Episode 492 - Legal Writing and IRAC with Rebecca Petrilli from Themis Bar Review

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Finn

Episode 492 of the Law School Toolbox podcast features Rebecca Petrilli from Themis Bar Prep discussing legal writing on exams, with an emphasis on IRAC. The conversation breaks down how students should apply Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion, and identifies where many answers go wrong—especially during the analysis that connects every relevant fact. The episode also highlights Themis Bar Review resources and an offer for July 2025 course prep.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Episode 492: Legal Writing and IRAC

What IRAC Stands For

Common Student Challenges in IRAC

How Graders Give Feedback

Themis Bar Review Prep Options

Lee Burgess: Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast. Today we are excited to have Rebecca Petrilli from Themis Bar Prep as our guest, talking about legal writing and IRAC-ing. Your Law School Toolbox hosts are Alison Monahan and Lee Burgess, that's me. We're here to demystify the law school and early legal career experience, so you'll be the best law student and lawyer you can be. We're the co-creators of the Law School Toolbox, the Bar Exam Toolbox, and the career-related website CareerDicta. Alison also runs The Girl's Guide to Law School. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review or rating on your favorite listening app. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us. You can reach us via the contact form on [LawSchoolToolBox.com](LawSchoolToolBox.com), and we'd love to hear from you. And with that, let's get started. Everyone's journey through law school and licensure is unique. Even if the bar exam seems far off, it's never too early to plan ahead. That's why I'm excited to share an incredible opportunity from Themis Bar Review that you won't want to miss, especially if you're looking to save big. Themis courses are designed to prepare you for the bar exam with comprehensive materials like 15 to 20-minute lecture videos, targeted outlines, and practice questions tailored to your jurisdiction. Although you're not sitting for the bar yet, locking in your prep now can save you money and stress. Plus, you can rest easy knowing that Themis has a proven track record, with first-time taker pass rates that often surpass statewide averages. In July 2023, first-time test takers who completed 75% or more of their course, averaged a 12% higher pass rate than their respective state rate. Enroll now to secure top-notch resources when you need them. And save with our exclusive offer: Save $900 on any July 2025 Themis Bar Review course using the code LAWSCHOOLTB900 at checkout, now valid through May 19th, 2025. That's LAWSCHOOLTB900, available until May 19th. Today we are excited to welcome Rebecca Petrilli – Midwest Attorney Director at Themis Bar Prep – back to the podcast to discuss IRAC and best practices for legal writing on exams, including the bar exam. So Rebecca, welcome back to the podcast. Rebecca Petrilli: Thank you. Glad to be here, Lee. Lee Burgess: Yeah, good to see you back in my Zoom box, where we hang out. But for those who haven't heard our previous conversations, could you just introduce yourself and a little about how you ended up in this role? Rebecca Petrilli: Definitely. So, I was actually a Themis rep when I was in law school. So, I started second semester of my 1L year and have been locked into Themis ever since. I used it for the MPRE, I used it for the bar, and now here I am – almost a decade later, seven years later, working with students. And I ended up in this role because I was a first-generation law student and I had no idea what was happening in law school. And then I became a Themis rep, and it was such a valuable experience for me, getting information about not only what is the bar exam and how you study for it, but all the resources that we have to offer to students while they're in law school were such a helpful part of my law school journey. And now I'm glad to be able to help share that information with more students. Lee Burgess: Amazing. Alright, today we wanted to talk about the ever-loaded term IRAC, which is something that we talk about in law school, we talk about it for the bar. Hopefully everyone listening has an idea of what IRAC is. It's just our Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion – this formula that we use for legal writing, legal exams. And it seems like it is simple, because it's only four letters, but it can be difficult to implement for some students. In fact, I'm just doing a podcast series called "Legal Writing Makeover" that will be released very soon. And we're talking about each part of the IRAC. So it is something that doe

FAQs

What does IRAC mean in legal writing for exams?

IRAC stands for Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion. It is the structured formula used to organize exam answers.

Where do students most often struggle when applying IRAC?

Many students understand the rule and the holding they want to use, but miss the analysis that links every relevant fact step by step.

How does Themis Bar Review support students preparing for the bar exam?

Themis provides comprehensive materials such as lecture videos, targeted outlines, and practice questions tailored to the student’s jurisdiction, along with detailed grader feedback.

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by Finn