BRIEF (Lat. brevis, L. Fr. briefe, short).
In Ecclesiastical Law. A papal rescript sealed with wax. See Bum,.
In Practice. A writ. It is found in this sense in the ancient law authors.
An abridged statement of the party's It should contain a statement of the names of the parties, and of their residence and occupa tion, the character in which they sue and are sued, and wherefore they prosecute or resist the action ; an abridgment of all the ings ; a regular, chronological, and methodical statement of the facts, in plain common lan page ; a summary of the points or questions in issue, and of the proof which is to support such issues, Mentioning specially the names of the witnesses by which the facts are to be proved, or, if there be written evidence, an abstract of such evidence ; the personal chae ratter of the witnesses, whether the moral character is good. or bad, whether they are naturally timid or over-zealous, whether firm -Dr wavering ; of the evidence of .the opposite
party, if known, and such facts as are adapted to oppose, confute, or repel it.
This statement should be perspicuous and con cise. The object of a brief is to inform the person who tries the case of the facts important for him to know, to present his case properly where it has been prepared by another person,—as is the general prac tioe in England, and to some extent in this country, —or as an aid to the memory of the person trying a case when he has prepared it himself. In some of the state courts and in the supreme court of the United States it is customary or requisite to pre pare briefs of the case for the perusal of the oourt. These are written or printed. Of course the re quisites of 'briefs' will vary somewhat according to the purposes they are to subserve.