主、雇员）
2）识别可以证明或相反地证明法律争议的相关法律事实。在法庭前证明发生了什么的相关法律事实。
3）识别重要的程序性事实。在民事诉讼中，你需要陈述
i)诉因C/A
ii）原告的救济请求
iii）被告提出的答辩意见
D)历审程序PH
——下级法院对案件的处置结果解释了案件是如何到法院的以及你所读的是谁的意见，包括：
1）下级法院的裁决（如果案件经过了初审法院审理，又经上诉法院审理，注意每个法院的裁决）
2）有关的赔偿金
3）谁上诉，上诉的理由
E)争议
1）是实质性争议，包括两部分： i）对法律的争议
ii）与争议的法律观点相关的关键性事实
——*你应当把本案特定的关键性的事实包括进去。特别是，涉及法院如何适用相关规则去裁决具体的案件事实争议。解决这些争议将决定法院对案件的处置。
2）程序方面的争议——什么是上诉方在下级法院所主张但是错误的？如：证据的认定、陪审团的指示、宣布即决判决等
——*记住把争议填在表格中！
F)裁决
——这是法院对双方权利的最终裁决。是法院对一方权利救济请求的回应。通常上诉法院会维持、改判或作出相反指示（如改判或发回重审）
G)判决要旨
——这是法院对争议回应的法律表述。如果你对争议的陈述是正确的，判决要旨经常与案件陈述一致或相反。
回应问题（Y/N）
H)适用法律或法律原则
法院适用法律规则决定各方实质性的权利。法律规则可以源于成文法、案例法、法规或先前的在相似案例中的裁决要旨的结合。
I)判决理由
——这是法院对问题的分析，也是CB的核心。判决理由是法院对特定事实适用法律/法律原则来形成判决。这包括适用法律规则和适用的政策论证来充分论证其判决要旨（决定为何是符合社会期望的）。
J)支持/持异议的观点
——聆讯案件的法官可能不同意多数法官的观点。持异议的观点将会被记录下来。另一位法官可能同意判决结果，但不同意判决的理由，这也将被记录下来。
——*标出同意/持异议的法官观点。
K)附言/个人感受
——你的观点和批判性意见是什么？赞赏的是什么？反对的呢？这个案件如何与你所读的案例一致起来？不要盲从法官的观点。
对每个案件的判决理由进行评定——理由合理吗？矛盾吗？政治、经济、社会对裁决结果的影响是什么？
CB是你考卷的元素，CB的7个元素
1）案号
2）事实——重要的、相关的能证明与争议所相似或有所区别的案件所涉及相似的争议
Important, relevant to show
that is either similar or
distinguishable form the case
involving the the similar issue
(s).
3）历审程序——下级法院的判决结果
4）争议——法院将处置的法律问题
5）判决要旨——对争议和重要事实的回应
6）判决理由——法院作出判决的理由（事实+成文法+公共政策）
7）法律适用——判决要旨中除了事实、法律适用、或者其他法律不适用的因素
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HOW TO BRIEF A
CASE
WHAT IS A CASE
BRIEF?
I. DistinctionsA. A
case brief is a dissection
of a judicial opinion
-- it contains a
written summary of the basic
components of that
decision.B. Persuasive briefs
(trial and appellate) are the
formal documents a lawyer files
with a court in support
of his or her client’s
position
Functions of case
briefing
A. Case
briefing helps law school
students acquire the skills of
case analysis and legal
reasoning. Briefing a case helps
them understand it.B. Case
briefing aids students’ memory.
Briefs help students remember
the cases they read(1)
for class discussion, (2)
for end-of-semester review for
final exams, and (3)
for writing and analyzing legal
problems.
Briefing a case: The
steps
Although the
exact form of the briefs
may and can vary from
case to case, the following
parts should appear somewhere in
the brief in a way that
helps one understand the case
and recall the needed
information.1. Read through
the opinion first so you
will understand the overall
story and identify important
facts, etc., before beginning to
brief the case on
paper.2. Heading:a.
