Teaching the Law School Curriculum - Institute for Law Teaching ...

264 Legal Research and Writing
The chart can also help them distinguish between law and fact. On the top row of the chart are the elements
or factors that determine the issue. If they are told specifically that the law is across the top of the chart and the
facts are in the body of the chart, they may have less trouble with those portions of the memo requiring an understanding
of the distinction between law, facts, and conclusions. For example, a common challenge for firstyear
students is framing the Questions Presented so the questions do not include legal conclusions. This problem
is usually caused by including elements of law in a Question Presented instead of legally relevant facts.
However, the synthesis chart gives them a quick reference for what should be included in the Question Presented.
If the “facts” in their Question Presented come from the top row of the chart, then the Question likely contains
a legal conclusion. However, if the “facts” come instead from the bottom row of the chart (where their client’s
facts are catalogued), then the Question is more likely to be framed correctly.
Finally, the synthesis chart can help students see what should be included in both the rule explanation and
rule application portions of the Discussion section. Although students generally seem to understand that a rule
explanation and application are needed, it is not unusual for them to leave out critical information. Using the
synthesis chart, they can see that analogizing and distinguishing cases relating to one element or factor simply
means comparing or contrasting the legally relevant facts that appear within one column of the chart. Framing
the task of choosing case facts in those terms seems to make the task more concrete and manageable. Rather than
comparing the mountain of information in the case law to the mountain of information in the assignment, students
can use pre-categorized information that is already in a manageable format. They simply can take the information
already organized in a single column and compare the squares from other cases to the square for their
client’s case.
If students will continue to use the synthesis chart as they move from the analysis to the drafting stage of a project,
they can use it as a way to identify legally relevant facts, differentiate between facts and law, and analogize or
distinguish cases. In using the chart for these purposes during the drafting phase of the project, students can also
see more clearly the link between the way legal problems are analyzed and the way they are communicated.
The following handout explains these uses of the synthesis chart.
Case Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4
A v. B Fact X
Int. Ct. 1972
C v. D Fact Y
Int. Ct. 1983
E v. F Fact Z
S.Ct. 1997
Our Case Fact Q
2000
ANATOMY OF A SYNTHESIS CHART
This chart is designed to show you how a thorough, completed synthesis chart can help you even after you
have planned your analysis and begun to draft your argument.
* Facts X, Y, Z, and Q are legally relevant facts. Remember that one of the goals of this assignment is to
demonstrate that you know the difference between relevant and irrelevant facts by including only the legally relevant
facts. If you have already identified those facts in your synthesis chart, then you have a quick reference for
the legally relevant facts in your case and in the precedent cases. You will need to use relevant facts in your Questions
Presented, Brief Answers, Statement of Facts, and Discussion.