Fred B. Rothman Publications. 1991. (42 pages).
Contents : Introduction - Nervousness - Preparation - Style - Delivery - Substance - Structure - Questions - Rebuttal.This book is for law students and lawyers who want to do well at oral argument. It focuses on how to argue a case before an appellate court. But almost all the advice here applies equally arguing a motion before a trial court, which most lawyers do often.
If you're a law student, your first law argument will come in the spring of your first year, as part of your legal writing course. You will argue orally the arguments you made in an appellate brief. For many of you, this will be your first experience in public speaking. But you'll need more than public speaking . That's why this book starts from scratch. The chapters on nervousness, preparation and delivery make up a quick course in public speaking.
But you'll need more than public speaking skills to do well at oral argument. An oral argument isn't a speech. In a speech you talk and the audience listens. In an oral argument, you and your audience interact. The judges decide what you will talk about as much as you do. They can interrupt you with questions at any time. They can cut you off, tell you to move on, or take up your time telling you what they think. And they hold the power to decide your case. The chapters on style, substance, structure, questions, and rebuttal explain the approach you'll need to be effective in this peculiar form of conversation.
