Today is the first landmark for the Vis teams. The Claimant memorial, the result of a lot if effort over the last few months, will be submitted today. For those situated in many time zones, including mine, there is less than 12 hours left for the deadline. We had shared some tips on Vis memos in Vindobona Junction. If you already do not have the best of arguments and have not done a good job with the memorial, there is not much you can do now.
However, the following is a checklist that may help you avoid some of the most common errors that one may commit while racing against time. These deal with presentation, not content.
1. Ensure uniformity in font and font size throughout the text.
2. Ensure the line spacing is 1.5
3. If you have used short citations, like most teams have, ensure: (i) each authority has a unique short citation; (ii) the short citation for each authority has been uniform throughout the memo.
4. If you have used terms like "Claimant", "Respondent" and "the Contract", ensure that they have been defined and the usage is uniform.
5. As the memorial is very long and the arguments may run into multiple levels, double-check to ensure any confusion or contradiction in the structure.
6. Do not rely on an automatic spelling and grammar check as you may have used authorities in different languages.
7. In your index of authorities, make sure that the citation style followed is uniform.
8. Avoid writing your statement of facts as a chronology. Write it in paragraph form.
9. If you are using paragraph numbering, ensure that the paragraph numbering and automatic numbering of headings have not interfered with each other.
10. If different members of the team have worked on different parts of the memorial, ensure that nothing gets messed up in the assembling process.
11. If you have used terms like "most humbly submit", this is the last chance to remove them.
12. Ensure that your factual arguments are followed by the correct factual citations including the page number or exhibit number.
13. Where multiple drafts of the memo exist, avoid confusion.
14. If any paragraph or sentence is too long, consider breaking it.
15. Most importantly, get someone who is not a part of your team to read the memorial and tell you if it coveys exactly what you intended it should convey. Depending on feedback from this person, you may consider making minor changes to the structure if necessary.
If you can think of any more items to add to the check list, please leave a comment for the benefit of other teams.
Best Wishes
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ReplyDeleteDon't forget to check the abbreviations are consistent, especially if several people are working on different parts.. (we forgot it :s)
ReplyDelete