The IRAC method holds the secret to a powerful legal analysis that will get you a good grade

Introduction

The legal field is unique because it is based on the exploration of cases and legal interpretations. The IRAC method is an essential guide that can bring out the best when it comes to legal analyses. A legal analysis explores the applications of laws to facts, and the IRAC method ensures that students develop the best interpretations. The use of the IRAC method for legal analysis can be instrumental in helping students improve their grades.

The IRAC method is an acronym for Issue, Rule Analysis, and Conclusion.

Issue

The issue is the first element of the IRAC Method in legal analysis. It is associated with details concerning the issue present. This includes the facts of a case. The issue is also the legal question that a student is expected to answer using legal analysis. The issue usually emerges when a case raises legal questions.The issue becomes the legal problem that individuals are expected to resolve using legal analysis. Therefore, it is best to present the issue in the form of a question. This way, it becomes easy to explore it as a legal problem that would ultimately need to be resolved.

Rule

Rule is the second element of the IRAC method, and it is associated with statements concerning the rules needed for resolving the issue stated. It also refers to the law that applies to the issue. Students are advised to state the rule as a general principle which should form a strong basis for analysis and should not be stated as a conclusion to the issue presented. This section should be written in the form of definitions of the principles of the laws that will be applied to the issue presented.

Analysis

The analysis is the third element of the IRAC method and is associated with applying the rule to the issue. It is a section that explores the integration of the first and section elements of the IRAC method. The analysis section involves answering the question of the issue using the general principle of law stated in the rule section.

The application of the rules to the facts of the issue raised represents the bulk of the work needed for legal analyses. This means that it is in the analysis section that interpretation and legal analysis are conducted with the goal of answering the questions raised by the issue. The analysis is, therefore, the most important section. Students are advised to use the facts of a case and the rule to come to a legal conclusion.

Conclusion

The conclusion is the last section of the IRAC method. The conclusion provides a clearly articulated answer to the question raised by the issue. The answer, therefore, represents the most important aspect of the conclusion, which is stating the results of the legal analysis. It also provides a summary of the legal analysis, which includes a summary of all the three elements of issue, rule, and analysis. This summary needs to be written systematically to show how the problem starts from stating the issue to coming up with the answer in the conclusion.

Example of the application of IRAC Method in Legal Analysis

The application of the IRAC method to Brown v Education decision

The Brown v Board of Education decision is a popular court case. The case emerged in the year 1951. It involved the daughter of Oliver Brown from Topeka, Kansas.  The state’s public school district refused to enroll Brown’s daughter, who was African American. She could not enroll in a school close to her home and was thus forced to ride a bus to a school far from home. The case emerged at a time when segregation was very rampant. 

Issue

The case was based on the constitutionality of the segregation of schools that limited Brown from accessing a school near where she lived.

The main question, in this case, would be, “was the segregation of schools and refusing to enroll Brown in a public school in Topeka a violation of the constitution through the equal protection clause?”

Rule

Segregation in education had existed based on the principle of separate but equal. However, this is a principle that inherently promoted inequality based on race. The Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment of the constitution provides guidelines of how the state is expected to treat all people. According to the clause, “the state shall not deny individuals within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Thus, this case offers a significant mandate that all people in the same situation should be treated equally by the law.

Analysis

In the Brown v Education decision the state of Topeka had limited her from accessing a public school that was closer to her home. She was forced to join another school that was segregated. By virtue of the separate by equal principle, it was argued that individuals would receive the same resources despite segregation. However, race would become a primary reason for separation, and this caused inequality.

The inability to attend the public school in Topeka meant that the family would incur additional costs to ensure that Brown received an education. Therefore, the separate but equal principle could not apply because it did not treat the Brown family Equally. The Equal Protection Clause was applicable in this case and was used to remove the limitations placed by the state that hindered Brown from accessing the public school close to her.

Conclusion

The case was elevated to the supreme court, which ruled against the speared but equal principle and found it unconstitutional. The segregation of schools was also unconstitutional because it led to unequal treatment of people because of race. The outcome of the court case was important because it led to efforts towards the desegregation of schools in the United States.

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