tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85766508526667384722024-02-08T01:50:48.934-08:00Legal Writing TipsSome tips on getting started with legal writing and analysis.Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-7400491561908292652011-06-22T08:22:00.000-07:002017-04-27T08:00:32.904-07:00Contents<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><br />
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I. Writing Style: <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/general-writing-tips.html">General Tips</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/passive-voice-dont-use-it.html">Passive Voice</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2010/08/commas-semicolons-and-whatnot.html">Commas, etc.</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2010/08/pronouns.html">Pronouns</a>.<br />
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II. Memo Writing:<br />
a. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/getting-started-with-writing-memo.html">Introduction</a><br />
b. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/memo-outline.html">Memo Outline</a><br />
c. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/issue-statement.html">Issue Statement</a><br />
d. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/brief-answer.html">Brief Answer</a><br />
e. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/facts.html">Facts</a><br />
f. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/discussion.html">Discussion</a>: <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2010/08/organizing-your-argument.html">organizing your analysis</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/disccussion-umbrella.html">umbrella paragraph</a>, and<br />
CREAC <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/analysis-creac.html">subsections</a> (<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion_09.html">conclusion</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/rule.html">rule</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/explanation-of-rule.html">explanation of rule</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/analysis.html">analysis</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion-2nd.html">conclusion</a>)<br />
g. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion.html">Conclusion</a><br />
h. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2010/01/sample-memorandum.html">Sample Memo</a>.<br />
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III. Other: <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/links.html">Links</a>, <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/legal-authority.html">Legal Authority</a>.</div>
Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-265281345050346942010-08-30T14:03:00.000-07:002013-08-05T13:25:08.746-07:00Organizing your argument<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
You must organize your discussion of the law clearly and logically to allow the reader to easily follow your rationale. Generally, you should organize your discussion according to the structure of the relevant legal rules. If the broad legal issue you are analyzing has four main subparts, then organize your analysis into four main subparts.</div>
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Although you can use traditional paragraphing and narrative to separate your discussion of each of these sub-issues, I strongly recommend using <b>numbered or lettered sections</b> to make it easier for your reader to follow your analysis. Thus, each numbered subsection will address one sub-issue, and one sub-issue only.</div>
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While each of these sub-sections relate to each other in some capacity, you should <b>treat each subsection distinctly</b>. Once you have broken down your Discussion into separate subsections, you have demonstrated to the reader that the relevant rule at hand is made up of different elements. Each subsection addresses one, and only one, of those elements. Do not confuse the reader by either discussing one of the other elements that you have identified, or by discussing the law in more general terms. Strictly discuss the element identified at the start of the subsection and how that element relates to the the ultimate determination in terms of satisfying the law.</div>
Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-29241736574632974802010-08-30T13:02:00.000-07:002010-08-30T13:04:41.429-07:00PronounsBe very cautious about pronoun use. Often, when you use a pronoun instead of the actual noun that you are replacing, the meaning of your statement becomes thoroughly obscured. Whenever you are unsure as to whether the use of a pronoun will make your writing too vague or confusing, the safest bet is to use the actual noun instead, even if that means that your writing will be somewhat repetitive.<br />
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For example, "Ms. Jones told Ms. Smith about her plans, and then she hurried to the scene of the crime." This sentence does not clearly convey who hurried to the scene of the crime. For that reason, using "she" rather than the name of the person who hurried to the scene of the crime is a bad idea.<br />
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Per usual, the <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/595/01/">Purdue Online Writing Lab has decent advice regarding pronoun use</a>.Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-81521256730761648682010-08-30T12:45:00.000-07:002013-08-05T13:06:04.291-07:00Commas, semicolons, and whatnotThere is far too much to try to say about comma usage and other common grammar pitfalls here. I am not a grammarian, so I regularly seek out resources to clean up the many grammatical errors that manage to find their way into my legal writing. Assuming that you are not a grammarian either, you should also seek out such resources.<br />
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The <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/">Purdue Online Writing Lab</a> has an excellent resource for <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/">basic comma usage</a>. I strongly suggest that you use it as a resource. While you are at it, be sure to tackle the <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/04/">semicolon</a> and <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/index.php?category_id=3&sub_category_id=7&article_id=97">colon</a> as well. <br />
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If you are so inclined, you should explore some of the countless other online writing resources that may aid you in your writing.Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-23603731695790707142010-01-25T14:23:00.000-08:002010-01-28T13:47:40.438-08:00Sample memorandumThe samples that I have provided in this section largely come from one of my student's memos. You can see the graded memo <b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1264715182089">H</a></b><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B77IyuWzKo-rYjkxMjVjZTgtY2YzYi00OTE5LTlmNWItMGNjZGZlMzFkZTUw&hl=en&pli=1">ERE</a></b>. Note that this memo is not perfect, but it provides a great starter for modeling legal memo writing. Thank you SAJ!Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-64036219844901517132009-12-09T13:31:00.000-08:002010-06-18T14:00:55.911-07:00Legal AuthorityNot all authority was created equal. The following is a rough breakdown of legal authority. Note that this is not perfectly cohesive. The law is filled with exceptions, and many exceptions apply when considering the weight of authority. Still, this gives you a general overview of the weight of authority.<br />
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<ul><li>United States Constitution</li>
<li>United States Code</li>
<li>Federal Regulations interpreting U.S. Code (and other agency interpretations)</li>
<li>Federal Treaties</li>
<li>Executive Orders</li>
<li>State Constitutions, Statutes, and Regulations that do not conflict with federal law</li>
<li>Case Law (though case law at times trumps statutes, regulations, etc.)</li>
<li>Relevant Non-Binding Materials (Legislative History, Treatises, International Law, Academia, Experts, etc.)</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Structure of Courts</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Federal State</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">United States Supreme Court Highest State Court</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Circuit Courts of Appeal Intermediate Appellate Courts</div><div style="text-align: left;">United States District Courts State Trial Courts</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Plus other federal courts: State Agency Tribunals</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Bankruptcy, Federal Claims, (Housing, unemployment, etc.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Military, Tax, Veterans,</div><div style="text-align: left;"> International Trade, and</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Federal Administrative Agencies <br />
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Most important, be mindful of what jurisdictional law applies. If you are analyzing an issue concerning a real estate transaction that took place in Arkansas, chances are that you will be more interested in Arkansas state law than in federal law. Thus, you should be citing Arkansas statutes and case law, not federal statutes and case law. Just because one legal authority trumps another one does not mean that you should focus on that authority. <br />
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Additionally, although many sources of law are more authoritative than case law, case law is often the best indicator of what the law is and how it will be applied since courts inevitably end up being the venue for interpreting, explaining, and adjudicating the law. Courts generally do not make law, but they do help to define the law and they certainly decide what constitutes violations of the law. Thus, even when a statute is on point, you will want to analyze case law to determine how courts interpret the statute.</div>Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-46043592748856555472009-12-09T12:02:00.000-08:002013-08-05T13:45:26.130-07:00Links<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Writing Tips</span></span><br />
<a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/">Purdue's Online Writing Lab</a> (OWL)<br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf">A Plain English Handbook</a></span> (SEC)<br />
<a href="http://plainlanguage.gov/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Plainlanguage.gov</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/free-guides.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Plain English Campaign</span></a> (Lots of free guides)<br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/">Guide to Grammar and Writing</a></span><br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://osaka.law.miami.edu/~froomkin/writingtips.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Froomkin's legal writing tips</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (Geared to academic writing)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html#13">Elements of Style</a>, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #000020;">William Strunk, Jr. (1869–1946)</span><br />
