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What is a Case Brief Generator

and should you use one?
Tags: case briefs, shorter readings, class prep
Apr 2, 2023

Looking for the LSD Instant Brief Tool?

What is a case brief generator?

A law case brief generator is an online tool designed to help law students and legal professionals structure case briefs quickly and easily. Essentially, typical case brief generators are just pdf templates that help you format your briefs.

Typical generators works by asking people to input specific information about the case, such as the name of the case, the jurisdiction, the procedural history, the issues presented, and the holding. Then the generator uses organizes the information into a formatted case brief, which the user can then download, print, or save as a PDF. Some case brief generators may also provide additional features, such as the ability to add annotations, highlight key points, or share the brief with others.

Using a case brief generator can make formatting a little easier, but but you are still writing out the majority of the information yourself. This makes it a great tool for briefing cases, but not a great tool for reducing your workload.

How is LSD+ Instant Brief tool different?

Instead of a template under the guise of a generator, the Instant Brief tool actually generates case briefs. LSD+ has over 50,000 case briefs which is close to the most (if not the most) of any case brief company, but there are over 6,000,000 US cases that law schools around the country teach in full or in part. So the Instant Brief tool lets you brief nearly any US case that may be taught in your class even if it isn't a main focus or a 'big' case. If you might have to read it, then we want to be able to brief it for you.

How does the Instant Brief tool work?

We use state-of-the-are natural language processing tools to sift through the entire original case text, summarize at multiple levels with our 'Deep Dive' summary, and pull out the key information in an ICRA format. (ICRA is a little different than the typical IRAC structure. You can learn more about why we structure it differently here)

LSD has a lot of briefs (maybe the most anywhere) but we don't have them all. So, if you are looking for a brief and we don't have it, you just have to input the case name or the citation and we will start briefing it immediately. Check it out here.

Is the Instant Brief as good as a person?

The best way to test Instant Briefs is to try it for yourself. We occasionally run open brief periods when you can try LSD+ briefs without a subscription, and we always have a 14-day risk free trial so you can try with confidence!

We will be the first to admit that our case briefs aren't perfect, but we will also say they are pretty darn good. You will find mistakes in any brief service, and you will find mistakes in our briefs, too. In addition to making the briefs as clear and concise as possible, we have an easy to use thumbs up and thumbs down tool that allows for feedback so that we can fix mistakes as soon as they are pointed out. Our main goal is to give you accurate briefs quickly, and like everything on LSData we can always use your help!

What is the point of the Instant Brief tool?

We want to make law school a little easier. Specifically, we want to help you cut down on reading time to make class prep a breeze.

The amount of time required to prepare for law school each week can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the student's study habits, course load, and personal schedule. However, on average, law school students can expect to spend around 20 to 30 hours per week preparing for class and completing assignments.

This time is spent reading assigned cases and legal materials, preparing case briefs and outlines, participating in class discussions and exercises, studying for exams, and completing writing assignments and research projects.

In addition, to time spent in class many law school students also participate in extracurricular activities, such as law journals, moot court, and student organizations, which can require additional time and effort. Doesn't mean you have to do extracurriculars but most students do.

Related Articles

  1. Preparing for Class
  2. How to write a Case Brief
  3. Writing an Effective Case Brief for Students
Windsor MIT '22, Harvard College Advisor

I am the half of LSD that didn't take the LSAT, or go to law school (Sorry about that). But I did go to MIT business school while surrounded by law students and lawyers, so I am somewhat qualified to talk about the intricacies of law school apps and finances.

Windsor (the dog) didn't write this but he WAS a Resident Tutor and career advisor at Harvard College with me, so deserves some credit.

