Introduction:
The Summary of the Arguments (hereafter referred as ‘synopsis’) are the best reasons why one should win the case.
Authorities often read the Synopsis first, so it sets up the arguments by giving the authority the context to view it favorably. For an authority who doesn’t have time to read the whole brief, the Synopsis is even more important.
Placement:
a) In an appellate brief, the Synopsis comes after the Facts of the Case.
b) In an assessment brief, the Synopsis comes before the Facts of the Case.
Contents:
a) It must contain a clear and accurate statement of the arguments made.
b) It is different from overview para as it is a stand-alone section of the brief.
c) It shouldn’t be a mere repetition of the main arguments in the point headings.
d) One must try to strike a balance between the detail in the argument section and the more condensed point headings.
Length:
a) It shouldn’t be overly long. (one to two pages at the most).
b) Typically, one paragraph per issue is sufficient.
c) Introductory paragraph must be given only if there is more than one issue).
d) One need not give equal weightage to each argument.
e) It should follow the same order as in the argument section.
Use of Citations:
Sometimes one might feel a need to refer to a key statute or controlling case to make synopsis more understandable, generally the use of citations must be avoided.
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CA Milind Wadhwani | DISA(ICAI), FAFD(Cert.), CCCA(Cert.), Research (Ph.D.) Scholar | Mobile +91 9826273333 | Mail ID: – MILIND.WADHWANI20@GMAIL.COM
Author Bio
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