Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2018
Abstract
In his years on the federal bankruptcy court bench, Judge Michael had read his share of briefs and other filings. Experience led him to write "Ten Tips for Effective Brief Writing," and to share them on the Court's website to guide counsel who appear before him. He directed the Gordon parties to Tip# 9, "Leave the Venom at Home." "Whether you like (or get along well with) your opposition," the Tip advises, "has little to do with the merits of a particular case. The most effective attack you can make is to persuade ... me that the other side is wrong. Remember, if you win, they lose." Tip# 9 concluded with an illustrative list of words not to use in brief writing: ridiculous, scurrilous, ludicrous, preposterous, blatant, self-serving, and nonsensical.
Recommended Citation
Douglas E. Abrams,
One Judge's Ten Tips for Effective Brief Writing (Part I), 74 Journal of the Missouri Bar 258
(2018).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/facpubs/737