BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Posner on prose: Oft-cited federal judge dispenses writing advice
Formidable 7th Circuit Judge Richard Posner recently published in the winter edition of the legal journal "Green Bag" the delightfully readable first installment of a two-part article: What is Obviously Wrong With the Federal Judiciary, Yet Eminently Curable.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: In appellate briefs, don’t forget the brief part
Appellate briefs. The bane of some lawyers, the boon of others, including me.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Amicus briefs should be clear, on target
An amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” lives in a kind of appellate limbo.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Ring in the New Year with new brief rule
In my most recent column’s discussion of ghostwriting, my personal recommendation was in favor of counsel’s disclosure of an attorney’s brief-drafting for unrepresented parties. That recommendation remains unchanged.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Ghostwriting a scary, gray area
When an opposing party is pro se, I gird myself for his briefs. They’re typically long, disorganized, wandering and overwrought.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Get over your issues
Drafting a Statement of the Issues is not my favorite part of preparing a Wisconsin Court of Appeals brief or any brief, for that matter.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Don’t sabotage your appeal
Even when a brief technically conforms to the Court of Appeals’ briefing rules, unwary counsel still can be sandbagged by the decisional briefing rules.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Sometimes it’s the little things that get you
I admit it. When I’m drafting a Wisconsin Court of Appeals brief, all I think about is substance.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Know when to wield a supervisory writ
Every legal specialty has its outliers -- those remedies or procedures that, because they are rarely available or appropriate, tend to shrink from the mind.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: When in doubt, appeal
It sounds so simple: If a judgment or order “disposes of the entire matter in litigation as to one or more of the parties” and is properly entered or recorded (Sec. 808.03(1), Stats.), it is “final,” and the appeal time starts ticking.
BRIEFS FOR THE BRIEF WRITER: Legislative history – how to find it when you need it
Your client is being sued under a new or obscure Wisconsin statute, which has not been discussed in any reported or unreported cases. The statute contains no statement of its purpose, and its language could be read both to include and exclude your client.
Appellate practioner finds her niche in brief writing
Diane Slomowitz recently took a meditation class. Not long into it, she realized everyone except her had achieved a meditative state.
Legal News
- History made in Trump New York trial opening statements
- Prosecutor won’t bring charges against Wisconsin lawmaker over fundraising scheme
- Republican Wisconsin Senate candidate says he doesn’t oppose elderly people voting
- Vice President Harris to reveal final rules mandating minimum standards for nursing home staffing
- Election workers fear threats to their safety as November nears
- Former law enforcement praise state’s response brief in Steven Avery case
- Eric Toney announces re-election bid for Fond du Lac County District Attorney
- Former Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Peter Barca announces new bid for Congress
- Republicans file lawsuit challenging Evers’s partial vetoes to literacy bill
- More human remains believed those of missing woman wash up on Milwaukee Co. beach
- Vice President Harris returning to Wisconsin for third visit this year
- Wisconsin joins Feds, dozens of states to hold airlines accountable for bad behavior
WLJ People
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