Legal Briefs
Below you'll find a few samples of legal briefs that I have written as a law student. They cover interesting legal areas like criminal law, criminal procedure, personal injury, and constitutional law.
Brief for Appellant in Hume v. United States [read here]
Winner of the Best Brief Award for the 2009 Liberty Cup, the annual 2L/3L moot court tournament at Liberty Law
I wrote this appellate brief for my law school's annual 2L/3L moot court tournament. This brief was submitted to the fictitious United States Court of Appeals for the Nineteenth Circuit. It concerns the case of Nick Hume, who was charged and convicted of aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §§ 2(a) and 922(g)(1). His indictment did not allege, and the United States offered no proof at trial, that Mr. Hume knew that Mr. Darley was a convicted felon. Hence, following trial Mr. Hume made a motion for acquittal, which the trial court denied. Mr. Hume appealed this decision.
Accordingly, this brief addresses the following certified question: Can a person be convicted as an aider and abettor to a convicted felon coming into possession of a firearm, even though the person does not know that the person he aids and abets is a convicted felon?
Response to Defendant's Motion to Suppress in State v. Hirt [read here]
Written for Lawyering Skills IV at Liberty Law
I wrote this Response to Defendant's Motion to Suppress to satisfy the requirements of Lawyering Skills IV, a required course during my second year of law school. As part of that assignment, I was only allowed to cite to specific cases from various jurisdictions and to limit my response to ten pages. The motion made by the defendant asked the court to suppress the confession the defendant made to police.
Brief for Respondent in Davis v. Carcetti [coming soon]
Written for the 2009 ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition
This brief was written for the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, along with a partner. The case concerns a lawsuit between the Congress and the President, after the President refused to withdraw troops from a foreign battlefield pursuant to a "timetable act" passed by Congress. My partner primarily wrote about the issue of standing, while I wrote about the Commander-in-Chief power. This brief certainly has its flaws, but it also serves to illustrate my growth in brief writing when compared to later works.
Brief for Plaintiff in White v. O'Malley's Tavern [coming soon]
Written for Lawyering Skills II at Liberty Law
This is the first brief I have ever written, and I am quite proud of it. It concerns a car accident with some sordid details. I received an A on this paper and an A in the class.
