Kentucky

Here is an oral advocacy tip for those arguing cases to an appellate court (and when answering any questions presented by a judge) found at the UofL Law School's faculty blogs.  The author is Ariana R. Levinson.

I probably should have heeded her advice the one time I appeared at the Kentucky Supreme Court when Justice Liebson requested a remark about a question from one of the other sitting justices.  And I paraphrase with the benefit of memory and never allowing the facts to get in the way of a good story:

Justice Liebson:  Do you believe that question on xxxx was relevant to your position?

Me:  No, but the way I understand how this process works is you get to ask the questions and I do the best I can to answer them.

Hmmmm.  It's good to be young and foolish.  It also goes to show you that much can be forgiven and overlooked as justice is pursued.

Here is a link to some better tips and advice on how answer questions!  click on heading for ALL the tips.

Faculty Blogs: Legal Writing Tip - Answering Questions at Oral Argument

Last week my class discussed oral arguments.  One student raised a question that many others doubtless have before their first oral argument.  What do I do if I don't know the answer to a judge's question?

In response, we discussed tips for answering a judge's question.  These tips are not only helpful for first-time advocates but also might be a nice refresher for those with more experience.

1.         Listen closely to the judge's question. * * *  click here for more.