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Some Thoughts On Reply Briefs, Brian Wolfman
Some Thoughts On Reply Briefs, Brian Wolfman
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
This essay provides suggestions for writing reply briefs. It begins with a quick review of the well-understood ways in which an appellate advocate should acquire and review the information needed to write a comprehensive and powerful reply brief.
The essay then turns to the more difficult challenges of crafting the brief, making three key points:
First, don't just go tit-for-tat in responding to one point after another advanced by the appellee. That can be boring and ponderous and often requires you to argue the case on your opponent's terms. Rather, re-frame the case on your client's terms, taking the case …
How To Conclude A Brief, Brian Wolfman
How To Conclude A Brief, Brian Wolfman
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
This essay discusses the "conclusion" section of an appellate brief and its relationship to problems of argument ordering in multi-issue appeals. The essay first reviews the relevant federal appellate rules--Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 28(a)(9) and Supreme Court Rule 24.1(j)--and explains the author's preference for short, precise, remedy-oriented conclusions, shorn of repetitive argument. It illustrates these points with examples from recently filed appellate briefs. The essay then turns to problems of argument ordering in multi-issue appellate briefs, with an emphasis on ending with a bang not a whimper, while sticking with the short, non-argumentative conclusion. The argument-ordering discussion is also …
Some Thoughts On Supplemental Authorities Under Federal Rule Of Appellate Procedure 28(J) And Related Musings, Brian Wolfman
Some Thoughts On Supplemental Authorities Under Federal Rule Of Appellate Procedure 28(J) And Related Musings, Brian Wolfman
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
This essay--prompted by my work directing Georgetown Law's Appellate Courts Immersion Clinic--discusses letters filed under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 28(j). A "Rule 28(j) letter" is the federal appellate rules' principal mechanism for bringing supplemental authorities to an appellate court’s attention after the briefs have been filed. This essay covers (1) the Rule's basic attributes; (2) whether a 28(j) letter may be adversarial; (3) the types of authorities that may be--and should be--cited in a 28(j) letter; (4) proper timing for the filing of a 28(j) letter; (5) when and how to respond to a 28(j) letter; and (6) what …