LawSchoolShortcuts study guide · 5 minute read
How to write IRAC analysis on a law school exam
IRAC gives your reader a path through your reasoning: Issue, Rule, Application and Conclusion. The hard part is usually application. A rule followed by a result leaves the reasoning unstated.
Frame one issue at a time
Identify the legal question raised by a particular set of facts. Instead of a broad heading such as “Liability,” use a focused issue tied to an element or disputed requirement. Follow your professor’s preferred organization and terminology.
State the rule you will actually apply
Use the rule from your course materials, including qualifications that matter to these facts. Avoid adding every rule you remember. When several elements are disputed, give each enough space for its own factual analysis.
Connect each fact to a reason
Use a simple writing pattern: “The requirement may be satisfied because [specific fact], which supports [reason].” Then test the other side. Do not simply repeat the facts or say that an element is “clearly” met. Explain what the fact proves and why.
Practice with an invented rule
For this writing exercise only, suppose a fictional exam policy allows an extension when an unexpected event prevents submission and the student promptly notifies the instructor. A student’s internet fails at 11:50 p.m.; the deadline is midnight; the student emails at 8 a.m. The unexpected outage supports one requirement. The timing of notice raises a separate question. Explain why the overnight delay could be reasonable, and why the availability of another way to send notice could undermine that argument. This is an invented policy, not a legal rule.
Conclude at the level the facts support
Give a short result that follows from your analysis. If a material fact is missing, identify what would change the outcome instead of inventing it. Before finishing, check that you addressed each disputed element and gave the strongest competing argument a fair answer.
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