ADVERTISEMENTS

Meredith Harbach has thoughts at Concurring Opinions and Samuel Pillsbury, of Loyola (LA) wrote this article on the topic.  I've taught speaking skills at Berkeley and Indiana and agree whole heartedly on the importance of preparing students for speaking not just at moot appellate arguments, but also in trial settings, at depositions, at law and motion calendars, in committees operating under Roberts Rules, to community groups on social issues, and to other lawyers on professional developments.  Lincoln, in his "Notes for a Law Lecture," said,  "Extemporaneous speaking should be practised and cultivated. It is the lawyer's avenue to the public. However able and faithful he may be in other respects, people are slow to bring him business if he cannot make a speech. And yet there is not a more fatal error to young lawyers than relying too much on speech-making. If any one, upon his rare powers of speaking, shall claim an exemption from the drudgery of the law, his case is a failure in advance."

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.