Legal Writing and Advocacy Skills
Scope of the domain
This section tests whether you can write a legal document and argue it orally in a Georgian court. It covers claim drafting, legal memoranda, cassation complaints, issue statements, citation and courtroom presentation.
Core rules
- Use a predictable structure: issue, rule, application, conclusion (IRAC), or claim, facts, legal grounds, evidence and request. A court should be able to identify the parties, the claim, the legal basis and the remedy from the first page.
- Facts must be specific and admissible. Separate facts from argument. For each legal element, identify the evidence that proves it.
- Cite the Constitution, the relevant code article, binding international treaties and, where persuasive, Supreme Court practice. Never cite a source you have not checked.
- A cassation complaint must identify a fundamental legal error or a uniformity problem; it must not simply repeat the facts. A detention appeal must address the statutory grounds and proportionality.
- Oral argument should open with a roadmap, make no more than three core points, and answer the judges' questions directly. Concede weak points candidly and distinguish adverse authority.
Worked example
You represent an accused seeking release from pre-trial detention. A weak issue statement is: 'The detention is unfair and should be changed.' A strong statement is: 'The detention order is unlawful because the court relied only on the gravity of the charge and did not assess the risk of absconding or interference with evidence, as required by the Criminal Procedure Code.' Reasoning: the second statement names the legal test, the missing finding and the remedy. The oral argument then applies the facts to each risk factor and proposes less restrictive alternatives.
Traps
Do not bury the request at the end; state it early and repeat it precisely. Avoid adjectives without legal elements. Do not overload an appeal with every complaint; select the strongest legal errors. In oral argument, do not read a written submission aloud and do not ignore a judge's question to finish a prepared point.