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<a href="http://legalcareers.about.com/od/practicetips/tp/practicetips.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">About.com, Seven Ways to Improve Your Legal Writing</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://stuck%20on%20the%20first%20draft/?%20Try%20starting%20in%20the%20middle;%20Why%20your%20briefs%20are%20probably%20too%20long,%20and%20how%20to%20make%20them%20shorter;%20Improve%20your%20briefs%20with%20better%20introductions;%20How%20to%20design%20the%20look%20of%20your%20brief%20to%20make%20it%20more%20readable;%20How%20to%20structure%20your%20brief,%20every%20time;%20How%20to%20be%20a%20better%20editor%20of%20your%20own%20legal%20writing;%20Be%20on%20the%20lookout%20for%20overstatement;%20Know%20how%20to%20spot%20muddled%20writing;%20Make%20your%20writing%20look%20more%20professional%20by%20hyphenating%20phrasal%20adjectives;%20Learn%20five%20simple%20rules%20for%20improving%20your%20legal%20writing.%20November%2012,%202009%20in%20Legal%20Writing%20|%20Permalink%20|%20Comments%20(0)%20|%20TrackBack%20(0)%20September%2010,"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Trial Practice Tips Weblog</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://legalwriting.net/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">LegalWriting.net</span></a></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://legalwritingpro.com/">Legalwritingpro.com</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Legal Research</span></span><br />
<a href="http://findlaw.com/">Findlaw.com</a><br />
<a href="http://uscode.house.gov/">U.S. Code</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gpoaccess.gov/CFR/">Code of Federal Regulations</a><br />
<a href="http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/">PACER</a> (Invaluable tool for researching electronically filed documents in federal cases)<br />
<a href="http://dockets.justia.com/">Justia</a> (Great for searching E-Files submitted in federal courts)<br />
<a href="https://www.recapthelaw.org/">RECAP</a> (First learn to use PACER, then, be sure to join RECAP to access free PACER documents)<br />
<a href="http://www.lexisweb.com/">LexisWeb</a> (Free, but limited access to the Lexis database)<br />
<a href="http://www.lexisone.com/lx1/caselaw/freecaselaw?action=FCLDisplayCaseSearchForm&l1loc=L1E">LexisOne</a> (Free access to searching case law by keyword, citation, etc.)<br />
<a href="http://www.abanet.org/tech/ltrc/lawlink/home.html">ABA Legal Technology Resource Center</a> (Many helpful links)<br />
<a href="http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/intresearch">Duke Law</a> (Good list of free resources)<br />
<a href="http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/research/browse_jurisdictions.cfm">Georgetown's State Research Guides</a> (Great resource for finding state law)<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page">Wikipedia</a> (Yes, Wikipedia for when you don't know where else to start)<br />
And <a href="http://scholar.google.com/">Google</a> too!Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-27442624687137582592009-12-09T08:22:00.000-08:002010-04-16T21:33:56.391-07:00Conclusion (2nd)<b>C</b> (<b><u>C</u>onclusion).</b> At the end of each subsection, you should include a very brief Conclusion, which more or less restates the Conclusion you used at the start of your section. This should typically be its own paragraph and should be no more than one to three sentences. However, if your Analysis section is a single paragraph, then you may simply include the Conclusion as a single sentence at the end of the paragraph.Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-84713042196560575282009-12-09T07:51:00.000-08:002013-08-05T13:33:40.357-07:00Explanation of Rule<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>E (<span style="text-decoration: underline;">E</span>xplanation).</b> Your Explanation, which immediately follows your Rule, should explain relevant nuances of the law and the various factors that a court will likely examine when considering the sub-issue. <br />
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1. Try to keep your Explanation as <b>brief</b> as possible, only including further discussion of the Rule that is necessary for the reader to understand the nature of the law. Your Explanation of the Rule can be as short as a single sentence and should probably be no more than three to four sentences, unless the issue is particularly complex and warrants a lengthier discussion.<br />
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2. Use your Explanation to <b>identify the factors that a court would likely consider</b> when analyzing the sub-issue at hand. In this way, your Explanation is like a mini-Umbrella, providing the reader with a road map for this particular sub-rule. Identifying the relevant factors that underlie your sub-rule is not always easy. Sometimes the law identifies these factors for you--perhaps because the statute at issue contains discrete requirements. More often, you must identify the relevant factors at issue by engaging in extensive research. Courts will often articulate what factors control an issue, but often times different courts will use different factors. Your job is to distill what factors you think are most relevant and to inform the reader accordingly.<br />
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3. Once you have identified the relevant factors, <b>present the factors in a list</b> to make it clear to the reader what you will be analyzing throughout the subsection. I recommend a <b>numbered list</b> to draw attention to the factors that you plan to discuss and to ensure that the reader understands that the factors are distinct form one another. <br />
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4. Most importantly, once you have laid out factors in your Explanation, proceed to <b>discuss each factor in separate Analysis paragraphs in the same order that you listed them in your Explanation</b>. At the start of each of those Analysis paragraphs, include clear topic sentences to alert the reader of the factor that you are discussing, using common language in both your Explanation and your topic sentences at the start of your Analysis paragraphs.<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sample Explanation</span>:<br />
(Explaining the Trade Secret sub-rule from <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/rule.html">Rule</a>)<br />
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In determining whether Ms. Petersen's PPI System is a trade secret, a court will weigh the extent to which (1) the PPI System was known outside of PPI, (2) the PPJ System was known to employees within PPI, (3) Ms. Petersen attempted to guard the PPI System's secrecy, (4) PPI increased in value by having the PPI System remain secret, (5) Ms. Petersen expended time and money in developing the PPI System, and (6) other fitness businesses would need to expend time and money to acquire or develop a similar system. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Porter Industries, Inc. v. Higgins</span>, 680 P.2d 1339, 1341 (Colo. App. 1984). Courts balance facts relating to each of these factors, and no one factor is dispositive of whether a trade secret could or could not exist. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Harvey Barn</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ett, Inc. v. Shidler</span>, 338 F.3d 1125, 1132 (l0th Cir. 2003).<br />
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NOTE: In the above example, the Explanation is based on the relevant case law and is quite detailed. Based on the advice above, you would model the remainder of your discussion in this subsection to mirror these factors, doing so by including subsections or paragraphs that deal with each of these factors one-by-one.Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-12804396515081208022009-12-09T07:49:00.001-08:002017-03-24T15:36:38.111-07:00Rule<b>R (</b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>R</b></span><b>ule). </b>Your Rule is a succinct statement of the law governing the specific legal element at issue in the subsection.<br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">1. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Y</span>our Rule should be the first sentence of your first paragraph in the subsection<span style="font-weight: normal;">. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">2. </span>Identifying your Rule<span style="font-weight: normal;"> is easier said than done. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">As a preliminary matter, there is the </span>Macro-Rule, the big picture<span style="font-weight: normal;"> that governs the larger issue that you are addressing--the issue that you introduced in your Issue Statement (e.g., battery). This Macro-Rule is what you explained briefly in your Umbrella paragraph. It is the larger Rule that controls the area of law. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">However, </span>most Macro-Rules are made up of a number of Mini-Rules or Elements<span style="font-weight: normal;">--smaller rules that together comprise the larger rule, like ingredients in a cookie recipe. In each sub-section of your Discussion, you will analyze one element at a time. Thus, l</span></b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">ike your Conclusion, your Rule is not the rule that governs the central issue that you are addressing in the memo as a whole (unless your memo only has a single analysis section). Rather, your Rule is actually </span>a sub-rule that only speaks to the element at issue in the subsection<span style="font-weight: normal;"> at hand </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">3. </span></b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Do not overstate or understate your rule<span style="font-weight: normal;">. </span></b>One of the most common pitfalls for legal writers is to end up overstating the law. For example, if your overall test is a balancing test, and no single sub-issue is dispositive, then write, “The court will consider whether the plaintiff . . . .” But if the rule is dispositive, meaning that a plaintiff MUST satisfy the element, then make that clear by writing something to the effect of “To succeed with this claim, a plaintiff must prove . . . .” If you over- or understate the rule, then your reader will not properly understand the law.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">4. Be sure to </span>cite legal authority in support of your rule<span style="font-weight: normal;">. Without citing some sort of legal authority, your Rule may as well be, quite literally, <i>your</i> Rule, and not that of the of law. Citing case law assures your reader that you are not just making stuff up, which lawyers at times attempt to do. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Sample Rule</span>:<br />
(Trade Secret hypothetical from <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/issue-statement.html">Issue Statement</a>)<br />
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To succeed with her claim for misappropriation of a trade secret, Ms. Petersen must first prove that her Pilates training method is a trade secret. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Porter Industries, Inc. v.Higgins</span>, 680 P.2d 1339, 1341 (Colo. App. 1984).<br />
