Motion Brief Outliner

Before writing any substantive motion or brief — outlining first produces better organized, more persuasive writing.

Create a detailed outline for the following motion/brief:

Motion type: [e.g., summary judgment, preliminary injunction, motion in limine]
Court: [COURT AND JUDGE IF KNOWN]
Page limit: [NUMBER]
Filing deadline: [DATE]
Your position: [MOVANT/RESPONDENT]

Legal issue(s): [DESCRIBE EACH ISSUE]
Key facts: [SUMMARIZE THE RELEVANT FACTS]
Strongest arguments: [YOUR BEST POINTS]
Weakest points: [WHAT THE OTHER SIDE WILL ARGUE]
Key authorities: [CASES AND STATUTES TO RELY ON]

Create an outline with:
1. Introduction (1 paragraph — state what you want and why you should get it)
2. Statement of facts (organized thematically, not chronologically)
3. Legal standard
4. Argument sections — one per issue, strongest first
   - For each argument: thesis sentence, supporting authorities, application to facts, anticipated counterargument and rebuttal
5. Conclusion

For each section, estimate word count to stay within the page limit.

Example Output

A 2-3 page detailed outline with section headings, thesis sentences, authority lists, and word count allocations.

Tips

• •Put your strongest argument first — judges may not read to the end of a long brief.
• •Include the anticipated counterargument in your outline — address weaknesses head-on rather than ignoring them.
• •If the judge is known, ask Claude about the judge's tendencies on the specific issue.

Related Prompts