Does Barbri have case briefs?
Asked by: Brady Witting | Last update: January 26, 2026Score: 4.7/5 (48 votes)
Barbri offers model case briefs through its Law Preview program to help students compare their own work, along with extensive guides on how to brief cases effectively. While they emphasize teaching students to write their own briefs, they provide resources to assist with understanding key facts, procedural history, and holdings.
Does Westlaw provide case briefs?
Briefs filed in cases argued since 2010 are available for download. When new cases are set for oral argument, briefs are posted the same day. Coverage includes California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. Coverage includes California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals.
Do lawyers use case briefs?
Briefing cases is an important professional skill
As a lawyer, you will have to read and analyze cases with a careful eye to detail. You also will have to summarize cases when writing legal memoranda, briefs, and other documents and when making oral arguments to courts.
Can AI write a legal brief?
Today, AI tools designed specifically for the legal profession are enhancing and accelerating the process of drafting legal briefs from end-to-end. These advanced tools streamline the entire workflow, allowing lawyers to develop top-tier legal arguments more efficiently and effectively.
What is included in a case brief?
The main components include the case name, facts, procedural history, issue, holding, reasoning, and rule. You will pick up on what your professor focuses on in their courses regarding cases as the semester goes on.
Should You Case Brief in Law School? (Study Advice)
What is the hardest case to win in court?
The hardest cases to win in court often involve high emotional stakes, like crimes against children or sexual assault, where jurors struggle with bias; complex, voluminous evidence, such as white-collar fraud; and defenses that challenge societal norms, like an insanity plea, which faces high scrutiny and conflicting expert testimony. Cases with weak physical evidence, uncooperative witnesses (like in sex crimes), or those involving unpopular defendants (e.g., child abusers) are particularly challenging for defense attorneys.
How long does a case brief take?
It's not uncommon for attorneys to spend 20-40+ hours on a complex legal brief, including drafting, formatting, and editing.
Is $400 an hour a lot for a lawyer?
Yes, $400 an hour is a significant rate for a lawyer, often reflecting experience, specialization, and location, falling at the higher end of average rates ($100-$400+) but can be standard or even considered a "deal" for highly specialized work in major cities, while being quite expensive in other areas or for less complex cases. Factors like the firm's size, location (big city vs. rural), the lawyer's expertise (e.g., corporate, IP vs. family law), and case complexity greatly influence this rate.
Can ChatGPT write legal documents?
Yes, lawyers can use ChatGPT to write legal documents. However, it lacks a deep contextual understanding of specific laws and regulations, which may create unenforceable contracts and incomplete legal briefs.
Do lawyers make $500,000 a year?
Yes, many lawyers earn $500,000 or more annually, especially Big Law partners, senior corporate counsel, specialized litigators, and successful solo practitioners in high-value fields like IP or medical malpractice, though this is not the norm for all attorneys, with median salaries being much lower. Reaching this income level requires specialization, strategic business growth, marketing, and often working in major markets, with top-tier law firms (Big Law) offering high starting salaries and significant bonuses that can push senior associates past the $500K mark.
What's the hardest year of law school?
Most law students agree the first year (1L) is the hardest due to the steep learning curve, new teaching methods (Socratic/Case Method), intense reading/writing, and high-pressure environment designed to build foundational skills, though 2L brings different stressors like career planning and internships. 1L is a "bootcamp" for thinking like a lawyer with unfamiliar concepts and high stakes for grades, making the transition from undergraduate studies particularly challenging.
Do case briefs need citations?
Every statement of law in your brief must be supported by a citation to a case, statute, rule, constitutional provision, treatise, law review article or other source that supports the statement you are making.
What is the hardest question to ask a lawyer?
The hardest questions for a lawyer aren't about legal facts, but about deeply personal situations, like "How can I protect my children from abusive relatives if something happens to me?" or asking for a brutally honest "What is the likely worst-case outcome for my case, and what are my real chances of winning?", pushing beyond generic advice to uncover hidden challenges, their true battlefield experience, and if they're just sugarcoating the difficult realities of your specific legal problem.
Is Westlaw or Lexis better for legal research?
Schulke, legal reference librarian for the San Francisco Law Library for over 17 years, says he personally favors Westlaw over other search engines. The reason? “It features more California-specific materials. It's also easier for laypeople to use than Lexis.”
What do red flags mean on Westlaw?
KeyCite Flags in Westlaw
Westlaw uses two flags to indicate negative treatment: A red flag warns that a case is no longer good law for at least one of the points of law it contains, e.g., reversed or overruled.
What is the 30% rule in AI?
The 30% rule in AI is a practical framework that says you should start by automating roughly 30% of your repetitive tasks—the ones that eat up time but don't require human creativity or judgment. This focused approach delivers the biggest ROI while avoiding the chaos of trying to automate everything at once.
Is Claude or ChatGPT better for lawyers?
In short, Claude may have the edge for in-depth document management, while ChatGPT remains highly versatile for general use. Choose based on your lawyers' workflow, data needs, and what tasks you expect the AI tool to handle.
Can I use AI instead of a lawyer?
No, AI won't completely replace lawyers because it lacks human judgment, empathy, and courtroom advocacy skills, but it is rapidly transforming the profession by automating routine tasks like research and document review, allowing lawyers to focus more on strategy, client counseling, and complex legal reasoning, with some roles shifting towards managing AI tools. AI acts as a powerful assistant, handling the "grunt work" and increasing efficiency, but human oversight remains crucial for nuanced advice, ethical considerations, and client-specific guidance.
Can a lawyer make $1 million a year?
Yes, lawyers can absolutely make $1 million or more per year, especially partners in top "Big Law" firms, elite corporate lawyers, successful firm owners, and specialists in high-value fields like mergers & acquisitions, personal injury (contingency fees), or intellectual property. Reaching this level often requires treating the practice as a business, specializing in lucrative areas, generating high revenue, leveraging associate work, and sometimes handling large-scale deals or multi-million dollar settlements, rather than just typical hourly billing.
Is Kim Kardashian a lawyer or attorney?
No, Kim Kardashian is not yet a lawyer or attorney; she is still working towards passing the California Bar Exam, having recently failed it again in late 2025, despite completing her legal studies through an apprenticeship program and passing the \"baby bar\" in 2021. She consistently expresses her commitment to becoming a licensed attorney, viewing her setbacks as motivation to keep studying for the full bar exam.
How old is the youngest lawyer?
The youngest lawyer is generally considered to be Sophia Park, who passed the California bar exam at 17 years and 8 months old in late 2024, breaking her brother Peter's previous record, though she'll be sworn in and licensed in March 2025 after turning 18, as most jurisdictions require lawyers to be 18. She accelerated her education, starting law school at 13 while in junior high and graduating early.
What not to say to a judge in court?
You should not say anything sarcastic, interrupt the judge, lie, use slang, make personal attacks on others, guarantee outcomes, or speak about things not relevant to the case; instead, remain respectful, address the judge as "Your Honor," answer only the question asked, and be direct and truthful to maintain credibility.
What does a good case brief look like?
Key steps for writing a case brief include a thorough review of the case to understand the judicial opinion, case identification by noting its name and citation, outlining the facts and procedural history, clearly stating the legal issue, explaining the court's holding and reasoning, and summarizing the applied rule of ...
Is it better to settle or litigate?
If the thought of testifying in front of a judge and jury is just too much for you to handle, settling may be the best option. On the other hand, some people want to have their day in court. If you feel like you need to tell your story to a judge and jury, going to trial may be the best option for you.