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<br />Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-53751392134837332832009-12-09T07:47:00.000-08:002010-12-06T12:09:00.030-08:00Analysis<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>A (<u>A</u>nalysis)</b>. Following your opening paragraph to your subsection are your Analysis paragraphs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">1. Follow the Factors that You Presented in Your <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.1944px;">Explanation. The easiest way to ensure that your Analysis section is well organized and compelling is to follow the road map that you should have provided in your Explanation. If you identified relevant Factors in your Explanation, then simply discuss each of those factors, one by one in separate paragraphs (or subsections) in your Analysis section. For this reason, you should make sure that your Explanation of your Rule effectively lays out the specific factors that you will address in your Analysis.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">2. Rule-based reasoning. Another benefit to organizing your Analysis according to the factors that you identified in your Explanation is that you will then naturally organize your writing by factor or theme, according to the nature of the law, and not simply by case. Legal writers often refer to this thematic approach as "rule-based reasoning." In essence, using rule-based reasoning, you will analyze the Rule based on the legal factors or elements that courts consider when making determinations based on that rule. Once you have identified those factors and chosen the factors that you wish to discuss, you will analyze those factors one-by-one. Writers who do not consciously adopt the rule-based reasoning approach often analyze the issue at hand by simply discussing relevant cases one-by-one, often discussing one case per paragraph. That is not a terrible approach, but it makes your Analysis seem more anecdotal and shallow - based on a few select cases rather than on the intricacies of the law. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">3. Paragraphing or Subsections. Try to discuss each one of the factors identified in your Explanation in individual paragraphs. If you feel that you have too much to discuss, then you might consider breaking your discussion out into further subsections. It is fine to have multiple layers of subsections, but it can get confusing to the reader.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">4. Organizing Your Analysis Paragraphs. You should begin each analysis paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly identifies the relevant theme or factor. Follow the topic sentence with a discussion of controlling case law. Then apply that case law to your facts by discussing the relevant similarities or differences between the case law and your case. Whenever possible, you should use more than one case per theme as it makes your argument more convincing, but you will sometimes find that you only have one case to discuss for a given theme/paragraph, which is fine. Thus, as a general rule for organizing your Analysis paragraphs, as mentioned above:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> a. Topic Sentence. Begin with a topic sentence that identifies the theme of the paragraph; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> b. Precedent Case Law and Other Relevant Authority. Following the topic sentence, briefly discuss precedent case law relating to the theme at hand; and <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> c. Your Facts. After discussing precedent case law, usually within the same paragraph, discuss the facts from your case that relate to the topic addressed within the paragraph.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">5. Topic sentence. Begin each Analysis paragraph with a clear topic sentence, and, in each paragraph, only discuss facts and cases that relate to that topic and that topic alone. It is impossible to stress this latter point enough. If you stray from the topic at hand, your writing will quickly become confused and less convincing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">6. Precedent case law. After your topic sentence, discuss relevant case law to demonstrate how courts have previously treated the issue, preferably in situations relatively similar to yours. Be sure to:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> a. Cite to cases that address the specific legal sub-issue at hand, preferably with fact patterns that are relatively similar to yours,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> b. Discuss relevant facts from those cases - the facts that pertain to the sub-issue that you are discussing in the subsection, and<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> c. Include the holdings of each case that you discuss so the reader knows which way the court decided based on the facts from that case, which will allow the reader to compare each of those cases to your case.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> d. Model format to discuss cases. I have found that the easiest way to succinctly discuss a case in a single sentence is with the following format: In [<u>case name</u>], the court held [holding as to relevant legal issue] because [statement of <i>facts</i> that caused the court to rule as it did] (e.g., "In <u>Smith v. Jones</u>, the court held that the defendant should have known that his conduct would cause the plaintiff injury because the plaintiff asked the defendant to cease threatening her as the threats were causing her severe distress."). You may of course analyze cases using multiple sentences, and you often should do so. However, the more succinct you are, the easier it is for the reader to compare the cases that you are citing to the facts of your own case that you are analyzing.</span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> As you feel more comfortable, you can combine your discussion of two cases into a single sentence, or you can combine your discussion of a case with your analysis of your facts all in a single sentence. However, when you are just getting started, try to stick to one case per sentence. Additionally, you can eventually experiment with squeezing analysis into crafty citations by using effective parentheticals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> NOTE: While I recommend that you first discuss controlling case law and then discuss your facts, you are welcome to try reversing that order. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">7. Your client's facts. After you have introduced precedent case law, compare and contrast your client's facts to the facts and holdings that you presented from those cases to demonstrate your client's likelihood of success. The aim is for you to compare/analogize and contrast/distinguish your facts from those of precedent cases to demonstrate to the reader which way the court is likely to hold.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">8. Be Sure to Compare <i>and </i>Contrast. You will benefit from discussing cases where the court ruled favorably on an issue, as well as cases where the court ruled unfavorably. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> -Compare/analogize. Compare your facts to the cases where the court ruled favorably by showing that your case is similarly strong, perhaps even stronger. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> -Contrast/distinguish. Contrast your facts to the cases where the court ruled opposite from what you are arguing by showing that your case is different and will therefore be more likely to receive favorable treatment from the courts.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">9. Spectrum of cases. I like to think of precedent cases on a spectrum that ranges from definite loser to definite winner. Once you have collected enough cases to flesh out the spectrum, you should determine where in that case law spectrum, based on your facts, you case fits. Discuss the case law in comparison to your case to demonstrate the likelihood of success for your client, analogizing to the cases where the court ruled favorably and distinguishing from those where the court ruled unfavorably.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Definite Your Definite<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Loser Case Winner<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">10. Repeat. Repeat this process for each additional theme/factor that you discuss within the subsection. Remember, each paragraph should include a topic sentence that clearly articulates the theme you are discussing. And, most importantly, stick to that theme throughout the paragraph. Do not stray into topics that you should discuss elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">11. Paragraphing. Try to keep your paragraphs under one double-spaced page. Additionally, if your analysis is confined to a single, concise paragraph, you should combine it with your Rule, Explanation, and second Conclusion to form a single paragraph, rather than separating your CREAC into three separate paragraphs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> Sample Analysis:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> (Trade Secret hypothetical)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> NOTE: Here, the analysis is broken down into a subsection to correspond to the first factor listed in the Explanation of the Rule. The analysis is organized as a mini-CREAC, with (1) a conclusion used for the sub-heading, (2) a mini-rule/topic sentence used as the first sentence of the subsection is mini-rule, (3) followed by a brief elaboration/explanation of the rule, (4) followed by the core analysis - first case law discussion of the factor and then discussion of the client's facts that relate to the factor (which you can repeat as appropriate), and (5) a repetition of the mini-conclusion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> Example 1:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> A. Ms. Petersen's PPI System was not known outside of her business.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> In determining whether Ms. Petersen's PPI System is a trade secret, a court would consider the extent to which information pertaining to the System was known outside of her business. See Rivendell Forest Products, Ltd. v. Georgia-Pacific Corp., 28 F.3d 1042, 1046 (10th Cir. 1994). Even where alleged trade secrets include elements that are known outside of the business, courts have still found that such methods could constitute trade secrets. Id. In Rivendell Forest Products, Ltd., plaintiff designed a database that generated on-demand, customer-specific statistics. Id. at 965-66. The appellate court reversed the trial court's ruling that the database could not be a trade secret because it had publicly known elelnents and held that, even if plaintiff s database contained publicly known elements, plaintiff's integration of such elements in a non-publicly know methodology gave plaintiff a competitive advantage and could therefore constitute a trade secret. Id. at 1046. In Ms. Petersen's case, although her client assessment method is known to current and former employees, this technique, in conjunction with the PPI Program, is a methodology that is not known to the public. Furthermore, courts have viewed evidence that a plaintiff is the exclusive user of a business method as evidence that the method is not publicly known. See Harvey Barnett, 338 F.3d at 1131. The Harvey Barnett court found the fact that no other aquatic organizations taught plaintiff's aquatic instruction program compelling in determining that the progranl was not publicly known. Id. In Ms. Petersen's case, the requests by fitness professionals for Ms. Petersen to present her methodology at public conferences indicates that her PPI System is not known among her competitors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> NOTE: In the example above, after introducing the topic/mini-rule, the writer first discussed one case in comparison to her client's facts, and then discussed a second case, also in comparison to her client's facts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> Example 2:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> C. Ms. Petersen took sufficient precautions in guarding the secrecy of the PPI System.