Minnesota State Law Library
Minnesota State Law Library
Briefs are the written legal arguments attorneys submit to the court. The library started collecting and binding briefs in the 1860s and the oldest volumes we have date back to 1864. These volumes are unique. Briefs became more widely distributed in the 1880s.
In the early days the brief books were bound (sewn together and a cover attached) in the library. In this photograph you can see the stiches used to sew the briefs together.
In the early days of the state, attorneys frequently submitted handwritten legal documents. This gradually faded towards the 1870s when all the briefs were printed before being filed. This is one example of a handwritten brief with the familiar formatting at the head of the document.