Citations; accuracy of citations.

• Jurisdiction: United States

Section 76. Citations; accuracy of citations.—As has been noted (Section 66, above), the only safe way is to check your proof against the original reports—not against your original notes! It is very easy indeed for a judge to lose interest in your brief if, because of a mistake in the citation, he can't find the case you cite. He may take a keen interest in you after such an experience, i.e., to see what manner of would-be lawyer this is who writes such sloppy briefs, but he probably won't concentrate very hard on your brief after that.

Similarly, misspelling the name of a well-known case marks you as a lawyer distinctly under par. When the case is a leading one in its field, and one of the parties thereto a person of some prominence, as for instance the case of Philadelphia Co. v. Stimson, 223 U. S. 605, which was brought against Mr. Henry L. Stimson during his...