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Searching for Legal Authority
Case in Point
One type of analysis that legal researches perform often is the analysis of a set of facts against a potential case in point. A case in point is one that provides guiding precedent for the legal issue being researched. To determine if a case is indeed a case in point, the current facts must be compared with those of the published opinion. First, compare the factual circumstances. That is, not the similarities. If the cases are very similar, then the published case may offer precedent. In addition, contrast the two sets of factual circumstances. Are there any meaningful differences? If such differences do exist, then the precedential value of the published case is brought into question. After the factual circumstances have been considered, next consider the legal issues.
Modification History File Created: 08/08/2018 Last Modified: 06/13/2019
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