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> In determining whether Ms. Petersen's PPI System is a trade secret, a court would consider the extent to which she took precautions to protect the secrecy of her PPI System. See Network Telecommunications, Inc. v. Boor-Crepeau, 790 P.2d 901, 902 (Colo. App. 1990). The Network Telecommunications court indicated that reasonable efforts may consist of advising employees of a trade secret's secrecy and sharing information with employees only on a need-to-know basis. Id. A plaintiff's effort to patent or copyright a purported trade secret may also be evidence of precautions taken to guard secrecy. See Mineral Deposits, 773 P.2d at 607; Gates Rubber Company v. Bando American, Inc., 9 F.3d 823, 830 (10th Cir. 1993). In Mineral Deposits, plaintiff had applied for a patent on its mining equipment. 773 P.2d at 607. In Gates Rubber, plaintiff copyrighted its computer program. 9 F.3d at 830. Both courts found that plaintiffs could have trade secrets. Mineral Deposits, 773 P,2d at 607; Gates Rubber, 9 F.3d at 830. In Ms. Petersen's case, Ms. Petersen provided Ms. Dimitri with information about the PPI System only on a need-to-know basis, Ms. Petersen advised Ms. Dimitri of the system's secrecy by telling Ms. Dimitri about her plans to copyright the system so that no other fitness centers could use it, and Ms. Petersen is working with an attorney to procure copyrights and patents on the PPI System. These facts demonstrate that Ms. Petersen is actively guarding the PPI System's secrecy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> A court may weigh the fact that Ms. Petersen has not had her employees enter into confidentiality or noncompete agreements against her. See Hertz v. Luzenac Group, 576 F.3d 1103, 1112 (10th Cir, 2009). In Hertz, the court noted that plaintiff's employee confidentiality agreements enhanced plaintiff's claim that its manufacturing process was a trade secret. Id. However, the court explained that there always are more security precautions that can be taken, just because there is something else that could have been done does not mean that the efforts were unreasonable under the circumstances." Id. at 1113. Thus, PPI's lack of confidentiality agreements may detract from Ms, Petersen's trade secret claim, but should not be dispositive in determining whether or not the PPI System could be a trade secret.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> NOTE: In the example above, the writer again starts with a topic sentence/mini-rule, then more discussion/explanation of the topic, followed by specific reference to prior case law and discussion of her client's facts. Additionally, the writer includes a second paragraph that features "counter analysis," which mentions one of her client's weaker factual points, but concludes with the reassurance that the weakness is not fatal.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b></b><br />
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<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-84016822801636912082009-12-09T07:36:00.000-08:002015-02-21T13:47:14.340-08:00Conclusion (Heading)<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>C</b> (<b><u>C</u>onclusion).</b> The first sentence of your analysis/CREAC is your Conclusion. <br />
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1. Your Conclusion should only be a<b> single sentence</b>.<br />
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2. Your conclusion should <b>only address the sub-issue at hand</b>. That is, when stating the Conclusion to a subsection, you are not stating a broad conclusion that answers your Question Presented (unless the issue does not feature sub-rules). Instead, you are only providing an explanation of whether the facts at hand satisfy the elements/sub-rule at issue in the subsection itself.<br />
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3. In your Conclusion, use specific <b>language from the corresponding legal rules</b> (often referred to as "terms of art") or standards to make the link between your Conclusion and the law obvious to the reader.</div>
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4. If possible, incorporate a few <b>salient/relevant facts</b> into your Conclusion that relate to the particular sub-issue at hand. However, do not allow your Conclusion to become endlessly long. </div>
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5. I recommend that you include your Conclusion as your <b>heading to the subsection</b>. In that way, the reader will immediately understand the issue that you are addressing in the subsection and the conclusion that you are drawing regarding that issue. The benefit of drafting clear Conclusions that include salient facts and using those Conclusions as subsection headings is that the reader will literally be able to skim through your headings in a matter of seconds and discern the basis of your reasoning. Strongly worded Conclusions/headings will therefore make your writing all the more compelling.<br />
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6. This should be obvious, but be sure to frame your Conclusion as such - <b>a conclusion, not an issue statement</b>. You are not trying to "hide the ball" from the reader. If you word your heading as an issue statement, then you leave the reader wondering what the answer to the issue statement is, requiring the reader to work and exert more effort to get the answer. Lawyers do not have a lot of time, so do not make them work more than necessary--just give them your Conclusion. The lawyers--professors, supervising attorneys, judges, or whomever--may not agree with your conclusion, but they will appreciate you being straight forward.<br />
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7. You could include a "<b>because</b>" clause to explicitly demonstrate why you reached the particular conclusion.<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sample Conclusion/Sub-Heading</span>:<br />
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<b>I. A court would likely find that Petersen's PPI System constituted a trade secret.</b><br />
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<b>II. A court would likely find that Dimitri acquired Ms. Petersen's trade secret through improper means.</b><br />
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<b>III. A court would likely find that Dimitri used Ms. Petersen's trade secret without consent.</b></div>
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Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-52996279325567836712009-12-09T07:14:00.000-08:002013-08-05T13:23:10.230-07:00Disccussion Umbrella Paragraph<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b>Umbrella.</b> The first paragraph of your Discussion will serve as an “umbrella” paragraph where you provide an overview of the relevant area of law and a road map that shows the reader what your memo will address and the structure by which you will address the issues at hand.<br />
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1. Begin with a <b>broad</b> discussion of the law, and then narrow your discussion as appropriate.<br />
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2. When providing an overview of the particular law at hand, try to breakdown your explanation of the law into separate <b>elements </b>or <b>factors </b>that you will analyze in your memo. These “<b>elements</b>” or “<b>sub-issues</b>” are like ingredients - together, they make up the law. By clearly separating out and identifying each of the elements of the law, you provide the reader with a much clearer understanding of how the law operates and therefore of the likelihood of success in the particular circumstance at hand. <br />
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3. When possible, <b>number</b> these separate components of the law when you present them in your umbrella to ensure that the reader identifies the sub-issues as being distinct from each other. Ideally, you will <i>organize your discussion in the same manner and order as you presented them in your umbrella paragraph</i>. Therefore, the clearer your statement of the rule and its components in your umbrella, the easier your reader will follow your analysis.</div>
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4. Your umbrella paragraph could also be a good place to inform the reader of the <b>standard of review</b> - the manner by which a court will consider each element of the law. In this regard, it is important that you clearly explain what is necessary to succeed with regard to the law generally and with regard to each element of the law specifically. Must you satisfy the requirements of every sub-issue to succeed? Or do you have a balancing test that only requires you to consider each of the factors and weigh the totality of the evidence? Who has the burden of proof? Is the issue one of fact or one of law? You need not answer all of these questions, but they are the types of procedural issues that may belong in your umbrella paragraph.</div>
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5. Beyond a statement of the law and of the standard of review, you may provide additional information as you feel is appropriate, but refrain from getting too specific as you will delve into each of the sub-issues in more detail below.<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sample Umbrella Paragraph</span>:<br />
(Trade Secret example from <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/issue-statement.html">Issue Statement</a>)<br />
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Discussion</div>
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The validity of Ms. Petersen's claim for trade secret misappropriation depends upon whether (1) the PPI System could be a trade secret, (2) Ms. Dimitri should have known that her acquisition of the PPI System was through improper means, and (3) Ms. Dimitri used the PPI System without Ms. Petersen's consent. See Colorado Uniform Trade Secrets Act ("CO UTSA"), C.R.S.A. § 7-74-102 (2009); <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mineral Deposits Limited v. Zigan</span>, 773 P.2d 606, 608 (Colo. App. 1989). Whether the PPI System is a trade secret and whether Ms. Dimitri's acquisition and use of the PPI System constituted misappropriation are questions of fact. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Gold Messenger, Inc. v. McGuay</span>, 937 P.2d 907, 911 (Colo. App. 1997); <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Powell Products, Inc. v. Marks</span>, 948 F. Supp. 1469, 1482 (D. Colo. 1996).<br />
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NOTE: Based on this umbrella paragraph, the first section of the memorandum should concern whether the method at issue constitutes a trade secret, and a heading such as the following would be suitable:<br />
