Brief Writing & Oral Argument

One of the foremost advocates of our time -- Edward D. Re, Chief Justice Emeritus of the U.S. Court of International Trade and Distinguished Professor of Law at St. Johns University -- provides law students and practitioners alike with authoritative guidance on the art of oral and written advocacy.

From the all important brief -- concise, comprehensive and effectively written -- to the delivery of powerful oral arguments, Judge Re demonstrates that there is an artful approach. Counsels success is measured by the ability to persuade and win, and this text clearly explains how to be an effective and persuasive legal writer and advocate. The main goal of this work is to bridge the gap between law school and the practice of law, and thus is ideal for students and novice practitioners, as well as practitioners who just want to brush up on their writing skills.

This new edition continues to improve on what has become a classic with modifications and additions from the expertise gained by its authors and their distinguished colleagues, and the incorporation of recent Rules of Court including current Federal Appellate Procedure and amendments for the Supreme Court. Judge Re is now writing with more than twenty years of experience as a trial judge in various U.S. Courts of Appeals.

The work provides new explanations of current matters relating to the appellate courts, including function, structure, standards of review, frivolous appeals and the imposition of sanctions.

This text also discusses the professional responsibilities of the lawyer, including legal writing and preliminary considerations, opinion letters and claim or demand letters, trial and post-trial briefs, memoranda of law, appellate brief writing, respondent and reply briefs, oral argument, and legal citation.

Useful appendices contain illustrative examples of legal documents attorneys will likely be required to prepare, and are formatted to be easily adapted for legal writing exercises in course use. Plus, the authors include the most current standards, explanations, and examinations of: stare decisis, legal reasoning, the analysis of cases, and the interpretation and application of statutes.

Along with overall writing instruction, this volume also instructs writers on the proper citation of most common legal documents. This text conforms to the latest edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation.