The question presented should be sufficiently narrow and should be objective. The subject of the memo is a question: How does the relevant law apply to the key facts of the research problem? Thus, the question presented is analogous to the issue or question presented in a case brief. Put the title of each subsequent section of your memo at the beginning of that section, in all caps, and centered.

RE: Name of client, and a short description of the subject matter of the memorandum TO: Name of person who assigned the research project The standard office memorandum usually contains the following sections: Therefore, you need to maintain an objective tone, and remember to address any counterarguments. You are not writing to persuade a court but to predict how a court would apply the law to the facts of your situation. One final but important reminder: an office memorandum is a predictive statement of the law. Remember to keep the needs and expectations of your audience (here, a legally-trained reader) in mind. Therefore, as you write, keep asking yourself: will the reader be able to follow my analysis? Have I organized my analysis to track all the steps in the “CRRACC” paradigm (conclusion-rule statement-rule explanation-application-counterargument-conclusion)? If your organization plan skips any steps of your thought process (for example, if you move directly from a bare statement of the rule to an application to your facts, without first discussing in greater depth the cases from which the rule is derived), your reader will not be able to follow your analysis and ultimately will not find your work to be useful. Your reader may have a general familiarity with the law you are discussing but may not be familiar with specific cases (or, if applicable, statutory provisions) that you have found to be relevant to the analysis.

You are writing this for the benefit of another lawyer who has asked you to address a specific question, and expects an answer to that question. Once you are in practice, you can adjust the format to your office’s requirements. The format and structure may differ somewhat from law office to law office (and, here in law school, from professor to professor). This handout sets out a short description of one way to put together an office memorandum.

Memoranda of law