$100 Fine For a Wrong Case Citation

Via ABA Journal Law News, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals fined an attorney a $100 for a wrong citation to a case in the submitted brief.

The lawyer cited an unpublished case that supposedly upheld a stipulated damages clause in a vending machines contract. But a search for the case based on the name provided by the lawyer turned up a misrepresentation case brought by newlyweds against a wedding photographer.

The cite wasn’t helpful, either. It was listed as “2005 AP 160,” which sent the appeals court to 2005 WI App 160 and another “dead end,” the footnote said. When the court finally found the real case—which had an entirely different name—it learned “2005 AP 160” was the docket number.

Tips for Better Legal Writing

The (new) legal writer, once again, has an excellent post with tips and hints regarding better legal writing. This post features the current issue of Headnotes, the Dallas Bar Association's newsletter. The entire newsletter has an appellate theme and is packed with tips for appellate trial lawyers and appellate brief writers. To highlight just couple, take a look at the Questions on Quotations section on page 6, by Justice Jim Moseley, on how to effectively use quotations, or the 20 Tips for Writing Shorter Briefs on page 11, by Scott P. Stolley, on how to write your briefs shorter but still compelling. Any thoughts or comments?

What About Brief In The Rapping Style

The (new) legal writer picked up on this brilliant brief. Put Some Rapping In Your Brief / And From The Judgment Get Relief, is the title of this post.

Take a look at this six page clever reply appealing the attorney-fee. Feeling inspired? Share your comments.

A pro-se litigant appealing an attorney-fee award submitted a reply brief “utilizing rap/rhyme in the argument topics to better emphasize strong concept points.” It worked. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the appellate court reversed the attorney-fee award.