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Lawyers: you should use more humor.

May 15, 2018 by Zara Watkins in legal writing, argument

We lawyers can be a dour bunch. But we don’t have to be. I try to use humor in my oral and written arguments as much as possible. Keep reading to find out why you should too.

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May 15, 2018 /Zara Watkins
legal writing, humor, lawyers, boring, interesting, oral argument
legal writing, argument
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How I streamlined my (brief) writing process.

December 05, 2017 by Zara Watkins in legal writing, legal research

Over (my very busy) summer, I had four appeal briefs due in two weeks. Read about how I got it all done without losing my mind. Hint: it involved a tightly streamlined writing process.

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December 05, 2017 /Zara Watkins
legal writing, legal research, appeals, briefs
legal writing, legal research
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Be a stickler for the (state and federal) rules.

April 24, 2017 by Zara Watkins in legal research, legal writing, argument

We lawyers work within the rule of law; so we necessarily work with a ton of rules. Love it or hate it, your success as a litigator depends on knowing which procedural rules apply to your case (and making sure you follow them precisely). In this post, I share my two part method for navigating the sea of rules in state, federal, and immigration courts that ensures neither my papers nor my arguments are rejected because I missed an applicable rule.

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April 24, 2017 /Zara Watkins
rules, laws, rule of law, procedure, litigation, lawyer, motions, filings, outsource, out-source, legal writing, appeals
legal research, legal writing, argument
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When is a case too old to cite?

August 19, 2015 by Zara Watkins in legal research, legal writing

Is it good lawyerly judgment to cite a case from the 1800s? In this post I tell you how far back you should go–and what else you should do–to find persuasive case law.

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August 19, 2015 /Zara Watkins
legal research, legal writing, citations, seminal, doctrine, treatise, secondary sources, persuasion
legal research, legal writing
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3 Keys to Winning Your Oral Argument

April 14, 2015 by Zara Watkins

Winning at oral argument involves more than just reviewing the briefs, compiling all the cited cases, and making an outline of your main points. Ensure your success with these three key practices.

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April 14, 2015 /Zara Watkins
oral argument, legal research, legal writing, winning, intuition, judge
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5 Reasons To Outsource Your Argument

February 27, 2015 by Zara Watkins

You may have already started to outsource your e-discovery and document template creation, here's five reasons why you should outsource your argument making too.

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February 27, 2015 /Zara Watkins
legal research, legal writing, oral argument, ghost writing, on point, expertise
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Disclaimer: the content on this site is intended as general information for attorneys, law firms, and non-lawyers seeking appellate representation; nothing stated on this site or on the blawg should be taken or used as legal, accounting, or other professional advice; rather, it is information on how lawyers can use services from Zara Watkins, Esq. on a freelance, outsource, or outsourcing basis and how non-lawyers can engage Zara Watkins, Esq. to represent them on appeal.  None of the content contained on this site constitutes grounds to establish an attorney-client relationship, and you should not consider it as such. Updates in the law may or may not be discussed; please do not rely on any information contained on this site or the blawg as currently applicable. There is no guarantee that you will win your appeal.

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