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CS Professional · Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances · Art of Opinion Writing

A company secretary prepares an opinion for Greenfield Foods Ltd on a complex question and concludes with a clear answer, but places it only on the last page after twelve pages of unstructured narration. The managing director cannot locate the advice. Which quality of a good opinion is mainly lacking?

Clarity and logical structure are lacking. A good opinion is organised into facts, issues, analysis and conclusion, with the advice easy to find. Burying the answer after unstructured narration defeats its purpose, even though the conclusion itself may be correct.

  1. AIndependence from the client
  2. BClarity and logical structure, with a conclusion that is easy to findCorrect
  3. CAdherence to client's commercial interests
  4. DUse of foreign case law

Explanation

A good opinion is organised logically, often with headings and a clear summary of the conclusion, so the reader can follow the reasoning and find the advice. The issue here is presentation and structure, not independence, client interest or the source of case law.

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