When arguing before appeals court, be concise.

• Date: 29 May 2002
• Author: Pribek, Jane

Byline: Jane Pribek

Mile 19 of a marathon. Child birth. Oral argument in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.

I knew something about the pain of the first two, but nothing about the third - until I attended Marquette University Law School Dean Howard B. Eisenberg's May 16 presentation on "Pleasing the Court" at the State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Convention.

Now, all three sound equally grueling to me.

Need to prepare for oral argument? Maybe step one should be to rent "The Paper Chase," since the Seventh Circuit judges have the Socratic method down to a science. If you have the time, go see for yourself, he said. Observing the court in action is a great way to get a flavor for the interchange among the various panels.

Make the Most

Digging through your law school moot court notes, which tell you to begin with, "May it please the court, I'm so-and-so from Madison, Wis., and I represent Joe Schmoe," will get you nowhere, Eisenberg said.

Rather, you need to decide upon probably only...