Overview:
In litigation, lawyers need to rely on case law to support the outcome they are asking
the court take. Lawyers will often “brief” a case to obtain a better understanding of the
case. In other words, lawyers will use a specific format to outline the most important
points in a court’s decision. This activity will also assist you in understanding the cases
discussed in this class.
Instructions:
• Listen to the oral arguments in the Olympic Airways v. Husain case. Read
about the case.
• Read about how to brief a case.
• Using the template provided, complete a “brief” about the case, including the
following:
Who are the parties to the case?
What is the citation of the case?
What are the basic facts of the case?
What did Dr. Hanson’s estate argue?
What did Olympic Air argue?
What did the court decide?
Did the court apply statutory law, case law or both in reaching its decision?
Requirements: Use APA format for non-legal sources such as the textbook. Use Bluebook
citation format for any legal citations. Include the resource to the case and oral arguments. You do not need to use any sources other than your text and the audio
recording of the oral arguments. Submit a Word document using the case brief template. Maximum two pages in length, excluding the Reference page.
https://www.oyez.org/cases/2003/02-1348
