Make Convincing Legal Arguments | UG Episode 2

Dr Mohsen al Attar

Linguistic intelligence is vital to the study of law. A key element of linguistic intelligence is the ability to devise and deploy persuasive arguments. Persuasiveness, however, is an altogether different standard to accuracy. Persuasiveness is primarily contingent on the argumentative skills of the advocate: poor skills will translate into a poor argument even if the logic underpinning the position is sound. In this episode, I detail a strategy for building sound and convincing arguments. My preference is for the RIREAC form: Reference – Issue – Rule – Explanation – Application – Conclusion. There are others (IRAC / ILAC are more popular) and I have met people who prefer to adopt bespoke forms (HOPP: Hunch – Optimistic View – Pessimistic View – Provocative View). Regardless as to which form(s) you opt for, practice is essential and I encourage you to experiment with a variety of strategies before settling on your preferred.