A Study Of A Sample Business Law Case Study

Writing a sound business law case study requires good writing skills, a firm grasp of the purported law and a thorough & accurate interpretation of the case under investigation.  Analyzing case problems in depth and deciphering all the legalities involved are vital to solving any legal issue, whether it pertains to business law or civil law. Naturally, besides having a good idea about the various laws, statutes & clauses, acquiring crack legal reasoning skills is one of the critical goals of any student of the subject.

This blog details a typical case analysis process with an example for the aid of those looking for some quick guidance.

 

A Sample Case

When Mr Z, a renowned cricketer, was shopping in a famous retail chain outlet PriceCo, he slipped and fell on a wet floor in an aisle. One of the store employees had recently mopped the floor, but no warning sign was put up! Mr Z twisted his ankle, broke his wrist and needed to be hospitalized. He was unable to attend scheduled sporting events and, according to his lawyers, lost opportunities of earning more than $600,000. Mr Z sued the retail chain for that amount along with $10,000 in medical expenses. His lawyers claimed that the retail chains negligence in warning customers about the wet floor was the reason behind the injury and are thus liable for all the resultant damages. “

Will the court agree with Mr Z's claims?

Case Study Solution:

Step 1: Understanding all the facts

Now, the first thing that any legal case study must present to the audience is a detailed description of the facts given. This is vital for applying the most relevant law in the situation.

·         Read the case problem thoroughly. Identify the parties involved, like the plaintiff, the defendant and the sequence of events that led to the lawsuit.

In the sample case above, Mr Z is the plaintiff and the retail chain PriceCo is the defendant.

·         The events leading to the lawsuit are also relatively easy to understand. The accident and the resulting injuries led Mr Z to sue PriceCo.

·         While working on any legal case problem, one must accept the facts as stated in the situation. Thus, for the case above, it should be assumed that the floor was wet, and there was no warning sign.

Step 2: Legal Analysis and Reasoning

Once all facts are laid bare, it is time to begin the legal scrutiny. An excellent analytical method is the IRAC method (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion).  Incorporating the IRAC legal reasoning method in a business law case study will require writers to deliver their analysis in the following pattern.

1.      Decide and identify the legal issue in the case à  In the given sample problem, the issue is whether PriceCo’s failure to warn customers amounted to negligence. Negligence is a tort- a civil wrong. In tort cases, the plaintiff will seek compensation from a party for a wrongful act. The party involved, that is, the defendant will be found guilty if they breach a duty of care owed to the plaintiff and if that breach caused harm.

2.      Determine the rule of law à This is where your study of all laws and their tenets come into play. It would be best if you were thorough with the relevant texts so that any complicated legal problem does not throw you off.

For the case above, the applicable legal rule is the tort of negligence. It details that business owners owe a duty of extending reasonable care to their customers or business invitees. Reasonable care involves eliminating or warning against any foreseeable risks about which the defendant knows or should have known. If such an event happens and the customer is injured, then the defendant is liable for the damages and injuries.

 

3.      Application of the law à The application of the rule of law, is often straightforward. In this case, the failure to inform or warn Mr Z about a foreseeable risk in its premises was a clear breach of duty from PriceCo, which the business owes to its customers.

 

4.      Conclusion à It is vital to deliver a clear and concise conclusion to a problem. In this case, PriceCo is liable to pay damages to Mr Z for negligence in their duty of care.

 

Legal problems in business law case studies may not be as simple as the example given here. It may involve multiple issues and numerous applicable rules of law. Prepare well, study different cases and practice often to score big in all your case studies!