http://myshingle.com/2008/10/articles/litigation-courts-policy-and-p/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/ Great Things Come in Small [Law] Practices! Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:09:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://myshingle.com/2008/10/articles/litigation-courts-policy-and-p/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/comment-page-1/#comment-3052 Blake Boyd Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:14:08 +0000 http://174.120.83.8/~sh1ngl3/2008/10/articles/uncategorized/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/#comment-3052 I'm not an attorney. But I see enough going into Oral Arguments to say... A lot make a trip to the restroom to wash their hands, clean up and get away from everyone else (ok, and some get a little sick). To be honest, even little ol' me being the trial technologist get butterflies walking into the courtroom. I'm currently in a trial that is starting its second week, and I still get nervous driving to the courthouse. Unless you've been in the heat of the battle (or argument) with the added stresses that a courtroom brings, you'll never understand what stress is! I’m not an attorney. But I see enough going into Oral Arguments to say… A lot make a trip to the restroom to wash their hands, clean up and get away from everyone else (ok, and some get a little sick).
To be honest, even little ol’ me being the trial technologist get butterflies walking into the courtroom. I’m currently in a trial that is starting its second week, and I still get nervous driving to the courthouse.
Unless you’ve been in the heat of the battle (or argument) with the added stresses that a courtroom brings, you’ll never understand what stress is!

]]> http://myshingle.com/2008/10/articles/litigation-courts-policy-and-p/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/comment-page-1/#comment-7421 Blake Boyd Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:14:00 +0000 http://174.120.83.8/~sh1ngl3/2008/10/articles/uncategorized/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/#comment-7421 I'm not an attorney. But I see enough going into Oral Arguments to say... A lot make a trip to the restroom to wash their hands, clean up and get away from everyone else (ok, and some get a little sick). To be honest, even little ol' me being the trial technologist get butterflies walking into the courtroom. I'm currently in a trial that is starting its second week, and I still get nervous driving to the courthouse. Unless you've been in the heat of the battle (or argument) with the added stresses that a courtroom brings, you'll never understand what stress is! I’m not an attorney. But I see enough going into Oral Arguments to say… A lot make a trip to the restroom to wash their hands, clean up and get away from everyone else (ok, and some get a little sick).
To be honest, even little ol’ me being the trial technologist get butterflies walking into the courtroom. I’m currently in a trial that is starting its second week, and I still get nervous driving to the courthouse.
Unless you’ve been in the heat of the battle (or argument) with the added stresses that a courtroom brings, you’ll never understand what stress is!

]]> http://myshingle.com/2008/10/articles/litigation-courts-policy-and-p/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/comment-page-1/#comment-3051 D. Todd Smith Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:27:07 +0000 http://174.120.83.8/~sh1ngl3/2008/10/articles/uncategorized/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/#comment-3051 I don't have what I would consider to be rituals or superstitions. It's more of a process. I generally go back and read all the briefs and important cases, then check to see if any new on-point decisions have come out since the briefs were filed. I'll then outline my argument, paying particular attention to the weak points in my case and questions I think I'm likely to get from the bench. Finally, I boil my outline down to a one-page flowchart listing the most important or hard-to-remember points and case names. I put whatever I think is important in a 1" black binder that I take to the podium with me, but I don't usually look at it much. I try to be as conversational as I can. I don’t have what I would consider to be rituals or superstitions. It’s more of a process.
I generally go back and read all the briefs and important cases, then check to see if any new on-point decisions have come out since the briefs were filed. I’ll then outline my argument, paying particular attention to the weak points in my case and questions I think I’m likely to get from the bench. Finally, I boil my outline down to a one-page flowchart listing the most important or hard-to-remember points and case names.
I put whatever I think is important in a 1″ black binder that I take to the podium with me, but I don’t usually look at it much. I try to be as conversational as I can.

