Persuading Judges

"[This book provides insider information to practicing attorneys on how to effectively advocate to trial court judges. The authors, sitting United States District Court Judges, explain how the skills and tactics of effective advocacy to judges differs dramatically from those that are effective before a jury or to a panel of appellate judges. What may work with jurors, or appellate panels, may not work and, indeed, may be counter-productive with trial judges for reasons the authors explain in great detail. Most lawyers receive little or no training about effective advocacy to trial judges; law schools focus on appellate and jury trial advocacy instead. But the need for effective advocacy to judges has never been greater. The number of jury trials has plummeted in the last century. Appellate arguments have steeply declined in past decades. In the meantime, hearings before trial judges have increased and judges' discretionary authority to