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<b>I. Ms. Peteresen's PPI System is likely a trade secret.</b></div>
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Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-80095026342142917962009-12-08T18:28:00.000-08:002017-04-27T08:52:27.641-07:00Memo Outline<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A typical memo includes five sections: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(1) Issue, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(2) Brief Answer, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(3) Facts, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(4) Discussion, and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(5) Conclusion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the best way to approach learning to draft effective legal memos. But keep in mind that, in practice, attorneys often prefer that memos do not adhere to this standard format. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below is an illustration of what your memo would look like, as well as a brief description of each of the sections of your memo. The individual sections of the memo are each discussed elsewhere on this blog.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">______________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/heading.html">To: </a></span><br />
<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/heading.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From:</span></a><br />
<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/heading.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Date:</span></a><br />
<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/heading.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Re:</span></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">______________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">MEMORANDUM</span></b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/issue-statement.html">Issue(s)</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Brief single sentence issue statement, which appropriately defines the legal question addressed and includes a few relevant facts that go to answering that legal question.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/brief-answer.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Brief Answer</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(s)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Brief answer to your issue statement that begins with a "yes" or a "no" and follows with a succinct explanation of your basis for that answer, preferably including the facts that support your conclusion.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/facts.html">Facts</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Succinct statement of facts that includes all facts that you analyze in your discussion section and any other facts necessary for relevance.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/discussion.html">Discussion</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> An introductory or "umbrella" paragraph(s) is a helpful way to define the legal rule(s) that you will be analyzing. Typically, you will organize your discussion of the legal rule into subsections that correspond to the elements of the legal rule. For example, if you are analyzing a tort, you might break your discussion into three sections: (1) whether the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty, (2) whether the defendant breached that duty, and (3) whether the plaintiff suffered any damages. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">The headings of your sections should correspond to the element of the rule that you will be analyzing within that section. Preferably, the heading will be your Conclusion to that issue, phrased as a complete sentence. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I. <u>The defendant owed the plaintiff a duty to transport her to school in a reasonably safe manner.</u></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span">¶ 1 - Your first sentence should clearly state the applicable Rule (or sub-rule) (I.e., "To prevail on her claim, the plaintiff must first prove that the defendant owed her a duty of care.") Your next sentence(s) should provide an Explanation of the Rule, which serves as a road map to your reader by informing your reader of the topics that you are going to address in the remainder of your analysis section.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">¶</span></span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">¶ - </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Following your introductory paragraph comes your first analysis paragraph, where you will analyze the rule/issue identified in your previous paragraph by comparing case law facts and holdings to your facts. When possible, start each paragraph with a topic sentence. Following your topic sentence, analyze cases that discuss that topic by stating the relevant facts and holdings from those cases. Next, compare those cases to the facts of your own case. </span><span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">You will likely have a number of analysis paragraphs, depending on the nature of your legal issue. If the legal issues are complex, you may even choose to further break up your analysis by subsections.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">¶ Your final paragraph/sentence should succinctly repeat your Conclusion for this analysis section.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">II. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/analysis-creac.html">T</a><u>he defendant breached his duty to the plaintiff by operating the school bus while intoxicated.</u></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Repeat above.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">III. <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/analysis-creac.html">T</a><u>he plaintiff suffered significant injuries as a result of the defendant's conduct.</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Repeat above.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conclusion</span></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sample Outline</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">:</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MEMORANDUM</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/issue-statement.html">Issue</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Whether Linda Petersen, owner of Petersen Pilates, Inc. fitness center ("PPI") and developer of a unique personalized Pilates training method, has a claim against Alexandria Dimitri, a former PPI employee, for misappropriation of a trade secret resulting from Ms. Dimitri's unauthorized use of a similar training method at another fitness center.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Yes, a court would most likely find that Ms. Petersen's personalized Pilates plan method could be a trade secret and Ms. Dimitri's use of this method at another fitness center could constitute misappropriation of that trade secret because Ms. Dimitri should have known that her acquisition of the method was improper and Ms. Dimitri used the method without Ms. Petersen's express or implied consent.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [[Include concise explanation of facts]]</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/discussion.html">Discussion</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px;">The validity of Ms. Petersen's claim for trade secret misappropriation depends upon whether (1) the PPI System could be a trade secret, (2) Ms. Dimitri should have known that her acquisition of the PPI System was through improper means, and (3) Ms. Dimitri used the PPI System without Ms. Petersen's consent. These issues are governed by the Colorado Uniform Trade Secrets Act ("CO UTSA"), C.R.S.A. § 7-74-102 (2009).<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mineral Deposits Limited v. Zigan</span>, 773 P.2d 606, 608 (Colo. App. 1989). Whether the PPI System is a trade secret and whether Ms. Dimitri's acquisition and use of the PPJ System constituted misappropriation are questions of fact. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Gold Messenger, Inc. v. McGuay</span>, 937 P.2d 907, 911 (Colo. App. 1997); <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Powell Products, Inc. v. Marks</span>, 948 F. Supp. 1469, 1482 (D. Colo. 1996).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 33px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I. A court would likely find that Petersen's PPI System constitutes a trade secret.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">a. Ms. Petersen's PPI System was not known outside of her business.<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 28px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> [[Analysis in the form of CREAC]]</span></span></span><br />
<b style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> b. Ms. Petersen's employees did not know how the PPI System operated.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 39px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="line-height: 39px;">[[Analysis in the form of CREAC]]</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 46px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> c. Ms. Petersen took adequate measures to protect the trade secret.</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 39px;">[[Analysis in the form of CREAC]]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 28px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">II. </span></b><span style="line-height: 39px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ms. Dimitri should have known that she improperly acquired the PPI System.</span></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 39px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="line-height: 39px;">[[Analysis in the form of CREAC]]</span></span></span></span><br />
<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">III. </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 33px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ms. Dimitri used the PPI System without Ms. Petersen's consent. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 39px;"><span style="line-height: 33px;"><span style="line-height: 46px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="line-height: 39px;">[[Analysis in the form of CREAC]]</span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conclusion</span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Ms. Petersen should succeed with her misappropriation of trade secret claim against Ms. Dimitri because (1) Ms. Petersen's PPI System is likely a trade secret, (2) Ms. Dimitri acquired Ms. Petersen's PPI System through improper means, and (3) Ms. Dimitri used the PPI System without Ms. Petersen's consent.</span></div>
