Course Name Business Law and Ethics Fundamentals

Subject Code: LAW102

Assignment INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT – Writing a case note.

Key Points
• Summary and comment on one Vietnamese /US case study: at or another relevant website
of the Vietnamese Supreme People's Court https://congbobanan.toaan.gov.vn or
https://law.justia.com/cases/ of US cases.
• Write a 500 word, properly use the IRAC method, and follow the structure below.
• Submit your Assignment to the LMS under the Individual Assignment tab before: 5pm –
26 February 2023
Description
• Case notes usually require you to provide a summary of the case which outlines the
relevant facts and explains the legal issues and the judge’s reasoning (ratio). This is
followed by a critique of the judge’s decisions and a discussion of the implications of
the case. In doing this, you are evaluating the court’s decision.
• You will need to refer in-depth to the course material from weeks 1 to 6 inclusive and it is
expected that you will include some of the required readings from those weeks. However,
you will also need to conduct additional research to provide supportive evidence for your
argument.
• Your assignment must be written in the academic style: 500 words, 12-point font, double-
spaced, excluding the Works Cited page. Please be sure to use a proper and consistent
Citation Style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)
• There is no one way to structure case notes. The table below outlines the requirements
and possible elements of case notes. Always refer to assignment instructions.
Elements Requirements
Summary Introduction Identify: Case name and citation (use most authoritative source)
• Parties and brief facts
• Type of court and history of the case
• Date(s)
• Judge(s)
Might include the nature of the legal issue(s) and/or suggest why
the case is of importance/interest.
 Might outline procedural history, including if the case is a first-
instance decision or if there have been appeals.
Body 1. Background of the case:
Explain the facts of the case relevant to the law. Only provide
sufficient information to show how the legal issues arose.
• Court
• Plaintiff
• Defendant
• Short overview of the case
2. Issue and parties’ opinions
Identify and explain the applicable law.
Outline the arguments presented i.e. The contentions of the
parties.
• Plaintiff
• Defendant
3. Holding of the court
Describe the outcome of the case, including the ratio (reasoning) of
the judge(s) and orders made in applying the law.
Analysis Analysis ✓ Analyze how the rules were applied. Did the reasoning support
the decision?
✓ Consider the background and context of the case.
✓ Evaluate the court’s decision. With split decisions (dissenting
judgments), is the majority's rationale persuasive? What was
the reason for different findings (e.g., interpretation and/or
application of the law)? These questions are especially
important if you disagree with the case outcome.
✓ Where the case determination is based on appeal, consider how
the decision justifies or reconciles earlier decisions. Weighing
this up could require further research into the precedents
referred to in the judgment.
✓ Describe how the case has been treated since. Present any
social implications or impact on business practices. Assess any
policy or legislative implications.
Summary Briefly summarize your main points from your case analysis and
restate your position regarding the case's significance.
Style considerations
Key features of the professional, academic style required in writing case notes include:
• Formal language; avoid idioms or slang, using I, no contractions.
• An objective tone that avoids emotive language
• Headings, sub-heading, and numbering to separate your arguments.
• Paragraphs and complete sentences to develop your position, not dot points.
• Arguments based on evidence from case reports and scholarly sources must be cited using
proper and consistent Citation Style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)