7 08, 2014

TO HECK WITH SPELLCHECK

By |August 7th, 2014|Humor, Seattle University Law School, teaching techniques, Writing|0 Comments

Or is it: “2 HEK WIT SPILL CHICK”CANDIDATE FOR A PULLET SURPRISEI have a spelling checker. It came with my PC.It plane lee marks four my revueMiss steaks aye can knot sea.Eye ran this poem threw it,Your sure reel glad two no.Its vary polished inn it's weigh.My checker tolled me sew.A checker is a bless [...]

22 11, 2013

PRETRIAL: BARD OF AVON’S INTERROGATORIES

By |November 22nd, 2013|Complaint, Humor, Interrogatories, Shakespeare|1 Comment

SHAKESPEARE’S INTERROGATORIES, OR WHY HE WANTED TO KILL ALL THE LAWYERS.BY MICHAEL PARDO AND MIKE WARNER- - - -RESTRAINT OF TRADEShylock v. AntonioPlaintiff’s First InterrogatoriesInterrogatory No. 4: If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?Answer: [...]

16 10, 2013

LAWYERS’ DUMB QUESTIONS

By |October 16th, 2013|Don'ts for Cross-Examination, Humor, Questions|0 Comments

Here is some more on the subject of questioning. Lawyers ask some dumb questions on cross-examination. “Why?” being the dumbest of them all because it opens the door for the witness to say almost anything. The following quotations are taken from official court records across the nation, showing how funny and embarrassing it is that [...]

7 05, 2013

AMAZING TRIAL ANECDOTES: COURTROOM LESSON #2

By |May 7th, 2013|Courtroom Lessons, Humor|1 Comment

Romance in a Strange PlaceAfter years in the courtroom, you know you haven’t heard it all. There’s always another story, which makes you say: “Amazing!” This one comes from a law student’s courtroom observation. Students in my semester-long Comprehensive Trial Advocacy course go to court, watch a day of trial and write a report about [...]

20 12, 2012

LIST OF TIPS ON WRITING GOOD

By |December 20th, 2012|Humor, Writing|1 Comment

Came across some advice in The Utah Prosecutor. It is this “How to Write Good” list, which is attributed to Sally Buford - Sally Bulford, http://www.cc.utah.edu/~tr7184/How-to-Write-Good.txt. We can always learn more about things if there is a list to work from. It’s like water on a plant. Nourishing.1. Avoid alliteration. Always.2. Prepositions are not words [...]

1 12, 2012

REDIRECT EXAMINATION

By |December 1st, 2012|Beyond the Scope, Humor, Redirect Examination|0 Comments

One of the ironies of being a public defender is that the public defender is often the last person to stand trial in a serious case. The process of putting the public defender on trial goes something like this: Stage 1: The defendant stands trial and gets convicted. Stage 2: The defendant receives a whopping [...]

27 12, 2011

PRICELESS COURT ORDER OF 2011

By |December 27th, 2011|Humor|0 Comments

Judge Euphoric Over SettlementTime for a new tradition – awarding the Priceless Court Order of the Year. Criteria for the Award are at best ambiguous.The recipient of the 2011 Priceless Court Order of the Year was not the one shown here. Rather it goes to the First Division of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Kenton Circuit [...]

5 05, 2011

CROSS-EXAMINATION – KNOW THE ANSWER

By |May 5th, 2011|Control the Witness, Don'ts for Cross-Examination, Humor, Tips on Cross, Your Chance to Testify|0 Comments

Humor Makes the PointHumor can be the adhesive to make the point stick. And, the point is that the cross-examiner should know the answer before asking the question or not care what the answer is. Otherwise, as the saying goes, the cross may be “more suicidal than homicidal in nature.” The following transcript of a [...]

17 07, 2009

CREATIVE LEGAL OPINIONS

By |July 17th, 2009|Appellate Advocacy, Appellate Advocacy Tips, Humor, Writing|1 Comment

The Camel Cigarette Ad CaseCreative writing is a confection – a treat to read and a treat to experience. Two judges got creative in their opinions in the Camel cartoon case. In 1998, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company entered into a multi-billion dollar settlement with several states and as part of the settlement agreed not [...]

24 06, 2009

PLAYING TO YOUR TRIAL AUDIENCE: THE JURY

By |June 24th, 2009|Cross-Examination, Humor, Jury Selection, Trial Tips|1 Comment

Juror Infuriated by Prolonged Cross-ExaminationWhat happened earlier this month in a Brooklyn courtroom is a reminder that trial lawyers must be ever mindful of the effects of what they do on their audience – the jury.The New York Times reported that a juror in a Brooklyn court could take it no longer after having sat [...]

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