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Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-75377115635828942942009-12-08T14:05:00.000-08:002013-08-05T13:41:07.876-07:00ConclusionYour Conclusion should be incredibly brief. At this point, you have analyzed all of the necessary issues, so you need not rehash your arguments again. Merely restate your overall conclusion, similar to what you stated in your Brief Answer. Your Conclusion can be as short as a single sentence, but should generally be no longer than three or four sentences. Do not introduce any new issues, facts, or arguments in your Conclusion - - unless to make note of related factual or legal issues that you recommend looking into more that you did not discuss in your memo.Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-45872572115384289802009-12-08T13:47:00.000-08:002017-04-27T08:54:50.937-07:00Passive Voice, Don't Use It!!<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">YOU SHOULD WRITE IN THE ACTIVE VOICE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is Active Voice? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a sentence written in "active voice," the subject of the sentence is performing the action described within the sentence. The subject should precede the action or main verb of the sentence.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is Passive Voice?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a writer composes a sentence in passive voice, the subject of the sentence follows the verb, or, worse, the proper subject is missing from the sentence all together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Why write in Active Voice?</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For clarity. When you write in the passive voice, readers have a more difficult time understanding exactly what you are trying to convey, particularly if you fail to include a subject in your sentence.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easy ways to identify Passive Voice:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1)<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>Make sure the <b><i>subject precedes the predicate</i></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><b><i>The Subject</i></b> – the person, place or thing that is acting, doing, establishing, or being something in the sentence. As I like to say, the subject is the noun that is doing the verb.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">b.<span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><b><i>The Predicate</i></b> or <b><i>Main Verb</i></b> – the action being performed in the sentence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2)<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>Look out for “<b>to be</b>” and other helping verbs. Whenever you use the “to be” verb followed by a past participle (typically a verb ending in “-ed”), you are likely using passive voice. Here’s a list of passive voice examples to watch out for:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a. The offer is rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">b. The offers are rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">c. The offer has been rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">d. The offers have been rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e. The offer was rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">f. The offers were rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">g. The offer(s) had been rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">h.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>The offer(s) will be rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>The offer(s) will have been rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">j.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>The offer is being rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">k.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>The offers are being rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">l.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>The offer was being rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">m.The offers were being rejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Notice that none of the above examples included a subject in the sentence, so we do not know who is rejecting the offers.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3)<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>Passive voice phrases are often followed by the word “by” and then by the subject of the sentence. Using the example from above, "The offer was rejected <b><i>by Sandy</i></b>." This sentence is still passive, but at least the subject is included in the sentence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Example 1</u></b>: <b>Active: Jane delivered the paper.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[Jane = the subject;<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">delivered = verb] <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Example 2</u></b>: <b>Passive: The paper was delivered by Jane.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[delivered = verb;</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> Jane = the subject]</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- or (worse) -</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Example 3</u></b>: <b>Passive: </b><b>The paper was delivered.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[delivered = verb<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">;</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> who delivered the paper??=<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="font-size: small;"> no subjec</span><span style="font-size: small;">t]</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="text-indent: -1in;"><u>Example 4</u></b><span style="text-indent: -1in;">: </span><b style="text-indent: -1in;">Active:</b><span style="text-indent: -1in;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -1in;">Joe submitted the assignment late. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Joe,” the subject, precedes “submitted,” the predicate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Example 5</u></b>: <b>Passive: The assignment was submitted late by Joe. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Joe” is still the proper subject, but does not precede “was submitted,” the predicate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Example 6</u></b>: <b>Passive: The assignment was submitted late. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Joe” is still the proper subject and “was submitted” is the predicate, but “Joe” the subject does not even appear in the sentence! This is the most maddening form of passive voice. Never leave the subject out of your sentences unless you are doing so for effect (i.e., to not make Joe look so bad).</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is there ever a good time to use Passive Voice?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. But as a general rule, No! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a particular circumstance you may prefer the sound or impact of a sentence when written in passive voice. For example:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Example 7</u></b>: <b>Active: My client took the diamond from the tray.<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Example 8</u></b>: <b>Passive: The diamond was taken from the tray.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here, notice that writing in passive voice allows you to omit mention of your client. However, as you may be able to sense from this example, when you use passive voice, readers often get the impression that you are either (1) not a very good writer, or (2) not being straight forward. So, when you intend to be straight forward, avoid using passive voice.</span></div>
Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-13518091515561033042009-12-08T13:24:00.000-08:002017-04-27T09:19:12.413-07:00Analysis - CREAC<div class="MsoNormal">
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There is no one way to approach your legal analysis. I strongly recommend the approach outlined below, referred to as CREAC, whereby you start your analysis of the legal issue by telling the reader the conclusion that you have reached and then proceed to explain to the reader your rationale for how you reached that conclusion.<br />
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<b>CREAC </b>(<span style="text-decoration: underline;">C</span>onclusion, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">R</span>ule, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">E</span>xplanation of Rule, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">A</span>nalysis, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">C</span>onclusion) is a common approach to organizing analysis of a specific legal issue.<b> CREAC</b> begins with your conclusion. That is, you will tell the reader your opinion on the legal issue from the outset, and you will then proceed to demonstrate your reasoning. <br />
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<b>IRAC</b> (<u>I</u>ssue <u>R</u>ule <u>A</u>nalysis <u>C</u>onclusion) is another common approach to legal writing, where, instead of starting with your conclusion, you merely state what the issue is. I view IRAC as being more akin to a mystery novel than an informative memo because, instead of coming out and disclosing your conclusion from the outset, you are keeping the reader in suspense until the end of your section. But we are not writing mystery novels. We are instead just trying to communicate our opinion in a direct, easy to understand fashion. By stating your conclusion from the start of your section, your reader will better understand your analysis and why you reached that conclusion.<br />
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<b>One CREAC per element/sub-issue.</b> If your legal issue includes a four-part rule, then you should probably have four sub-sections within your Discussion section, one for each element of the rule. Each one of those subsections will be its own CREAC.<br />
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<b>CREAC Structure.</b> As mentioned above, CREAC stands for:<br />
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<span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><u>C</u></span>onclusion<br />
<span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><u>R</u></span>ule<br />
<span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><u>E</u></span>xplanation of Rule<br />
<span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><u>A</u></span>nalysis<br />
<span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><u>C</u></span>onclusion. </div>
</div>
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In terms of actually laying out your <b>CREAC </b>analysis, I recommend the following:<br />
<ol>
<li><u>Heading (Conclusion)</u>: Use your <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion_09.html"><b><u>C</u>onclusion</b></a> as the heading to your subsection. Remember, this Conclusion should only speak to the particular sub-issue that you are analyzing. Thus, if your memo addresses whether your client could be held liable for a tort, your overall conclusion might be, "Defendant Jones can be held liable for the injuries that the Plaintiff suffered as a result of the automobile accident." However, if you divided your memo into three sections to address the three main elements of the tort i.e., (1) duty, (2) breach of duty, and (2) damages, then your heading would be limited to the specific element that you are analyzing within that section. For example, your Conclusion to Section one might read: "Defendant Jones breached his duty to provide safe travel to the Plaintiff by driving the school bus under the influence of a narcotic." </li>
