


A summary of the important points of a longer document. An abstract of a published judicial opinion prepared by a law student as part of an assignment in the Case Method study of law. A written document drawn up by an attorney for a party in a lawsuit or by a party himself or herself appearing pro se that concisely states the following: (1) issues of a lawsuit; (2) facts that bring the parties to court; (3) relevant laws that can affect the subject of the dispute; and (4) arguments that explain how the law applies to the particular facts so that the case will be decided in the party's favor.

A brief may also contain a synopsis of the evidence and name the witnesses to be presented during the trial. Copies of briefs must be submitted to the court where the case will be heard and to the opposing party.

An appellate brief is a writing that must be filed with an appellate court so that the court may evaluate whether the decision of the lower court should be reversed because of some error or impropriety that occurred during the trial. A statement of the issues presented for review, a summary of how pertinent laws affect the facts, and a statement of the relief being requested are essential elements of an appellate brief. The appellee's brief will argue that the lower court acted properly in its judgment and request its affirmance, while the appellant's brief will attempt to convince the court to reverse or vacate the lower court's judgment because it acted improperly.

See also the Milestones in the Law and Appendix volumes for examples.


1) n. a written legal argument, usually in a format prescribed by the courts, stating the legal reasons for the suit based on statutes, regulations, case precedents, legal texts, and reasoning applied to facts in the particular situation. A brief is submitted to lay out the argument for various petitions and motions before the court (sometimes called "points and authorities"), to counter the arguments of opposing lawyers, and to provide the judge or judges with reasons to rule in favor of the party represented by the brief writer. Occasionally on minor or follow-up legal issues, the judge will specify that a letter or memorandum brief will be sufficient. On appeals and certain other major arguments, the brief is bound with color-coded covers stipulated in state and/or federal court rules. Ironically, although the term was originally intended to mean a brief or summary argument (shorter than an oral presentation), legal briefs are quite often notoriously long. 2) v. to summarize a precedent case or lay out in writing a legal argument. Attentive law students "brief" each case in their casebooks, which means extracting the rule of law, the reasoning (rationale), the essential facts, and the outcome. 3) to give a summary of important information to another person. (See: precedent)


1 in England, the papers given to a barrister to conduct a case or the act of instructing.
2 colloquially, a barrister.
3 (US) a document submitted to a court in support of a case.

It usually involves a history of the case in question and presents arguments and authority.

BRIEF, eccl. law. The name of a kind of papal rescript. Briefs are writings sealed with wax, and differ in this respect from bulls, (q. v.) which are scaled with lead. They are so called, because they usually are short compendious writings. Ayl. Parerg. 132. See Breve.

BRIEF, practice. An abridged statement of a party's case.
     2. It should contain : 1st. A statement of the names of the parties, and of their residence and occupation, the character in which they sue and are sued, and wherefore they prosecute or resist the action. 2d. An abridgment of all the pleadings. 3d. A regular, chronological, and methodical statement of the facts in plain common language. 4th. A summary of the points or questions in issue, and of the proof which is to support such issues, mentioning specially the names of the witnesses by which the facts are to be proved, or if there be written evidence, an abstract of such evidence. 5th. The personal character of the witnesses should be mentioned; whether the moral character is good or bad, whether they are naturally timid or over-zealous, whether firm or wavering. 6th. If known, the evidence of the opposite party, and such facts as are adapted to oppose, confute, or repel it. Perspicuity and conciseness are the most desirable qualities of a brief, but when the facts are material they cannot be too numerous when the argument is pertinent and weighty, it cannot be too extended.
     3. Brief is also used in the sense of breve. (q. v.)

References in periodicals archive ?
After stepping back and re-grouping, re-read the opposition brief several times, dissect it with co-counsel or consulting colleagues, outline the content, and, most importantly, begin grouping the counterarguments into issue-bundles of law or fact.
* On July 2, 2018, the IADC filed an amicus brief in Monsanto Co.
By separate order, the court will reset the dates for both sides' briefs.
He briefed about the historical background of PIACL transaction, formational of restructuring and divestment strategy and its implementation (Phase-I), facilitating private sector partnership in the core operations of PIAC leading to successful closure of the transaction.
This Article considers the role of information, affected groups, and persuasion in the connection between justice votes and the content of briefs in the Roberts Court.
MetLife also argued in its August brief asking to sustain the lower court decision that in designating MetLife as a SIFI, the FSOC failed to "adhere to its own regulatory standards and the basic precepts of reasoned agency decision-making."
Although this rule change clearly authorized at least a paragraph or two that briefly summarized the case in a neutral fashion, it was uncommon to see this information included in a brief. It was rare to see a brief that contained a section entitled "Nature of the Case."
Launched in 2006, the briefs are a collection of state and national data on specific public health topics intended for audiences such as the general public and elected officials.
(6) In an appeal from a judgment of conviction imposing a sentence of death or in an appeal from an order ruling on, after an evidentiary hearing, an initial postconviction motion filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851, the initial and answer briefs shall not exceed 100 pages in length, provided that if a cross-appeal has been filed, the answer brief/ initial brief on cross-appeal shall not exceed 150 pages.
Brief App Ltd is a London based technology start-up company intent on making a mark in the mobile applications communication and productivity categories.
Consider, too, the possibility of "strange bedfellows," or groups that ordinarily do not agree or ordinarily might be on opposite sides of an issue, joining together in a brief. If, in an environmental case, an environmental group and a real estate development association jointly argue for the same legal approach in a case, that would be notable.
Brief scores : Assam: 182 & 170 ( S Nazar 6/ 50); Services: 326 In Hyderabad, Akshath Reddy and Hanuma Vihari struck centuries as the hosts reached 423/ 3.

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