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The Art Of Appellate Advocacy, Jason L. Honigman

Michigan Law Review

Rules of practice and procedure provide technical information in regard to perfecting appeals, but they do not explain how to win an appeal any more than how to win a trial. Advocacy is not an exact science; the skills which contribute to effective advocacy, whether in a trial or on appeal, have long been recognized as an art. We shall here deal with these skills at the appellate level, bearing in mind, of course, the limitations of formulating rules or precepts that can adequately instruct in any art.

There is no single, prescribed method for writing a play or painting …