the (new) legal writer

Winter 2007 issue of Certworthy

I’m a couple of months late uploading the Winter 2007 issue of Certworthy. Here’s what’s inside:

• Ralph Johnson’s retrospective of Judge John C. Godbold’s classic article, Twenty Pages, Twenty Minutes. Judge Godbold wrote that article more than 30 years ago. Today, it’s still pure gold.

• Circuit reports from our intrepid band of regional editors, reporting on recent developments in appellate law from across the country.

• Oral Argument Can — and Should — Make a Difference, by Douglas R. Dennis. Most appellate judges believe that oral argument rarely affects the outcome of an appeal. Doug thinks the fault for that lies with the advocates, and offers a few tips for making your next argument more effective.

• News about the doings of the DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee, including a few words from our fearless leader, reports from our various subcommittees, and my own report about publication opportunities available to committee members.

Who reads Certworthy, other than the 400 or so members of the DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee? I couldn’t tell you. I can tell you, however, that seven Certworthy articles are cited in Bryan Garner’s latest book, The Winning Oral Argument.

Certworthy: Summer 2006 issue

The calendar says we're four days into autumn; what better time to bring out the Summer 2006 issue of Certworthy?

Certworthy is the newsletter of the DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee; I have the privilege of being its editor. The contents of the current issue include the following:

• A Primer on Motions for Summary Affirmance in the Federal Courts of Appeals, by Ralph W. Johnson, III.
• The Ten Commandments Cases and the Establishment Clause: Is "Location, Location, Location" the New Three Part Test?, by Matthew R. Scott and Joseph L. Parks.
• The Anatomy of an Effective Reply Brief, by Steffen N. Johnson.
• The Dynamics of Appellate Oral Argument, by Justice Margaret M. Grignon (Ret.) and Zareh Jaltorossian.
• Browsing the Bookshelf by Beth Ermatinger Hanan, reviewing Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Member, by Joan M. Biskupic.
• Circuit reports from almost all federal circuits, by our fearless band of regional editors.
• The Hit Programs Keep Coming, a column by R. Daniel Lindahl touting the doings of our wonderful committee.

To download the entire issue, click here. Then print and, if you want, save a copy to your hard drive. For links to back issues, click here.

Certworthy, Winter 2006 issue

As many of you know, Certworthy is an appellate newsletter written and edited by the DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee and published by DRI. The Winter 2006 issue includes the following articles:

• The Right to Appeal: Are Its Days Numbered? by Ralph Johnson III
• Interlocutory Appeals Under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b): Turning Vinegar Into Wine, by Eric P. Schroeder and Benjamin T. Erwin
• Livelier Briefs: A Symposium
  • Say It With Feeling: Aim for the Heart, or Go for the Gut, by Daniel P. Barer
  • "Tell Me a Story!" by Robert M. Frey
  • Use a Picture to Tell Your Story, by Ed R. Haden
• Recent Developments: Bujol v. Entergy Services, Inc.: Revisited and Reaffirmed
• Style Points for Exemplary Briefs: A Former Court Attorney's View, by Matthew S. Lerner¹
• John Bailey's The Lost German Slave Girl, book review by Roger W. Hughes

To download a PDF copy, just click here.

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¹ Matt Lerner is proprietor of New York Civil Law.

Back issues of Certworthy: 1998 through 2005

Certworthy is the newsletter of the DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee.  Each issue features articles on various topics of interest to appellate lawyers, including legal writing, oral argument, and recent developments in the appellate courts - both substantive and procedural. To view the contents of past issues, click on "Continue reading ..." below.