LibGuides: Advocacy: Writing Legal Briefs

Writing Legal Briefs

This Writing Legal Briefs tab has resources to legal writing resources generally and specific information on brief writing. There are several other guides that may be helpful:

Standards of Review

While you are writing your brief, you will have to include a section on the standard of review for the kind of order at issue in your case. The document which discuss Standards of Review is available as a PDF on the Minnesota Court of Appeals' website.

Minnesota Court of Appeals Standards of Review

Brief Writing Materials

Winning On Appeal: Better Briefs and Oral Argument by Ruggero J. Aldisert
Call Number: KF9050 .A935 2003
Effective Appellate Advocacy: Brief Writing and Oral Argument by Carole C. Berry
Call Number: KF251 .B43 1999
A Brief Guide to Brief Writing: Demystifying the Memorandum of Law by Janet S. Kole
Call Number: KF251 .K65 2013

Additional Legal Writing Materials

Minnesota Practice Series Index
A multi-volume set that summarizes several different areas of Minnesota law. The library owns two copies of this series, located in the Reference section. Several of the individual titles in the series relate to civil procedure, motion practice and other topics related to trial and appellate level litigation practice. On Westlaw, the database identifier for the entire multi-volume series is MNPRAC.
Minnesota Legal Research Guide - Practice Tools
Minnesota Motion Practice Guide
Advanced Legal Writing and Oral Advocacy: Trials, Appeals, and Moot Court

Where To Find Legal Briefs

ABA Supreme Court Preview
U.S. Supreme Court briefs for the current term.
Lexis
State and federal briefs can be found by clicking "View all sources," and then narrow search category to "Briefs, Pleadings and Motions."
Minnesota Briefs
Available in the library on microform.
Minnesota State Law Library
Selected Minnesota Appellate Court Briefs.
Oyez
A free law project offering U.S. Supreme Court briefs, decisions, and more.
Records and Briefs in Cases Decided by the Supreme court of the United States
Available in the library on microform.
Records and Briefs of the U.S.C.A., Eighth Circuit
Available in the library on microform.
Westlaw
Includes topical, state, federal, and Supreme Court briefs.

Unpublished Opinions

Minnesota

Office of the Revisor of Statutes
Unpublished opinions from the Minnesota Court of Appeals are not precedential. See Minnesota Statutes Section 480A.08 for information on citing one of these opinions.

Federal

Current Rules of Practice & Procedure
Unpublished Federal Appellate Opinions follow a more complex set of rules. Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32.1 allows citation of unpublished opinions issued after 2007 and other unpublished opinions may be cited depending on the local rules.
Rules & Policies
The Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and local rules.

For more information see:

Legal Citation Guide
The Bluebook
Copies of the 21st ed. available in the library.

Advocacy

Guide Author

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