IRAC Method

Critical legal thinking requires special application in the digital age. Juries and judges are often

called on to apply laws enacted prior to the digital age to cases and legal issues that arise in the

electronic environment and that had not bee

n contemplated when the law was enacted. Critical

legal thinking must also be used by the U.S. Congress and state legislatures as they enact new

laws that specifically address new issues of the digital environment.

IRAC

Method

Legal cases are usually exami

ned using the following critical legal thinking

method

. First,

the

facts

of the case must be investigated and understood. Next, the

legal

issue

that is to be

answered must be identified and succinctly stated. Then the

law

that is to be applied to the case

must be identified, read, and understood. Once the facts, law, and legal issue have been stated,

critical thinking must be used in applying the law to the facts of the case. This requires that the

decision maker

—

whether a judge, juror, or student

—

analyze

,

examine, evaluate, interpret, and

apply the law to the facts of the case. Last, the critical legal thinker must reach a

conclusion

and

state his or her judgment. In the study of law, this process is often referred to as

the

IRAC

method

(

IRAC

is an acronym that stands for

issue, rule, application, and

conclusion

), as outlined in the following:

IRAC

method

A

method

used to examine a law case.

IRAC

is an acronym that stands

for

issue

,

rule

,

application

, and

conclusion

.

·

I = What is the legal

issue

in the case?

·

R = What is the

rule

(law) of the case?

·

A = What is the court’s

analysis

and rationale?

·

C = What was the

conclusion

or outcome of the case?

This text

—

whether in its print or electronic version

—

offer students ample opportunities to

devel

op and apply critical legal thinking. The text contains real

-

world

cases in which actual

disputing parties have become embroiled. The law cases are real, the parties are real, and the

decisions reached by juries and judges are real. Some cases are easier t

o decide than others, but

all provide a unique set of facts that require critical legal thinking to solve.

Critical legal thinking requires special application in the digital age. Juries and judges are often

called on to apply laws enacted prior to the digital age to cases and legal issues that arise in the

electronic environment and that had not been contemplated when the law was enacted. Critical

legal thinking must also be used by the U.S. Congress and state legislatures as they enact new

laws that specifically address new issues of the digital environment.

IRAC Method

Legal cases are usually examined using the following critical legal thinking method. First,

the facts of the case must be investigated and understood. Next, the legal issue that is to be

answered must be identified and succinctly stated. Then the law that is to be applied to the case

must be identified, read, and understood. Once the facts, law, and legal issue have been stated,

critical thinking must be used in applying the law to the facts of the case. This requires that the

decision maker—whether a judge, juror, or student—analyze, examine, evaluate, interpret, and

apply the law to the facts of the case. Last, the critical legal thinker must reach a conclusion and

state his or her judgment. In the study of law, this process is often referred to as

the IRAC method (IRAC is an acronym that stands for issue, rule, application, and

conclusion), as outlined in the following:

IRAC method

A method used to examine a law case. IRAC is an acronym that stands

for issue, rule, application, and conclusion.

 I = What is the legal issue in the case?

 R = What is the rule (law) of the case?

 A = What is the court’s analysis and rationale?

 C = What was the conclusion or outcome of the case?

This text—whether in its print or electronic version—offer students ample opportunities to

develop and apply critical legal thinking. The text contains real-world cases in which actual

disputing parties have become embroiled. The law cases are real, the parties are real, and the

decisions reached by juries and judges are real. Some cases are easier to decide than others, but

all provide a unique set of facts that require critical legal thinking to solve.