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questioning whether i go to school for free at a lesser school or pay some out of pocket at a better name for the same degree at end of the day, the numbers don't lie
18:54
@DisillusionedHomelessWalnut: The way the curve works is a below-median student at Tennessee (curves to a 3.1, so B/B+) can end up with a better GPA than an above-average student at Elon (curves to a 2.67/B-minus), so the student from Tennessee will have a better transcript *and* get better jobs on average than someone with the same class rank at Elon
18:56
Your real alarm bell is Elon's curve (linked here, p. 70 https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/996/2019/07/2017-2018_Academic_Catalog-and-Student_Handbook.pdf) *requires* profs to give 20% of first-year students a C-minus or worse, when the school's bar for "satisfactory academic progress" is a C+ average
ooooffff. thanks. i mean, full ride is cool and all, but damn
18:59
The only scenario where a school does something like that (curve to a 2.67, dismiss students below 2.25) is when they're admitting a lot of students who may not pass the bar, then flunking people out mercilessly so the school can keep its accreditation (ABA requires 75% of grads to pass the bar within two years, can't fail the bar if the school doesn't let you graduate)
the dean told me "no students had their scholarships reduced in the past three years, and to my recollection only one scholarship in 19 years has been reduced when a student was in good standing"
yeah, i get that and appreciate you validating that point. i like to think it really wouldn't apply to me and assume it happens due to the lower standards of admissions they utilize, but is it (full ride) worth the risk? that's the fly in the ointment
just trying to weigh all angles, seems like just biting the bullet and paying the modest amount to UTK is a smarter decision
end of cycle is for the birds, but i'm playing the hand i was dealt :)
19:06
In general you are going to be better off at a school that wants its students to succeed. UTK seems to fit the description - they are not in any danger of losing their accreditation, don't need to force people out. Elon very much does not, if their bar passage drops 2% they'll be in violation of ABA requirements so they won't give students any leway
19:06
*leeway
i appreciate your insight, friend
manifestmoreadmissions
19:11
im too lazy to provide the same level of detail as JB but I agree UTK seems like a better bet to actually achieve your career goals and set yourself up for success. I would understand being conflicted if it were like UTK vs Belmont or a lower ranked school that isn't considered predatory but because it's Elon that makes it more clear to me
thank you
the counterpoint bouncing around my head is basically "if i'm worth a damn, as i think i am, i'll be just fine no matter what the curve is" but you folks are nudging me in the direction of logic and common sense
manifestmoreadmissions
19:18
plenty of the people who fall behind are worth a damn it's just that some schools are basically set up to screw people over
yeah. fall behind as in....miss homework? can't keep up with readings? something else?
kinda nervous coming in as an untraditional guy around KJD's, billy madison vibes over here
19:21
Re: costs, it's worth looking at costs all around, both schools cost (net tuition, $0 at Elon/$30K over 3 years if you're in-state at UTK) PLUS three years not earning money or advancing in your career, which is worth 6 figures if you make decent money now. $30K in tuition is a small share of total costs in this comparison
19:24
"Fall behind" in this context means law school curves are rigid, no matter how hard everyone studies half the class will be below-median, 25% in the bottom quarter, etc. It's not super predictable either, so a student above GPA or LSAT median could still end up bottom half or 1/4 of the class
gotcha. predatory in that instance is certainly appropriate
manifestmoreadmissions
19:32
i am not kjd but im glad jb cleared that up for you lmao
19:32
And assuming similar class rank, UTK grads tend to do better in public data. Top students at UTK have a shot at biglaw (pays $225K), top students at Elon end up at small/medium firms (worse pay). Average students at UTK can get jobs at small/medium firms, average students at Elon are on the bubble for any firm job at all. Below-average students at UTK have a shot at firm jobs or other work, below-average students at Elon might not get jobs (or pass the bar, or avoid academic dismissal). That's the major advantage of well-regarded schools - more upside, less downside
manifestmoreadmissions
19:32
but yeah just reiterating that you could be worth so many damns and still not do well because its set up for that
19:37
(This is ignoring public service/government jobs, because the stats there don't tell us much about the type of job - "super competitive Department of Justice job in DC making $90K" and "local government job earning $50K" both get lumped together under the "public service" label, but say v. different things about a school's job placement
really appreciate all the insight
manifestmoreadmissions
23:07
for those going to school in fall 24 when did you add your school to your linkedin profile
MightyUnableSphinx
23:13
add as soon as you get in! :)
MightyUnableSphinx
23:13
it's like a little micro celebration!
23:15
Anyone else here plan on practicing around PDX?
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