What is the main purpose of legal analysis and legal research?

The main purpose of legal analysis and legal research encompasses a range of critical functions, including determining the legal issues raised by the facts, identifying the applicable law, and evaluating how that law applies to specific facts.

Determining the legal issues is the foundational step in legal analysis, allowing one to articulate what legal questions need to be answered based on the given facts. This is essential because identifying the right issues guides subsequent research and analysis.

Identifying what law governs the legal issues is equally vital; it involves understanding the relevant statutes, regulations, case law, and legal principles that may apply to the identified issues. This step ensures that the analysis is anchored in established legal frameworks.

Finally, evaluating how the law applies to the facts is where the practical relevance of legal research and analysis comes into play. This is the step where practitioners assess the strengths and weaknesses of their position based on the applicable law, often leading to conclusions about the likelihood of success in legal arguments or litigation.

Thus, when considering these components together, it becomes clear that the most comprehensive answer integrates all aspects—determining issues, identifying governing law, and evaluating application—therefore making “all of the above” the correct response.