Case name (to identify the
parties)b. Court
namec. Date of the
decisiond. Page number
where the case appears in
the report3. Statement of
Facts
a. Identify
the relationship/status of the
parties Do not merely
refer to the parties as
the plaintiff/defendant or appellant/
appellee;be sure to also
include more descriptive generic
terms to identify the
relationship/status at issue,
e.g.,
buyer/seller,employer/employee,
landlord/tenant, etc.b. Identify
legally relevant facts, that is,
those facts that tend to
prove or disprove an issue
before the court. The
relevant facts tell what
happened before the parties
entered the judicial
system.c. Identify procedurally
significant facts. You should
set out (in a civil
case)(1) the cause of
action (C/A) (2) relief
the plaintiff requested,
(3) defenses, if any,
the defendant raised.4.
Procedural History (PH):
This is the disposition of
the case in the lower
court(s) that explains how the
case got to the court
whose opinion you are reading.
Include the following:a.
The decision(s) of the lower
court(s).If the case was
decided by a trial court
and reviewed by an intermediate
appellate court before reaching
the court whose decision you
are now reading, be sure
to note what each court
decided.b. The damages
awarded, if relevant.c.
Who appealed and why.5.
Issues:
a.
Substantive issue: A substantive
statement of the issue consists
of two parts --i.
the point of law in
disputeii. the key facts
of the case relating to
that point of law in
dispute (legally relevant
facts)You must include the
key facts from the case
so that the issue is
specific to that case.
Typically, the disputed issue
involves how the court applied
some element of the pertinent
(relevant) rule to the facts
of the specific case. Resolving
the issue will determine the
court’s disposition of the
case.b. Procedural issue:
What is the appealing party
claiming the lower court did
wrong (e.g., ruling on evidence,
jury instructions, granting of
summary judgment, etc.)?remember
to put the issue(s) in
question form. 6.
Judgment:
This is the court’s final
decision as to the rights
of the parties,the court’s
response to a party’s request
for relief. Generally, the
appellate court will either
affirm, reverse, or
reverse with instructions.
The judgment is usually
found at the end of the
opinion.7. Holding:
This is a statement of
law that is the court’s
answer to the issue.If
you have written the issue
statement (s) correctly, the
holding is often the positive
or negative statement of the
issue statement.Answer to
the issue(s) Yes or
No. 8. Rule of Law
or Legal
Principle Applied
This is the rule of
law that the court applies
to determine the substantive
rights of the parties.
The rule of law
could derive from a statute,
case rule, regulation, or may
be a synthesis (combination or
) of prior holdings in
similar cases (common law).
The rule or legal
principle may be expressly
stated in the opinion or
it may be implied.9.
Reasoning:
This is the court’s
analysis of the issues and
the heart of the case
brief. Reasoning is the
way in which the court
applied the rules/legal principles
to the particular facts in
the case to reach its
decision.This includes reasons
for the application of rules
as well as policy arguments
the court used to justify
its holding (why the decision
was socially desirable).10.
Concurring/Dissenting Opinions:
A judge who hears a
case may not agree with
the majority’s decision and will
write a separate dissenting
opinion.Another judge may
agree with the decision but
not with the majority’s
reasoning and will write a
separate concurring opinion.
Note the concurring/dissenting
judge(s)’ reasons for refusing
to join in the majority
opinion.11. Additional
Comments
/Personal
Impressions:
What are your reactions
to and critique of the
opinion? Anything you like?
Dislike?How does this case
fall in line with the
other cases you have read?
Do not accept the
court’s opinion blindly.
Assess the reasoning in
each case. Is it
sound?Is it contradictory?
What are the political,
economic or social impacts of
this decision?Case brief
element on your examination
paper
7 Elements
Citation
Facts Legal
History, Issue (s)
, Holding (s),
Reasoning, Rule of
Law
Facts : Important,
relevant to show that is
either similar or distinguishable
form the case involving the
the similar issue (s).
Legal history:
Decisions of lower
courtsIssue (s):
What the court is
going to settle.--the
legal problem
Holdings :Answer to
the issues + material
facts
Reasoning:The court’s
discussion of why it makes
such decisions (facts+
statutory law + public policy
)Rule of law
(holding without facts,
law applicable in the case,
or other elements of the
law not applicable)