<li><u>First Paragraph (Rule, Explanation)</u>: The <b>first sentence </b>of the first paragraph of your section should clearly state the relevant <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/rule.html">R</a></b></span><b><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/rule.html">ule</a>.</b> Remember, as with the Conclusion, this Rule should speak only to the specific sub-issue that you are analyzing (i.e., "To hold the Defendant liable, a jury must find that Defendant Jones breached his duty of care to the Plaintiff.").<b> </b>Following your single sentence rule, your <b>second sentence</b> should provide the reader with an <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/explanation-of-rule.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">E</span>xplanation</span></a> of the Rule, which could be anywhere from a single sentence to many sentences. Ideally, your Explanation would include a list of factors/considerations that you plan to discuss in the remainder of your subsection when analyzing the issue. If you include such a list, then you should organize the remainder of your subsection according to that list of factors. For example, "In making this determination, the court will consider (1) the amount of hydrocodone that Defendant Jones consumed, and (2) whether Jones was aware of the impact that the narcotic would have on him while operating a school bus."</li>
<li><u>Analysis Paragraphs</u>: Following your introductory paragraph, you should separate your <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/analysis.html"><b><u>A</u>nalysis</b></a> into individual, thematic paragraphs, hopefully corresponding to the list of factors that you articulated in your Explanation of the Rule above. In each of these paragraphs, you should, if possible, start with a topic sentence that indicates the topic that you will be discussing within that paragraph, followed by a discussion of relevant case law, which you will compare and contrast to your client's circumstances. </li>
<li><u>Conclusion</u>: Restate your <b><u><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion-2nd.html">C</a></u><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion-2nd.html">onclusion</a></b> at the end of the subsection in a one or two sentence paragraph. </li>
</ol>
Follow the links below for more detailed tips on drafting each element of <b>CREAC</b>.<br />
<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion_09.html"><b>C</b> (<b><u>C</u>onclusion)</b></a><br />
<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/rule.html"><b>R (</b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>R</b></span><b>ule)</b></a><br />
<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/explanation-of-rule.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">E (<span style="text-decoration: underline;">E</span>xplanation)</span></a><br />
<a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/analysis.html"><b>A</b> (<b><u>A</u>nalysis)</b></a><br />
<b><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion-2nd.html">C</a></b><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion-2nd.html"> (</a><b><u><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion-2nd.html">C</a></u><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/conclusion-2nd.html">onclusion)</a></b>Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-81636673540423206502009-12-08T13:06:00.000-08:002017-04-27T09:01:55.436-07:00Discussion<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 49.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1264439069155"></span>Your Discussion section is the heart of your legal memo. It is where you analyze the legal issue at hand.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You must organize your discussion of the law clearly and logically to allow the reader to easily follow your rationale. Generally, you should organize your discussion according to the structure of the relevant legal rules. If the broad legal issue you are analyzing has four main sub-parts, then organize your analysis into four main sub-parts. Ideally, you would address each of these sub-parts in separate sections within your Discussion section. See</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/analysis-creac.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Analysis Subsections</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Prior to your Analysis Subsections, you might begin your Discussion section with an <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/disccussion-umbrella.html">Umbrella Paragraph</a> that provides an overview of the law. In providing that overview, start off with a broad statement of the law, then narrow down to the more finite elements of the law and the issues that you will discuss in the memo. This is like a road map for the reader to understand the law, which will provide helpful context when reading the remainder of your Discussion section.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You should then proceed to discuss the specific elements of the legal rule, preferably in separate subsections and in the same order that you identified them within your umbrella paragraph. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Although you can use traditional paragraphing and narrative to separate your discussion of each of these sub-issues, I strongly recommend using </span><b style="color: #222222;">numbered or lettered sections</b><span style="color: #222222;"> to make it easier for your reader to follow your analysis. Thus, each numbered subsection will address one sub-issue, and one sub-issue only. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">While each of these sub-sections relate to each other in some capacity, you should </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">treat each subsection distinctly</b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">. Once you have broken down your Discussion into separate subsections, you have demonstrated to the reader that the relevant rule at hand is made up of different elements. Each subsection addresses one, and only one, of those elements. Do not confuse the reader by either discussing one of the other elements that you have identified, or by discussing the law in more general terms. Strictly discuss the element identified at the start of the subsection and how that element relates to the the ultimate determination in terms of satisfying the law.</span></div>
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Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-85228727755279317392009-12-08T13:01:00.001-08:002017-04-27T08:45:42.368-07:00Facts<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When drafting your facts section:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Be succinct, but include all of the relevant facts, including facts necessary to provide the reader with sufficient context.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Generally, organize your facts chronologically.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Avoid being argumentative in your facts section</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Do not leave out any key facts, even if they do not support your argument. This is an objective memo designed to honestly assess the legal issue. You will not help anyone by artificially strengthening your argument by avoiding "bad facts."</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Keep the governing legal standards in mind when drafting your facts section. The legal issues at hand largely inform which facts are most relevant.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">If useful, break up the facts section by using thematic headings, particularly where the facts section is lengthy.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Some attorneys prefer the facts to be broken down into numbered sentences so that each fact stands out clearly.</span></li>
</ul>
Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-32453722849014079612009-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:002017-04-27T08:36:51.951-07:00Brief Answer<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 49.5pt;">
Your Brief Answer should begin with a simple “Yes” or “No” and should include a succinct, preferably one sentence, fact-based explanation of your reasoning. <br />
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If you do not feel comfortable answering "Yes" or "No" due to the nature of the facts, you could answer, "Probably" or "Probably not."<br />
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Several sentences may be necessary, but try to be as concise as possible. <br />
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Include mention of the more salient facts that relate to the legal issues involved to assist the reader in understanding your reasoning. <br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sample Brief Answer</span>:<br />
(Answering the sample provided in the <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/issue-statement.html">Issue Statement</a>)<br />
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Yes, a court would most likely find that Ms. Petersen's personalized Pilates plan could be a trade secret and Ms. Dimitri's use of the method at another fitness center could constitute misappropriation of that trade secret because Ms. Dimitri should have known that her acquisition of the method was improper and Ms. Dimitri used the method without Ms. Petersen's express or implied consent.<br />
<br /></div>
Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-10237971495112507402009-12-08T12:58:00.000-08:002017-04-27T08:50:43.972-07:00Issue Statement<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Issue statements (sometimes referred to as Questions Presented) should:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. Be a single sentence</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2. Be a question that can be answered "yes" or "no"</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">3. State the legal issue that you will analyze</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">4. State the names of the parties</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">5. Include enough facts to provide necessary context to the reader</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Generally, if you are addressing more than one issue, separate the issues into separate, single sentence paragraphs, comporting to the advice above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sample Issue Statement</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">: </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Misappropriation of trade secret)</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Whether Linda Petersen, owner of Petersen Pilates, Inc. fitness center ("PPI") and developer of a unique personalized Pilates training method, has a claim against Alexandria Dimitri, a former PPI employee, for misappropriation of a trade secret resulting from Ms. Dimitri's unauthorized use of a similar training method at another fitness center.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">NOTE</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">: The sample Issue Statement above addresses ONE issue--whether Ms. Petersen's program constitutes a trade secret. Of course, whether the program is a trade secret involves a number of more discrete sub-issues, which you would address in your trade secret analysis section in separate subsections. The facts included within the issue statement give the reader some context regarding how you will analyze the legal issue. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-17030768611670974972009-12-08T12:54:00.000-08:002009-12-08T12:55:21.022-08:00HeadingA standard heading includes: the recipient of the memo, the author of the memo, the date the memo was completed, and the subject of the memo. Generally, the heading is single spaced. It looks something like this:<br />
