WHAT NOT TO WRITE

If you have a case in an appellate court right now, and are trying to decide how to craft your brief, stop whatever else you’re doing right now and click on this link to see the opinion that is the buzz of the appellate community this week. It’s a 46-page opinion, but I don’t expect you to read the whole thing; the zingers are in the first four pages. In essence, a California appellate court calls an attorney on the carpet — very publicly, and very permanently, as it is a published opinion — for submitting a brief that is overlong, improper in substance, and — oh, go and read it for yourself.

Thanks to my cyber-colleague at Have Opinion, Will Travel for the heads-up on this. (While you’re at it, you should read HOWT’s own comments on the opinion, posted yesterday.)