When you become involved in a lawsuit, you may want the court to agree to something outside the standard litigation process. For example, you or your opponent may want the court to drop the case (motion to dismiss) or decide the winner without undergoing a full trial (motion for summary judgment).
Legal Reasoning—A writing sample must demonstrate your legal reasoning and analytical skills, i.e., apply law to facts, and distinguish cases on their facts. Thus, an academic survey of case law or a note that summarizes a recently published decision is not the best choice as it does not include legal analysis.
A motion is a paper you can file in your case. It asks the court to decide something in your case. For example, if you need more time to answer a complaint against you, you can file a motion to extend the time to answer. If you do not have a case, you cannot file a motion.
General format - each motion generally consists of a case caption, a title that briefly identifies the relief sought, a series of numbered paragraphs that explains -- in a logical way -- why you are entitled to that relief, a prayer for relief, a signature block, a certification that a copy of the motion was sent to ...
- -2- Rule 76 has been amended to facilitate the filing of documents generated by the courts of the Unified Judicial System by authorizing the signature on such documents to be an original signature, a copy of a signature, a computer generated signature or an electronic signature.
Any party may demand a trial by jury of any issue triable of right by a jury by (1) serving upon the other parties a demand therefor in writing at any time after the commencement of the action and not later than 10 days after the service of the last pleading directed to such issue, and (2) filing the demand as required ...
"Motion to strike jury demand" means that one party has requested a jury trial and the other party is objecting to the request for a jury based on some ground, such as it may be the type of proceeding that a jury is not mandated or that the party asking for a jury has no right to ask for a jury in this manner.
Writing your motion The language of the motion should be clear and concise. This means avoiding extreme claims or hyperbole while quickly getting to the meat of your arguments. There is a time for humor and poetic prose, and that time rarely comes when you are writing a motion.
For example, if a person is injured in a car accident, they may file a lawsuit against the driver who caused the accident. In their complaint, they would include a prayer for relief asking for compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
In such cases, a party may seek relief to protect or enforce their legal rights even in the absence of a direct injury. For example, relief can be sought through a declaratory judgment, where a court is asked to determine the legal rights or status of parties without ordering any specific action or awarding damages.