Writing Bad Briefs: How to Lose a Case in 100 Pages or More

This month's NYSBA Journal includes a tongue-in-cheek article by Judge Gerald Lebovits on writing bad briefs. An excerpt:

Miscite your authorities. Get the volume of the reporter right, but forget page numbers. Close enough is good enough, unless your goal is to lose by winning. If a decision is longer than one page, never give the pinpoint citation. Your goal is to make it so difficult for the judge to find any morsel of accuracy that the judge will turn to your adversary’s brief.

Judge Lebovits includes a list of several articles on good legal writing.

Connecticut Supreme Court Briefs Online

The Appellate Advocacy Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association has collaborated with the Judicial Branch of the State of Connecticut to provide access to appellate briefs filed via the e-filing system for the Connecticut Supreme Court. (As of March 2009, attorneys are required to e-file court documents.) These briefs are searchable by party name, docket number, attorney name, and court term. The briefs are available once the case status is ready for assignment, and, although coverage begins with March 2009, the sponsors of the website are adding material back to January 2009, and hope to provide more retrospective coverage in the future.