Your case briefs will be one of the building blocks for your course outline, one of your most important study tools
To give yourself some breathing room you might be tempted to skip case briefing early in the semester. But, that would be a mistake. Just like the Socratic Method serves its purpose in helping students learn to think like lawyers, case briefing helps you prepare more effectively for class, recall the facts, and understand the key elements of what makes each case important. Additionally, your case briefs will be one of the building blocks for your course outline, one of your most important study tools.
As the word “brief” implies, length counts; a good rule of thumb is a one-page summary.
Read the case through all the way before digging in to avoid falling into the trap of including more material than you will eventually need. As you read, see if you can determine the essence of the decision, what elements of the case led to the decision, and why the case is considered important enough to be included. Beware and remember some cases are included as textbook examples of wrong decision-making. Once you are ready to begin, assign a highlight color to each aspect of the case: facts, issues, decisions, reasoning, opinions, and analysis.