A T-chart is a device used primarily by lawyers and law students to quickly refer to important information in a legal case or several cases at one time. T-charts are particularly useful when discussing either a complex case or several cases at once. By categorizing the important information about the case into a series of organized columns, the answers to most briefing questions can be found quickly by referring to the T-chart rather than by searching through the entire case. T-charts can be modified to fit a particular purpose, but the starting point is always with the chart's basic configuration.
Instructions
1. Identify the types of information to be categorized. The most common categories for case briefings include the issue, facts, holding and the rationale. Categories can be added or deleted depending on the particular purpose of the brief. For example, sometimes case citations are useful, while a facts section may not be necessary if the purpose of the brief is only to identify the legal rules.
2. Draw a horizontal line across the top of a piece of paper at least one inch below the paper's edge.
3. Create columns by drawing a series of vertical lines down the length of the paper starting at the horizontal line. One column should exist for each category. For example, if the brief uses four categories, three vertical columns should be used.
4. Label the columns above the horizontal line. Typically, the facts category appears over the left column and, from left to right, is followed by the issue, holding and rationale categories.
5. Insert the pertinent information in the appropriate column. The issue states the question the court in the particular case being used in the brief decided. The facts usually include only the legally significant facts, meaning the facts that the court relied on in reaching its decision. The holding refers to how the court answered the issue. The rationale refers to why the court reached its decision.
Tags: horizontal line, case several, case several cases, holding rationale, important information, particular purpose