Law Commons^™

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

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 …

The Dreaded Parenthetical, Brian Wolfman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This essay concerns the use -- and, particularly, the overuse and misuse -- of explanatory parentheticals in legal briefs. The essay describes four particular concerns about parentheticals that appear in briefs. Parentheticals shouldn't be used to repeat what you’ve just said or to say something that easily can be taken out of the parenthetical and placed in ordinary text. Generally, parentheticals shouldn't be used to drive the substance of a brief. The ordinary prose should do that work. And if there’s a good reason to use a parenthetical, try to place it at the end of a paragraph where it …

References To Movies In Judicial Opinions And Written Advocacy, Part 1, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

In opinions in cases with no claims or defenses concerning movies or the movie industry, trial and appellate judges often help explain substantive or procedural points, or help embellish the discussion, with references to themes, scenes, or characters from well-known films that have held Americans’ attention. Sometimes the reference appears in an opinion of the court, and sometimes it appears in a concurring or dissenting opinion.

Sanctions For Evading Maximum Page Limits On Court Filings, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

Judge Marrero joins a growing lineup of judges who have imposed or threatened sanctions on counsel for attempting to evade court rules that set maximum page limits on briefs, memoranda, and other filings. Orders and reported opinions catalogue various strategies, including these: presenting the main text in a font smaller than the court's required font; presenting the main text with spacing less than required double spacing; using excessive footnotes, often single-spaced or in small fonts; or narrowing required margins on the sides, the top, or the bottom of pages.

10 Tips For Effective Brief Writing, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

The audience is often the best critic, and rarely more so than when the writer is an attorney and the reader is a judge considering the attorney's brief in a case before the court. Here are several judges' suggestions for writing briefs that will help your case. The first tip? Leave the venom at home!

Converting Benchslaps To Backslaps: Instilling Professional Accountability In New Legal Writers By Teaching And Reinforcing Context, Heidi K. Brown

Articles & Chapters

A search in published and unpublished court decisions for derivations of phrases like "poorly written brief" or "failure to follow court rules" yields an alarming multitude of case opinions in which judges admonish lawyers of all levels of experience for shoddy briefs or for flouting non-negotiable substantive and procedural rules. Legal bloggers have affectionately dubbed these public reprimands "benchslaps."

Section I of this article provides a contextual background that professors and practitioners can share with rookie legal writers, using judicial opinions to demonstrate the eight most-common ways that attorney work product falls short of judges' expectations and, more importantly, how …

Book Review, Richard B. Collins

Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of Handbook Of Appellate Advocacy, By M. Josephson., Douglas A. Kahn

Reviews

The practice of appellate advocacy may well be the most abused skill in the legal profession. The successful conduct of an appeal can preserve a client's favorable verdict or reverse his losses; and an appellate determination is often dispositive of the case. Yet, while most members of the bar recognize that trial litigation requires specialized training, too many attorneys regard appellate advocacy as commonplace and devote little or no effort to the study of the techniques of brief writing and oral argument. I have personally observed a sizeable number of cases which were lost on appeal, not because counsel failed …

Introduction To Advocacy: Suggestions And Rules For Case Club Work, University Of Michigan Law School

Miscellaneous Law School History & Publications

The transition from classroom to courtroom requires much time and effort on the part of the aspiring law student. Case Club work is an aid to the student in making this transition. Since the Case Clubs play such an important role in the Law School program, the editors have prepared this pamphlet to explain their purpose and functioning.

Our aims in preparing this pamphlet have not deviated since the publication of the first edition. We feel confident that the success of this edition will match that of the first. -- Executive Committee

The Trial Brief, Edson R. Sunderland, Clifford W. Crandall

Book Chapters

From the chapter Introduction: "The object of the preceding chapters is to show the brief maker where to find the material for his brief, how to find it, and how to select out of the mass of material found that which will be suitable for his use.... The present purpose is to outline a course of investigation suitable to the preparation of a case for trial and to suggest methods of making the material collected during the search for authorities readily available." [p.417-418]

The Trial Brief, Edson R. Sunderland

Book Chapters

From the chapter Introduction: "The object of the preceding chapters is to show the brief maker where to find the material for his brief, how to find it, and how to select out of the mass of material found that which will be suitable for his use.... The purpose of this lesson is to outline a course of investigation suitable to the preparation of a case for trial, and to suggest methods of making the material collected during the search for authorities readily available." [p.353]

The Trial Brief, Edson R. Sunderland

Book Chapters

Professor Sunderland writes in introduction to his chapter: "As this is not a book of practice, an extended discussion of the general subject of 'Preparation for Trial' would manifestly be out of place.... The purpose of this part is to outline a course of investigation suitable in preparing a case for trial and to suggest methods for making the materials so obtained readily available." [p.207]