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law essay - help

hi, to all of u who have done A-level law or r at uni, pls can u help me out.

i have been given my law title, but i have never seen a law essay and i just don't know how to start and approach it. i don't know how much detail i have to go into with one of the law cases i'm focusing on in discussing judicial precedence. i'm so lost, that i can't start!
do i need to describe what happened in the case? or do i just use the title of the case to write about how it created precedence?!

pls help, thanks
Reply 1
Your description of the problem is a bit vague for me to be of any real help, but - generally - it is better to apply the facts of a case to the question than to tell its story.

Whoever marks the essay does not want to read;

"In Partridge v Crittenden a 46 year old man advertised some bramblefinch cocks and hens for sale in a local newspaper which cost 25p and was called The Chronicle - sold on Tuesdays...".

They would much rather read a good analysis of the case along the lines of;

"in Partridge, it was held that the advertisement of items for sale was a mere invitation to treat. This rendered the defendant's conviction for offering a protected species for sale void. The court's decision in this case, and similar cases such as Pharmaceutical Society of GB v Boots Cash Chemists Ltd (1953), reflect commerical reality and the law of supply and demand..."

Without knowing the details of your problem that's all I can say really - good luck!

Oh and to start a law essay you need to identify the general topic - judicial precedent in your situation - and briefly introduce it. There's a fine line between a good and bad introduction - the best thing is to read up on the area in a textbook, make notes and then try and identify the relevant points. I try and make my introductions concise and to the point - usually around eight lines. More often than not a law essay will involve some kind of multi-sided analysis - I tend to take one aspect at a time and then try to write a good conclusion to tie together all the loose ends.

It's always hard to start a law essay - but once you get into it it should be much easier.