A legal memo or a legal memorandum is a specific type of essay dealing with a legal

issue. The legal memo is usually written and researched by a paralegal, a law student, or
lawyer. It contains these basic elements: statement of facts, issues, conclusions,
discussions of the law pertaining to facts, citations of previous applicable cases, and
recommendations based on this discussion.
Order of the information contained in a legal memo can differ. Usually one begins with a
statement of facts. This section of the legal memo is usually a brief but succinct
paragraph that states the relevant facts at hand. A statement of legal issues that underlie
the facts tends to follow the statement of facts.
At this point, a conclusion may be offered which will direct the discussion of previous
cases dealing with the stated issues in the legal memo. Alternately, the conclusion may
come at the end of a legal memo. Format depends upon the law firm for which one is
practicing or woring, or the way in which a law school dictates format if one is writing a
sample legal memo.
A conclusion can then be followed by a discussion of all relevant e!amples of law, or
rulings that prove a conclusion and suggest logical recommendations. This section
involves a great deal of research to show that the lawyer is "ustified in taing whatever
position she does. #verything must be cited according to the preferences of the firm or
school.
$ased on discussion and citation, the legal memo may conclude with recommendations
on how to proceed, and how best to help a client with a legal issue. %enerally, the legal
memo is "ust a part of the legal process.
A longer version of the legal memo, which may be presented to a "udge when numerous
decisions must be made, is a legal brief, citing all relevant sources that &prove' an
attorney(s stance on the law. These briefs, lie the legal memo, support arguments for
certain inds of rights and rulings accorded to a client.
To the layperson, the legal memo is "ust one way in which lawyers gather research to
effectively argue or settle a case. It is similar to a research paper, but tends to be
organi)ed into very clear sections, and is law specific.