Writing a legal memorandum is one of the first and most important skills every law student or new legal professional must master. However, beginners find themselves intimidated by its layered structure, precise language, and the demand for logical reasoning, making them want to get law coursework help from professionals in order to meet the requirements accurately.
A legal memo is not just an academic essay; it is a practical document that informs decisions, creates strategies, and provides results in actual legal practice. There are different criminal law dissertation topics and topics in other law fields as well, on which a legal memo can be written. The following post will explore the commonly faced challenges by beginners or students when it comes to writing a legal memo.
What Is A Legal Memo, And Its Onion Theory?
Most people who choose to study law are bright, motivated, and hard-working (Strong, 2022). A legal memo can be said as a lawyer’s toolkit, which must be concise, clear, and persuasive. A legal memo is often symbolised with an onion. One might ask why is a legal memorandum like an onion? Well! An onion perfectly captures the nature of a legal memorandum, as it also has multiple layers that must be peeled away carefully. Each layer reveals something deeper:
- The facts.
- The issues.
- The rules.
- The analysis.
- The conclusion.
If you skip even one of the layers, it breaks the entire structure. Beginners struggle because they jump straight to the answer without going through each layer individually. A good memo is slowly built, with one piece at a time, ensuring that each piece connects logically to the next.
Challenges Faced By Beginners While Creating Legal Memos
Every law student faces challenges when it comes to writing a legal memo, but the challenges faced by beginners are different. So, how to write a legal memorandum for dummies? Well! Once you identify the challenges, you will learn to write them effectively as well. These challenges are:
Challenge 1: Difficulty in Understanding the Purpose of a Legal Memo
One of the main challenges is that many students don’t understand the purpose of a legal memo. A legal memorandum is for internal use within a law firm, office, or classroom, unlike persuasive briefs written for courts.
The main purpose of the memo is to provide an objective analysis of the law as it applies to specific facts. It can be confusing for beginners as they attempt the task as if they are arguing a case.
However, the memo is more about informing than persuading. Once you realise this difference, you will be able to prevent the mistakes and adopt a correct tone.
Challenge 2: Structuring the Memo Correctly
Writing legal assignments and creating the perfect law assignment structure is a challenge for many students for a variety of reasons (Hardwood, 2025); the same goes for a legal memo. Structuring a legal memo accurately is another struggle. You can use methods like IRAC or CRAC:
- Issue – What is the legal question?
- Rule – What laws apply?
- Application – How do the rules apply to the given facts?
- Conclusion – What might be the outcome?
Maintaining the logical flow is difficult for beginners. They might mix analysis with conclusions, skip important rules, or overlook the central issue. However, a well-structured memo provides you with a map so that the reader won’t lose track of the argument.
Challenge 3: Finding and Using the Right Sources
Research is at the basis of any legal memo. It is quite natural for beginners to get lost in the sea of sources present in the form of cases, statutes, and secondary sources. The challenge is not only finding relevant information but also knowing which sources are authentic.
In addition to that, the accurate inclusion of the sources is also important. A wrong citation can reduce the credibility of the memo. It is important to learn how to use legal research platforms effectively, understand the laws, and point out a credible platform in order to overcome this challenge.
Challenge 4: Writing Clearly and Precisely
Legal writing is known to be complex, but the best memos are always presented in a simple and direct language. Beginners make the mistake of using long sentences, complex language, and repetitive content that makes the memo hard to understand.
On the other hand, it is clear writing that is always preferred by the professors. A memo should not have any flowery language. You can overcome this challenge by cutting out unnecessary words, simplifying complex sentences, and prioritising the reader’s understanding.
Challenge 5: Balancing Objectivity with Analysis
Another challenge for students is to balance objectivity. A legal memo must be neutral in presentation of both sides, strengths and weaknesses. However, beginners are mostly inclined to one area, turning their memo into an argument instead of an analysis.
You can overcome it by avoiding highlighting facts or cases that support your preferred result. Instead, you should present the complete picture. This honesty builds credibility and ensures the reader can trust the memo’s conclusion.
Challenge 6: Time Management and Efficiency
Creating a memo can be time-consuming. It is easy to invest hours in researching, structuring, and writing. Beginners often underestimate the effort required and create hurried drafts.
Effective memo writing requires planning, where you need to break the process into stages of research, outlining, drafting, and editing.
Practical Tips for Beginners
The following tips will make the process of writing a legal memo easier:
- Organise the issues and rules to keep your analysis focused before writing.
- Clarity should always come before style.
- Always confirm that cases or statutes are still valid and relevant.
- Your first draft can’t be your best; so, polish it carefully.
Conclusion
It is no easy task to create a legal memo, especially for beginners who are just entering the world of legal writing. Students experience different kind of challenges, which feels quite intimidating until you identify them and then find solutions for them accordingly. A legal memo is like an onion, where you have to peel multiple layers in order to reach the truth. It teaches patience, attention to detail, and logical reasoning. In the end, the ability to draft a strong legal memo is not just an academic requirement; it is also essential for effective legal practice.