<br />
To: <br />
From:<br />
Date:<br />
Re:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>MEMORANDUM</b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In the "Re" field, it is good to include the matter/case name, as well as a brief description of the issue addressed in the memo (e.g., Smith v. Jones; Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress).<br />
</div>Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-18227314715092306822009-12-08T12:44:00.000-08:002017-04-27T08:52:56.456-07:00Getting started with writing a Memo<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Included in this section are basic guides to writing each of the main sections of a legal memorandum. There is no one way to write a memo, and you should feel free to experiment with other methods. However, if you follow the advice here, you should not stray too far from most attorneys’ expectations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note that throughout this section, I have included excerpts from one of my student's assignments regarding whether or not a fictitious client could succeed with a misappropriation of trade secrets claim. These excerpts should serve as a decent model for how to write a legal memorandum. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before you get started writing your memo, and throughout the legal writing process, consider the following: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Know your audience. When you know who will be reading your memo, then you should cater your writing style to the reader's preferences. Whether a judge, supervising attorney, non-profit agency, or legal writing instructor, your reader is your priority. If your audience wants you to include a detailed facts section, you should do so. If your supervisor tells you that you need not include a facts section, then do not include one. The same is true regarding writing style, grammar usage, the level of background you provide concerning the area of law, etc. Your audience should dictate your approach to legal writing.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. When writing a legal memo, as opposed to a legal brief, chances are that your reader will want an "objective" memo, which plainly explains the legal issue at hand and, if appropriate, analyzes the likelihood of success for a client or potential client with regard to that issue. An objective memo should not be overly argumentative or doctrinaire. You are presenting your best, most honest estimate of what the law is and how it should be applied to the facts at hand.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Only address the issues that you set out to address. Identifying the issues that you will address in a memo is a crucial preliminary step. You want to narrow down the scope of your memo as much as possible. Once you have done so, you must stick to the issues that you present in your memo. Do not get side tracked by related (or unrelated) issues. You may make reference to other issues of concern, but you should only discuss and analyze the issue or issues that you identify at the start of your memo.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Be as concise as possible, but not at the expense of being thorough. In practice, attorneys have very little time to read lengthy legal memos. Be as concise as you can. Still, do not sacrifice necessary detail. In this regard, clear and detailed headings will help to quickly guide the reader through your memo.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Organize your memo according to the relevant legal rules. Once you identify the proper legal issue, analyze the law and identify the appropriate rules that govern that legal issue. Many legal rules are made up of sub-rules/elements/components. Get to know these sub-rules as well as you can and organize your legal analysis according to the structure of the legal rule.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Make your memo as easy to understand as possible. Legal writing should not be convoluted and impossible to understand. Draft and revise your memo again and again until you are confident that an average reader could read through your memo and understand exactly what you are attempting to convey. </span></div>
Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8576650852666738472.post-41411820320958136352009-12-08T12:04:00.000-08:002017-04-27T08:57:41.265-07:00General Writing Tips<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There aren't many rigid rules when it comes to writing. These are some of the tips I have found helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">1. </span><b><i>No legalese. </i></b><span style="color: black;">First and foremost, w</span>rite in plain, straight forward, easy to understand language. Avoid long and complicated sentence structures.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. <b><i>Active voice</i></b>. Active voice is more compelling and easier to understand than passive voice. Only use passive voice to intentionally downplay an incident. See my passive voice guide <a href="http://legalwritingtips.blogspot.com/2009/12/passive-voice-dont-use-it.html">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. <b><i>Use pronouns sparingly</i></b>. Using pronouns can obscure who or what you are referring to in a sentence. Avoid pronouns whenever possible and generally avoid using “one” as a pronoun.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. <b><i>Avoid "it" and "to be."</i></b> Avoiding the pronoun “it” and the verb “to be” will usually make your writing clearer and more active.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. <b><i><a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/">Comma </a>and grammar use</i></b>. Grammar mistakes make your legal writing appear sloppy and unprofessional and, worse, can change the meaning of your writing. Online resources are very helpful. I prefer Purdue's <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/">Online Writing Lab</a>. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. <b><i>Be concise but thorough</i></b>. Good luck finding the balance.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">7. </span><b><i>Organize your writing using sections and subsections</i></b>. Organize your writing so it is intelligible and convincing. Using effective sections and subsections makes it easier for the reader to effortlessly follow your argument. As with paragraphing, be sure to stay on point within each of your sections and subsections. Legal writing is all about being focused narrowly on the issue (or sub-issue) at hand. If you include extraneous information when addressing an issue, you will confuse the reader and lose the reader's focus. For example, if you are analyzing facts using a four-part legal rule, discuss each part of the rule independent of the other. When discussing part two, don’t allow yourself to begin analyzing part three. You can do that in a separate section. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. <b style="font-style: italic;">Clear headings</b>. Clear headings allow the reader to quickly identify the topic you are addressing. Ideally, your headings alone would read as a summary of your memo or brief.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. <b><i>Effective</i></b> <b><i>paragraphing</i></b>. Within each section, separate your discussion of a topic into several paragraphs that each addresses a specific theme/subtopic relating to the larger topic. Within each paragraph, stick to a single, clearly articulated topic. Do not stray from that topic.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. <b style="font-style: italic;">Topic sentences</b><i>.</i><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>Whenever possible, start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that informs the reader of what topic the paragraph will address. Stick to the topic that you set out to address within that paragraph. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11. <b><i>Don’t be vague or conclusory</i></b>. Legal analysis usually depends on the facts of a case, and to understand the facts of a case the reader needs details. Do not use vague or conclusory statements to explain facts. For example, “The defendant was abusive,” without further explanation, does not tell the reader anything about whether the defendant was in fact abusive. Explain what the defendant actually did to demonstrate why the defendant's actions were abusive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">12. <b><i>Avoid block quotes (50+ words)</i></b>. </span>Readers gloss over block quotes. Unless the 50+ word quote is truly crucial, which is in fact the case at times, put the substance of the quote into your own words or use ellipses to cut out the parts that are not necessary in order to shorten the quote. Of course, if the extended quote is in fact necessary, then by all means, go ahead and use it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13. <i><b>Past tense</b>.<b> </b></i>As a general rule, use past tense when referring to case law and facts (i.e., <br />"The Defendant stole the truck and then ran away."). Lawyers often use present tense when referring to the litigation itself (i.e., "In his motion, the Defendant argues that he should not be held liable because. . . .").<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">14</span><span style="color: black;">. <b><i>Avoid unnecessary adjectives and adverbs</i></b>. Back up your argument with facts, not with fancy words. And don't use</span> exclamation points (unless included in a written quote).</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15. <b><i>Limit use of nominalizations</i></b> (making verbs into nouns – marginalize turns into marginalization, or nominalize into nominalization).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16. <b><i>Be consistent with style and formatting</i></b>. Many issues of writing style are flexible. When you choose an approach or convention, be consistent throughout a document.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">17. <b><i>Order of importance</i></b>. As a general rule, put the most important information at the start of the sentence or at the start of your legal argument. On occasion, you may choose not to do so for the sake of impact or for organization sake.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">18. <b><i>No contractions</i></b>. </span>Don't use contractions (like "don't") in formal writing.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">19. <b><i>Noun agreement</i></b>. Do not use “their” when referring to a singular noun. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20. <b><i>Write, read, revise, and repeat</i></b>. You are NOT supposed to create a master legal document on your first effort (or your second or third). The best legal writers in the world review and revise their written works over and over again. Do not get hung up when writing your initial drafts by striving for perfection. Seek out others to review your work if possible, and do not be overly sensitive about others critiquing your work. Indeed, you should urge your peers not to be too polite when reviewing your work. You want critical feedback as it will improve your writing. </span></div>
Michael Aleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05315705197749210108noreply@blogger.com