From staying at the same Hartford, Connecticut, hotel the night before oral arguments, to hitting the sack by 10, and even playing “Never Surrender” on the way to court, attorneys who argue before the state Supreme Court say they have tried-and-true rituals they don’t dare disrupt in order to win their case.

The Connecticut Law Tribune spoke Wednesday to six attorneys with varied experiences before the state’s high court. Here are the rituals from attorneys such as Kelly Reardon, who has made one oral argument, to Wesley Horton, who holds the record by active Connecticut attorneys in private practice for appearing before the high court—130 times since 1973.


“Playing ‘Never Surrender’ gets me going. It gets me in a fighting mood. I will play the song over and over and over again.”  — Kelly Reardon