Three veteran Connecticut judges shared their knowledge of appellate advocacy issues in a panel discussion held at the University of Connecticut School of Law on January 17.
Presented by the CBA’s Young Lawyers Section in conjunction with the UConn School of Law’s Moot Court Program, the panel included Judge John M. Walker, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Justice Joette Katz of the Connecticut Supreme Court; and Judge Thomas A. Bishop of the Connecticut Appellate Court, and was moderated by Professor Paul Bader, director of the Moot Court Program. The judges’ panel, fielding questions from both Bader and the audience of more than 200 first-year law students and YLS section members, shared their expertise on a breadth of appellate advocacy topics, providing observations on how lawyers can best serve their clients in the court of appeals.
The judges weighed in on such issues as the importance of conciseness in brief writing and the best manner in which to handle judges’ questions during oral arguments. Young lawyers and law students in attendance sought the panel’s opinions on the role of technology in the appellate courtroom, how best to state the facts in a particularly complex case, and how judges weigh the arguments mounted in written briefs versus those presented in oral argument. Though the discussion and opinions covered much ground in the area of appellate advocacy, all three judges reiterated one significant point throughout: that preparation, confidence, and absolute mastery of the case record are the most important and powerful things an attorney can wield in their courtrooms.
The panel discussion is presented annually to first-year students in the UConn School of Law’s Moot Court Program; this year’s event, organized by YLS Secretary and Moot Court Program Adjunct Professor Proloy K. Das, marks the first time that the discussion was presented in conjunction with the Young Lawyers’ Section of the CBA. Following the discussion, YLS Appellate Advocacy Committee co-chairs Laura Pascale Zaino and Shaina Spreng presented the three judges with awards recognizing their participation.
Among the CBA members in attendance were Past President Louis Pepe and YLS Chair-Elect Dan Krisch.
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