The Appellate Rules Committee has updated the Appellate Style Manual, which is intended to give practical examples and tips for those practicing in North Carolina’s appellate courts. Though not a
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Typography in Appellate Briefs: Courier Fans, It Is Time to Make the Switch of the Century
Less than a year ago, we blogged on a CLE presentation by Court of Appeals Judge Rich Dietz on typography in appellate briefs. At the time, Judge Dietz urged appellate
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Fourth Circuit Favors Functionality Over Formality
In Chief Judge Gregory’s first published opinion since assuming his new role, the Fourth Circuit indicated yesterday that functional compliance with jurisdictional rules trumps formal compliance. In Clark v.
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What’s in a Name? Compliance with a Rule Perhaps.
This morning, my colleague Whit Pierce forwarded me a legal writing tip from Bryan A. Garner, a well known American lawyer and lexicographer who has authored a number of
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Give The Court Notice Of Additional Authority, But Not Much More
When you are waiting on an decision from the North Carolina Court of Appeals, if you are like me, you anxiously scour the new opinions every other Tuesday morning. And
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Attention All You “Times New Roman” Fans
Judge Dietz shared an interesting brief-writing tip last night with The Chief Justice Joseph Branch Inn of Court. Go with a Century font over Times New Roman, and for any
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Is the Table of Contents the Most Important Component of a Brief?
The September 2015 ABA Journal has an interesting article by Bryan Garner on headings in appellate briefs. Garner makes a case for why the table of contents is one of
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In Praise of Plain Speak
Who is the target audience of an appellate opinion? Appellate counsel? Other lawyers? The public?
For appellate counsel, of course, the written opinion serves to explain the reasoning behind the
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Like It’s Going Out of Style
One of the most useful resources for appellate lawyers just got even better.
The Appellate Style Manual, published by the state bar association’s Appellate Rules Committee, has for years
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Appellate Brief Brevity and Success On Appeal?
“Brevity is appreciated.” “A short brief can be very effective.” How many times have you heard appellate judges make statements like this about appellate briefs? While I can most certainly
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