Law: Legal Writing (IRAC Essay / Memo / Thesis)

Use IRAC to identify:

• Issue(s): What happened? Who did it happen to? Where did it happen? What is the area of law? 
• Rules: Identify relevant case law and legislation, focusing on legal principles
• Application: Apply the law to the facts and develop legal arguments
• Conclusion: Stand back and play 'judge', choose the argument that you think is strongest and justify why

---

• IRAC Guide - The University of Western Australia has developed a useful guide to help you apply the IRAC method when working through a hypothetical legal problem.

Yin, K., & Moore, J. (2020). Neuroplasticity, belief bias and IRAC: Old pedagogy but brand-new tools for first-year legal education? Journal of the Australasian Law Teachers Association.

• Academic Writing - Assignment steps
• Academic Integrity at ECU - Why reference?
• Writing a legal argument (RMIT University)
• Avoiding plagiarism when conducting legal research - Tip sheet from University of Queensland

• Law research and writing skills: Writing legal memos
  A useful guide from Monash University.
   
• Legal Memos Made Easy
  An interactive tutorial from University of Ottawa

• Aitken, James K and Peter Butt, Piesse: The Elements of Drafting (Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia, 10th ed, 2004)   (https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ecu/detail.action?docID=4985570)
   
• Rose, William M and Roger Eastman (editor), Pleadings Without Tears : A Guide to Legal Drafting Under the Civil Procedure Rules (Oxford University Press, 9th ed, 2017)   (https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ecu/detail.action?docID=5891827)
   
• Corbett-Jarvis, Nicola and Brendan Grigg, Effective Legal Writing: A Practical Approach (LexisNexis Butterworths, 3rd ed, 2020) Chapter 6  (https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ecu/reader.action?docID=6463842&ppg=195)
   
• Hyams, Ross, Susan Campbell and Adrian Evans, Practical Legal Skills : Developing your Clinical Technique (chapter on Advocacy)   (https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ecu/detail.action?docID=4191361)
   
• Susan Blake, A Practical Approach to Effective Litigation (Oxford University Press, 8th ed, 2015)  (in print in Joondalup Law Library – Chapter 12: Drafting Statements of Case)