]]> http://myshingle.com/2008/10/articles/litigation-courts-policy-and-p/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/comment-page-1/#comment-7420 D. Todd Smith Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:27:00 +0000 http://174.120.83.8/~sh1ngl3/2008/10/articles/uncategorized/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/#comment-7420 I don't have what I would consider to be rituals or superstitions. It's more of a process. I generally go back and read all the briefs and important cases, then check to see if any new on-point decisions have come out since the briefs were filed. I'll then outline my argument, paying particular attention to the weak points in my case and questions I think I'm likely to get from the bench. Finally, I boil my outline down to a one-page flowchart listing the most important or hard-to-remember points and case names. I put whatever I think is important in a 1" black binder that I take to the podium with me, but I don't usually look at it much. I try to be as conversational as I can. I don’t have what I would consider to be rituals or superstitions. It’s more of a process.
I generally go back and read all the briefs and important cases, then check to see if any new on-point decisions have come out since the briefs were filed. I’ll then outline my argument, paying particular attention to the weak points in my case and questions I think I’m likely to get from the bench. Finally, I boil my outline down to a one-page flowchart listing the most important or hard-to-remember points and case names.
I put whatever I think is important in a 1″ black binder that I take to the podium with me, but I don’t usually look at it much. I try to be as conversational as I can.

]]> http://myshingle.com/2008/10/articles/litigation-courts-policy-and-p/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/comment-page-1/#comment-3050 Craig Niedenthal Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:12:24 +0000 http://174.120.83.8/~sh1ngl3/2008/10/articles/uncategorized/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/#comment-3050 Carolyn: Being a trial lawyer for over 25 years, i still get butterflies even going in to court for a fairly basic hearing. I tend to make an outline of my argument, make sure I understand the main cases at issue and then trust I know it well enough to just go with it. Usually bring up with me some short notes from my outline, but tend to just talk. Can say, the first day of trial, I never eat...too damn nervous. But after the butterflies have passed usually after first day, i try to keep nourished throughout the day, otherwise i putter out. Bottom line, look over your notes and outlines several times so that when you are up there and ready to go, you can talk about the issues as the legal scholar you are suppose to be. Carolyn: Being a trial lawyer for over 25 years, i still get butterflies even going in to court for a fairly basic hearing. I tend to make an outline of my argument, make sure I understand the main cases at issue and then trust I know it well enough to just go with it. Usually bring up with me some short notes from my outline, but tend to just talk.
Can say, the first day of trial, I never eat…too damn nervous. But after the butterflies have passed usually after first day, i try to keep nourished throughout the day, otherwise i putter out. Bottom line, look over your notes and outlines several times so that when you are up there and ready to go, you can talk about the issues as the legal scholar you are suppose to be.

]]> http://myshingle.com/2008/10/articles/litigation-courts-policy-and-p/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/comment-page-1/#comment-7419 Craig Niedenthal Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:12:00 +0000 http://174.120.83.8/~sh1ngl3/2008/10/articles/uncategorized/the-rituals-of-oral-argument-please-share-yours/#comment-7419 Carolyn: Being a trial lawyer for over 25 years, i still get butterflies even going in to court for a fairly basic hearing. I tend to make an outline of my argument, make sure I understand the main cases at issue and then trust I know it well enough to just go with it. Usually bring up with me some short notes from my outline, but tend to just talk. Can say, the first day of trial, I never eat...too damn nervous. But after the butterflies have passed usually after first day, i try to keep nourished throughout the day, otherwise i putter out. Bottom line, look over your notes and outlines several times so that when you are up there and ready to go, you can talk about the issues as the legal scholar you are suppose to be. Carolyn: Being a trial lawyer for over 25 years, i still get butterflies even going in to court for a fairly basic hearing. I tend to make an outline of my argument, make sure I understand the main cases at issue and then trust I know it well enough to just go with it. Usually bring up with me some short notes from my outline, but tend to just talk.
Can say, the first day of trial, I never eat…too damn nervous. But after the butterflies have passed usually after first day, i try to keep nourished throughout the day, otherwise i putter out. Bottom line, look over your notes and outlines several times so that when you are up there and ready to go, you can talk about the issues as the legal scholar you are suppose to be.

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