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  • InsideTrack
  • November 01, 2017

    Nominate Your Best: Appellate 'Best Briefs' Competition Ends Dec. 31

    Have you or a colleague recently written an exceptional appellate brief? Think it could serve as a model for others? Enter the State Bar of Wisconsin Appellate Practice Section’s competition to identify and recognize outstanding appellate briefs – entries are due Dec. 31.

    Nov. 1, 2017 – It may not be the great American novel, but you’ve put a lot of time and effort into it – and it shines.

    Now is the time to let the world know: submit your exceptional brief for the Best Briefs Competition through the State Bar of Wisconsin Appellate Practice Section.

    The section is hosting a second competition following the great success of its inaugural competition.

    The competition includes briefs filed in cases resolved between April 1, 2016, and Dec. 31, 2017. Briefs for cases resolved by the deadline will be reviewed by a panel of retired judges.

    Awards will be given in summer 2018.

    Anonymous Entries – Confidential Nominations

    Anyone can nominate a brief – author, colleague, friend, judge, clerk, or other admirer of great legal writing. Nominations are kept confidential.

    After identifying information is removed from the briefs, section board members choose several as finalists. These finalists will be evaluated by a panel of retired appellate judges to identify the most effective, persuasive briefs. There could be one or more winners, depending on how many briefs are worthy of special recognition.

    To qualify for the competition:

    • The primary author must be a State Bar member in good standing.

    • The brief must have been submitted to an appellate court.

    • The appeal in which the brief was submitted must have been resolved – the remittitur must have issued – between April 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017.

    • The briefs will be judged on clarity of writing, depth of analysis, and persuasiveness. They will not be judged on the apparent merits of any issue.

    Don’t worry about whether the brief is resolved by Dec. 31. In early 2018, Appellate Practice Section volunteers will check all submissions against online case information. If the case remains pending, it will be entered in the section’s 2018-19 competition.

    What Makes a Great Brief?

    What are the essential components of a great brief? The 2016 winning briefs had these things in common:

    • They use the “Issues Presented” section to their advantage.

    • They employ simple, clear, succinct language.

    • They don’t rely on boilerplate and string cites; they weave the language of precedent into their own legal analysis.

    • They make subheadings work for them to keep the argument moving, and they give their readers clear roadmaps.

    Learn more in this article in the Dec. 16, 2016, issue of InsideTrack.

    Nominate a Brief by Dec. 31, 2017

    To nominate a brief, visit the competition's website on WisBar.org, and complete the online form (there's no need for you to send the brief).

    Questions? Email briefscompetition@wisbar.org.

    <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/C8ydIfl7pIU" width="525" height="295" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    No matter your experience level, writing is a skill that you can always continue to sharpen. Marquette University law professor Melissa Greipp shares drafting techniques and practical editing tips to take your brief writing to the next level.


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