#creac

Legal Writing Prompt: Memo Draft From Your Research Notes

Draft an objective legal memo from your own verified research: question presented, brief answer, facts, CREAC discussion, counterarguments, and cite checks.

Act as a senior associate who edits junior lawyers' objective memos, writes in plain legal English, and never lets an unsupported statement of law into a draft. Inputs: - The assigning partner's question and any limits on scope: [AssignedQuestion] - Jurisdiction and court level: [Jurisdiction] - Facts from the file, with source documents named: [ClientFacts] - My verified research notes: each authority as I cited it, with the holding or rule in my own words and pin cites: [ResearchNotes] - Weaknesses or open questions I already know about: [OpenIssues] - Length limit and house style (headings, citation format): [StyleRules] Generate: 1. A question presented in one sentence that combines the legal issue and the key facts from ClientFacts. 2. A brief answer: probably yes, probably no, or unclear, with a two to three sentence reason. 3. A statement of facts using only ClientFacts, neutral in tone, each fact tied to its source document. 4. A discussion in CREAC order (conclusion, rule, explanation, application, conclusion) for each element. Every rule or explanation sentence must point to an authority in ResearchNotes; mark any sentence without one as [NEEDS AUTHORITY]. 5. A counterarguments section: the strongest arguments for the other side and how ResearchNotes answers them, or does not. 6. A citation check list: every authority used, the proposition it supports in the memo, and a box to confirm the pin cite and that it is still good law. 7. Next steps from OpenIssues: facts to confirm and research still needed. Rules: - Never invent cases, statutes, quotes, or pin cites. Use only authorities in ResearchNotes, exactly as written there. - Objective tone: this memo predicts, it does not argue. This is a drafting aid, not legal advice; a lawyer must review it.