Chief Judge John Irwin (Ret.)

One of the original six judges appointed to the Nebraska Court of Appeals, Judge Irwin served almost 25 years on the bench, six as Chief Judge. He served as President of the Council of Chief Judges and remains active with that national organization. Beyond the courtroom, Judge Irwin taught Appellate Litigation at Creighton University School
of Law and served on the Faculty of the Appellate Practice Institute, one of the nation’s premier appellate advocacy programs when it was presented by the ABA’s Council of Appellate Lawyers and Appellate Judges Conference.

• Building a Better Brief

  
  

  The goal of a brief is to persuade the court that your argument is the correct one. This must be done quickly because judges read massive numbers of briefs monthly. Learn how to write from a judge’s perspective not yours. Discover legal writing techniques that produce a concise, coherent brief that appreciates the judge’s time constraints. Master writing skills that reflect what judges want to see in your brief.

• Stronger Oral Arguments

  
  

  An oral argument must be a conversation. It’s not enough to deliver an argument from memory or read from notes. Judges have read the briefs and want to hone in quickly on their concerns. All this means that the appellate lawyer must feel comfortable talking about the case. You must have a feel for what it’s like to talk about the case and to answer questions on the fly. Learn techniques and insights to strengthen your oral argument.