• Home
  • Blog
  • Lawyerpreneur Podcast
  • Contact
  • What I’m Doing Now
Jeremy W. RichterJeremy W. Richter
Jeremy W. RichterJeremy W. Richter
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Lawyerpreneur Podcast
  • Contact
  • What I’m Doing Now

What Judges Wish You Knew

What Judges Wish You Knew

What Judges Wish You Knew

July 18, 2019 Posted by Jeremy W. Richter Case Management, Civil Litigation

I’m attending the Alabama State Bar’s annual conference this week. One of the sessions yesterday was with a panel of judges sharing with lawyers what they wish we knew and did differently. Most of them are pretty straightforward, but the first one caught me off guard.

What judges wish you knew and did differently

Don’t wear flip-flops to court – this was not gender specific, and I was embarrassed for the entire profession that this needed to be addressed.

Don’t use lengthy string cites in briefs without explanatory parentheticals. Judges aren’t putting great weight on cases that we don’t bother to explain their relation to our argument.

If there are any cases that are particularly important to your argument, include a copy of the case as an exhibit rather than having the judge go chase it down. Several judges made the point that they don’t have law clerks who they can task with researching caselaw, so it requires their own time. We can make it easier for them to agree with our legal conclusions bey providing them with the cases upon which the foundations of our briefs are build

This next point was addressed as a corollary to the one above: The greater volume of cases you cite that are only weakly supporting your argument, the less likely you are to get a favorable ruling.

Make succinct arguments, both written and oral. Judges have limited time to devote to your case. Make your points and move on to the next subject.

Include proposed order with motions so judges can more easily grant your motion and implement or amend the proposed language.

Don’t interrupt opposing counsel when they’re making oral arguments. You will be given your opportunity to speak.

If you’re client is in court with you, make sure they know you are in charge and informed about the case before court starts.

Lawyers need to maintain civility among one another.

I’ll leave you with this one, which was as surprising to me that it needed to be addressed as was the flip-flop admonition: Show up to court when you have an appearance scheduled.

These are are few of the things judges wish you knew and some things they wish you did differently. Hopefully, you will have found that you are already doing most of these and finding favor in the sight of the judges you’re appearing in front of.


Photo by Phil Roeder.

Do your best work. Be your best self.

Get the first three chapters of Level Up Your Law Practice so you can have a successful and sustainable law practice that meets your needs through self-assessment, having a vision for yourself and your practice, and client relationships that are built on trust.

Thank you for subscribing.
Something went wrong.

I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

You also might be interested in

2016 Alabama Workers’ Compensation Wrap-Up

2016 Alabama Workers’ Compensation Wrap-Up

Dec 15, 2016

An aggregation of the Alabama appellate court decisions affecting workers’[...]

[No. 6] In the Words of President Bill Clinton…
If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.

[No. 6] In the Words of President Bill Clinton…

Sep 28, 2016

President Bill Clinton: “If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes.[...]

What to Disclose to the Character and Fitness Committee

What to Disclose to the Character and Fitness Committee

Mar 20, 2017

The short answer – ALL THE THINGS! A new crop[...]

Being a lawyer doesn’t mean doing business as usual.

Recent Posts

  • Inspiration Strikes at the Oddest Times
  • Quitting One Thing to Make Room for Another (Lawyerpreneur’s Finale)
  • From High-Rise Buildings to High-Stakes Thrillers with Bonnie Kistler
  • Mental Health among Lawyers with Suzan Hixon
  • Coaching Lawyers in Career Crisis with Annie Little

Search the Blog

Contact Me

Send me an email and I'll get back to you.

Send Message
Doing your best work. Be your best self. Let me help you get there with my new book "Level Up Your Law Practice"

© 2023 · Richter Holdings, LLC

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Lawyerpreneur Podcast
  • Contact
  • What I’m Doing Now
Prev Next