Case Brief Builder
A structured worksheet for the case brief you write.
This tool organizes fields on a page. It does not read decisions, summarize cases, or generate legal analysis. You supply every fact, issue, holding, and citation. Content lives in the browser only and is lost on refresh or reset.
How to use this tool
- Read the decision yourself. This tool does not summarize cases or generate analysis.
- Fill each section in order: citation, court and procedure, material facts, issues, holding and disposition, rule or test, reasoning, ratio, obiter, and your commentary.
- Watch the Core fields filled meter. It counts presence only; it does not judge quality.
- When you are ready, Copy plain text for your notes or Print for a paper copy. Content is lost on refresh or reset.
Nothing is saved between sessions. There is no autosave.
Guidance: holding vs reasoning vs ratio vs obiter
Holding is the court's answer to the specific issue before it, applied to the facts of the case.
Reasoning is the chain of explanation the court gives for that answer, including the rules it applies and the factual inferences it draws.
Ratio decidendi is the general principle of law that other courts are expected to follow from the case. Its scope is often contested and depends on how later courts read the decision.
Obiter dicta are statements not necessary to the outcome. They can still be persuasive, especially from higher courts.
These distinctions are not mechanical. Different professors, casebooks, and courts draw the lines differently. Confirm the preferred approach for your course.
Plain-text preview
Deterministic export. Sections appear in a fixed order. Required fields with no content show "(not provided)".
Case brief ========== Case name / style of cause: (not provided) Citation: (not provided) Court or tribunal: (not provided) Decision date: (not provided) Procedural history: (not provided) Material facts: (not provided) Legal issue(s): (not provided) Governing rule / legal test: (not provided) Holding / answer to the issue: (not provided) Court's reasoning: (not provided) Ratio decidendi: (not provided) Disposition / result: (not provided)
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Open source attribution
The field structure is a generic teaching pattern adapted from common Canadian law school study guides. The pedagogical distinctions between holding, reasoning, ratio, and obiter can depend on context and instructor expectations. Confirm your school's or professor's preferred format.
Independent educational tool. Not affiliated with or endorsed by McGill University, the McGill Law Journal, Thomson Reuters/Carswell, Zotero, CSL, or CanLII. Verify every citation against the current guide and any court, journal, professor, or faculty instructions.