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brief 1 n [Old French bref brief letter, writ indicating legal proceedings, from Late Latin brevis breve short document, summary, from Latin brevis, adjective, short]1: a concise statement of a client's case written for the instruction of an attorney usu. by a law clerk – called also memorandum;2: a formal written presentation of an argument that sets forth the main points with supporting precedents and evidence◇ Briefs are filed either by a party or an amicus curiae with a court usu. regarding a specific motion (as for summary judgment) or point of law. The form of the brief is determined by the procedural rules of that court or jurisdiction.brief 2 vt: to write a brief concerning (a motion or question of law)
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
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I
adjective
abbreviated, abridged, aphoristic, bare, brisk, close, cometary, compact, compendious, compressed, concise, condensed, contracted, cursory, curtailed, cut short, elliptical, ephemeral, epigrammatic, epitomized, exact, fading, fleeting, hasty, hurried, laconic, limited, meteoric, momentary, not protracted, passing, pauciloquent, pithy, precise, quick, reduced, sententious, short, short-term, slight, small, sparing of words, speedy, succinct, sudden, summarized, summary, swift, temporary, to the point, transient, transitory, trenchant, unprolonged, volatile
associated concepts: brief description, brief statement, brief summary
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noun
abridgment, account, argument, capsule, compendium, condensation, conspectus, depiction, description, digest, extract, legal abstract, legal document, legal epitome, legal memorandum, memorandum, memorandum of law, outline, outline on the law, profile, representation, resume, sketch, statement of the case, summary, summary on the law, synopsis, thumbnail sketch, vignette
associated concepts: amicus curiae, appellate brief, brief of evidence, points and authorities, reply brief, responsive brief
III
index
abridgment (condensation), abstract, account (report), apprise, capsule, compact (pithy), compendium, concise, cursory, digest, disabuse, dossier, edify, educate, ephemeral, impart, indicate, inform (notify), instruct (direct), laconic, memorandum, minimal, note (brief comment), notify, outline (synopsis), paraphrase, pithy, report (detailed account), restatement, scenario, succinct, summary, synopsis, temporary, transient, transitory, volatile
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
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n.(1) A written document presented to the court and to the opposing counsel by a lawyer that describes the facts of a case, questions of law, and legal arguments in support of his or her client’s position.(2) A summary or abstract of a case.v.(1) To write a summary of a case.(2) To inform someone of the details of something.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
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1. in England, the papers given to a barrister to conduct a case.2. colloquially, a barrister.3. (USA) a document submitted to a court in support of a case. It usually involves a history of the case in question and presents arguments and authority.
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.
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A document used to submit a legal contention or argument to a court. A brief typically sets out the facts of the case and a party's legal arguments. These arguments must be supported by legal authority and precedent, such as statutes, regulations, and previous court decisions. Don't be fooled by the name — briefs are usually anything but brief, as pointed out by writer Franz Kafka, who defined a lawyer as "a person who writes a 10,000-word decision and calls it a brief."Category: Representing Yourself in CourtCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
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1 n. A written statement prepared by a lawyer and submitted to the court that outlines the pertinent facts of the case, the questions of law to be decided, the position of the lawyer's client as to those questions, and the legal arguments and authorities (for example, statutes and appellate court decisions) that support that position.See also memorandum.@ amicus briefThe brief submitted by an amicus curiae. Also called brief amicus curiae.=>> brief.@ appellate briefA brief submitted when the case is on appeal.=>> brief.@ reply briefA brief that responds to the arguments previously raised in an opponent's brief.=>> brief.@ trial briefA brief usually submitted just before a trial.=>> brief.@2 v. to counsel in an advisory capacity, as in "to brief" one's senior partner on the status of the case before going to court.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
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A summary of the important points of a longer document. An abstract of a published judicial opinion prepared by a law student as part of an assignment in the case method study of law. A written document drawn up by an attorney for a party in a lawsuit or by a party himself or herself appearing pro se that concisely states the following: (1) issues of a lawsuit; (2) facts that bring the parties to court; (3) relevant laws that can affect the subject of the dispute; and (4) arguments that explain how the law applies to the particular facts so that the case will be decided in the party's favor.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
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A summary of the important points of a longer document. An abstract of a published judicial opinion prepared by a law student as part of an assignment in the case method study of law. A written document drawn up by an attorney for a party in a lawsuit or by a party himself or herself appearing pro se that concisely states the following: (1) issues of a lawsuit; (2) facts that bring the parties to court; (3) relevant laws that can affect the subject of the dispute; and (4) arguments that explain how the law applies to the particular facts so that the case will be decided in the party's favor.II A written argument by counsel arguing a case, which contains a summary of the facts of the case, pertinent laws, and an argument of how the law applies to the fact situation. Also called a memorandum of law.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
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1) n. a written legal argument, usually in a format prescribed by the courts, stating the legal reasons for the suit based on statutes, regulations, case precedents, legal texts, and reasoning applied to facts in the particular situation. A brief is submitted to lay out the argument for various petitions and motions before the court (sometimes called "points and authorities"), to counter the arguments of opposing lawyers, and to provide the judge or judges with reasons to rule in favor of the party represented by the brief writer. Occasionally on minor or follow-up legal issues, the judge will specify that a letter or memorandum brief will be sufficient. On appeals and certain other major arguments, the brief is bound with color-coded covers stipulated in state and/or federal court rules. Ironically, although the term was originally intended to mean a brief or summary argument (shorter than an oral presentation), legal briefs are quite often notoriously long.2) v. to summarize a precedent case or lay out in writing a legal argument. Attentive law students "brief" each case in their casebooks, which means extracting the rule of law, the reasoning (rationale), the essential facts, and the outcome.3) v. to give a summary of important information to another person.See also: precedent
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
