The Little Book on Oral Argument

In order to prepare for oral argument in an important federal appeal, I ordered numerous books on oral advocacy. This book may be "little," but it was actually the best of the five books that I read. (Second best was "Winning on Appeal" by Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert). It was somewhat surprising that this book was best, because it was the smallest of the lot and, to some degree, is geared toward law students participating in moot court competitions, rather than to practicing lawyers. But this book had the most practical suggestions and I skipped over the parts applicable to moot court competitions (coordinating argument with a partner, etc.) I also liked the fact that this book had practical suggestions about dealing with "stage fright." Some of the other books I read suggested that if you don't feel totally comfortable with public speaking, perhaps you should find someone else to argue your appeal (gee, thanks). This is the book that I read over again the night before oral argument, and its upbeat tone and concrete suggestions really calmed my nerves. I highly recommend this book to any lawyer preparing for oral argument or for any law student participating in moot court.

I have never written a review before, however, now feel compelled to do so. This was my first oral argument, and before a 3 judge panel of the Federal Court of Appeals. This book is quick, to the point and informative. I followed the suggestion on an introduction exactly. After my argument, a Justice for the Federal 4th Circuit Court of Appeals shook my hand and said "A well organized argument...good job". Thank you Alan L. DworskyFollow up: 2013 Used Dworsky's format again and the Chief Judge of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals said "Thank you for making your arguments so clear".

This short book is a great read for any oral presenter. Its conversational style is very approachable. While it's geared towards the legal argument (and indeed, some parts are argument-specific), it contains a number of tips that are applicable for any oral presentation.

Could have been longer, but it was a good "primer" for those who want to know something about oral arguments.

I ordered this book before a moot court competition during my first year of law school. Despite a complete lack of confidence in my public speaking abilities, I became a finalist. I owe it all to this little book.

Only purchase this book if it's required. It is tiny and has nothing to say that cannot be attributed to common sense.

Great product

Good tips.