History of legal briefs

Years ago I had the opportunity to watch oral argument in a contract case in the Court of Appeals in London. The argument went on all morning.  Then the judges broke for lunch and announced their intent to return for the afternoon session . . .  in the same case. The...

The Comic Book Brief

“One picture is worth ten thousand words.” This familiar maxim was coined (according to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations) by Frederick R. Barnard, in the publication “Printers Ink” on March 10, 1927. It is not a Chinese proverb. It is, however,...

Block Quotations – Use Sparingly

Why use sparingly? Many Readers dislike visual impact—requires shift to shorter line length Surveys show judges and staff attorneys tend to skip over quotes more than six or seven lines in length Judges view them as evidence of laziness When to Use? When the quotation...