Top 10 Tips from Court of Appeal Research Attorneys

The California Appellate Law Podcast

Appellate justices’ research attorneys are the ones advising the justices about your arguments and writing the opinions. We discuss 10 tips offered at a recent Orange County Bar Association event. Here is a taste:

😮 Biggest surprise: The Court of Appeal wants hyperlinked briefs. They want to be able to click on your record cites to confirm your fact statements. If you wondered how to get the partners at your firm to get you a Clearbrief subscription, tune in.

😡 Start your brief by identifying the judgment or order you’re challenging. This is a court of review, after all—so tell them up front what you want them to review.

📃 Read your Table of Contents. The justices do. So make it persuasive.

🥴 We also discuss the recent Masimo v. Vanderpool Law Firm case, as the Court of Appeal continues to make examples of uncivil lawyers.

The recurring theme is: build trust. Good cites, organization, and civility build trust. Bad cites, poor organization, and incivility can get you sanctioned.

Appellate Specialist Jeff Lewis' biography, LinkedIn profile, and Twitter feed.

Appellate Specialist Tim Kowal's biography, LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed, and YouTube page.

Sign up for Not To Be Published, Tim Kowal’s weekly legal update, or view his blog of recent cases.

The California Appellate Law Podcast thanks Casetext for sponsoring the podcast. Listeners receive a discount on Casetext Basic Research at casetext.com/CALP. The co-hosts, Jeff and Tim, were also invited to try Casetext’s newest technology, CoCounsel, the world’s first AI legal assistant. You can discover CoCounsel for yourself with a demo and free trial at casetext.com/CoCounsel.

Other items discussed in the episode:

• Videos from this episode will be posted at Tim Kowal’s YouTube channel.