L-R: (Top row): Justice Margaret Grignon of the California Court of Appeal; Judge Christine Mayle of Ohio’s Sixth District Court of Appeals; Former Chief Justice Christine Durham of the Utah Supreme Court; Justice Megan Cavanagh of the Michigan Supreme Court; (Bottom row): Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby, Former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann Covington, and D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett. Courtesy photos
As creator and host of the award-winning Portia Project podcast, which chronicles the storied careers of women judges, lawyers, and leaders from throughout the United States, I have interviewed nearly 100 judges about their careers—and about what kind of advocacy they find effective and helpful in their decisionmaking process.
Compiled here are five tips for oral argument gathered from those podcast interviews. While most of these tips are from appellate justices, they apply equally to effective advocacy in the trial court as well.
