With the Georgia Supreme Court, Georgia Court of Appeals, and other courts moving to e-filing, an important question arises. Should appellate lawyers write for the page or for the screen? Much would turn, it seems, on whether workflow within the courts matches the way work flows to the courts. Are the judges and justices reading […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2010-12-31 07:40:282010-12-31 07:40:28Should Appeals Lawyers Write for the Screen or the Page?
Being an appellate lawyer is pretty much the same thing as being a professional writer – with a few notable exceptions. Writer’s block and procrastination are not really an option in the kind of writing I do. The penalty for incurable writer’s block isn’t mere artistic angst. Consequences for writer’s block include a client’s anger, […]
If any case qualifies as an old chestnut, it would be Mapp v. Ohio, the landmark case that provided that evidence gathered in violation of a suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights should be excluded from use at trial. Restricting the use of illegally-gathered evidence is the punishment for the illegal conduct. If there’s a case that […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2010-12-20 17:06:092010-12-20 17:06:09Is the Exclusionary Rule the New Hot Appellate Issue in Georgia?
I just finished my second draft of a Brief of Appellant for a case I will soon be filing in the Supreme Court of Georgia. It is the first brief I have filed since I purchased and read Matthew Butterick’s fantastic book, Typography for Lawyers. I’ve written about this book already, and I don’t want […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2010-12-15 22:52:522010-12-15 22:52:52My First Georgia Appeals Brief Since Buying Typography for Lawyers
Rob Teilhet has tendered his resignation as head of GPDSC after only three months in office. Peach Pundit reports on the resignation in a blog post yesterday. I thought his days might be numbered when I met him last month. He came to a conference of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and spoke […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2010-12-10 06:06:292010-12-10 06:06:29Rob Teilhet Resigns as Head of Georgia Public Defender Standards Council
In his blog yesterday, Kendall Gray referenced the Rules of the Georgia Court of Appeals, citing it as “a jurisdiction with rule-mandated ugliness.” Kendall’s blog post comes at a time when I am reading Typography for Lawyers by William Butterick. I’ve learned a great deal about fonts and layout and was all excited about using […]
Last Friday, I spoke at a conference in Atlanta devoted to training attorneys who represent parents in juvenile deprivation hearings. The overall conference was devoted to representing parents in juvenile court. And the focus of my topic was preserving a record for appeal in juvenile court. I still do cases out of juvenile court from […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2010-12-03 13:09:262010-12-03 13:09:26Overcoming Fear to Make a Record in Georgia Appeals Cases with Juveniles
Justice David Nahmias and Judge-Elect Christopher McFadden have been elected respectively to the Supreme Court of Georgia and Georgia Court of Appeals. Both won by wide margins. Georgia votes made the right choice in both elections. Justice Nahmias is likely to continue to do excellent work on the Court. I look forward to his well-reasoned […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2010-12-01 15:16:142010-12-01 15:16:14Nahmias and McFadden Win Election to Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals
If you haven’t already done so, please vote in today’s election. Polls close at 7:00 p.m. this evening. I voted at 8:00 a.m. this morning, and the woman at my precinct told me that I was only the fifth voter to darken their doors. This is a very important election, and much is at stake. […]
I recently wrote about my decision to vote for Justice Nahmias over challenger Tammy Lynn Adkins. That post was picked up by Aly Palmer on the ATL Law Blog, the blog of the Fulton Daily Report. The post has generated thoughtful emails to me about the election. I hope that you’ll research the candidates yourselves […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2010-11-26 15:07:512010-11-26 15:07:51So, About the Rest of My Ballot for Georgia Appeals Seats
Should Appeals Lawyers Write for the Screen or the Page?
/by J. Scott KeyWith the Georgia Supreme Court, Georgia Court of Appeals, and other courts moving to e-filing, an important question arises. Should appellate lawyers write for the page or for the screen? Much would turn, it seems, on whether workflow within the courts matches the way work flows to the courts. Are the judges and justices reading […]
How I Use Evernote in my Appellate Practice
/by J. Scott KeyBeing an appellate lawyer is pretty much the same thing as being a professional writer – with a few notable exceptions. Writer’s block and procrastination are not really an option in the kind of writing I do. The penalty for incurable writer’s block isn’t mere artistic angst. Consequences for writer’s block include a client’s anger, […]
Is the Exclusionary Rule the New Hot Appellate Issue in Georgia?
/by J. Scott KeyIf any case qualifies as an old chestnut, it would be Mapp v. Ohio, the landmark case that provided that evidence gathered in violation of a suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights should be excluded from use at trial. Restricting the use of illegally-gathered evidence is the punishment for the illegal conduct. If there’s a case that […]
My First Georgia Appeals Brief Since Buying Typography for Lawyers
/by J. Scott KeyI just finished my second draft of a Brief of Appellant for a case I will soon be filing in the Supreme Court of Georgia. It is the first brief I have filed since I purchased and read Matthew Butterick’s fantastic book, Typography for Lawyers. I’ve written about this book already, and I don’t want […]
Rob Teilhet Resigns as Head of Georgia Public Defender Standards Council
/by J. Scott KeyRob Teilhet has tendered his resignation as head of GPDSC after only three months in office. Peach Pundit reports on the resignation in a blog post yesterday. I thought his days might be numbered when I met him last month. He came to a conference of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and spoke […]
Georgia Appeals Court Rules “Mandate Ugliness”
/by J. Scott KeyIn his blog yesterday, Kendall Gray referenced the Rules of the Georgia Court of Appeals, citing it as “a jurisdiction with rule-mandated ugliness.” Kendall’s blog post comes at a time when I am reading Typography for Lawyers by William Butterick. I’ve learned a great deal about fonts and layout and was all excited about using […]
Overcoming Fear to Make a Record in Georgia Appeals Cases with Juveniles
/by J. Scott KeyLast Friday, I spoke at a conference in Atlanta devoted to training attorneys who represent parents in juvenile deprivation hearings. The overall conference was devoted to representing parents in juvenile court. And the focus of my topic was preserving a record for appeal in juvenile court. I still do cases out of juvenile court from […]
Nahmias and McFadden Win Election to Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals
/by J. Scott KeyJustice David Nahmias and Judge-Elect Christopher McFadden have been elected respectively to the Supreme Court of Georgia and Georgia Court of Appeals. Both won by wide margins. Georgia votes made the right choice in both elections. Justice Nahmias is likely to continue to do excellent work on the Court. I look forward to his well-reasoned […]
Georgia Appeals Election Day
/by J. Scott KeyIf you haven’t already done so, please vote in today’s election. Polls close at 7:00 p.m. this evening. I voted at 8:00 a.m. this morning, and the woman at my precinct told me that I was only the fifth voter to darken their doors. This is a very important election, and much is at stake. […]
So, About the Rest of My Ballot for Georgia Appeals Seats
/by J. Scott KeyI recently wrote about my decision to vote for Justice Nahmias over challenger Tammy Lynn Adkins. That post was picked up by Aly Palmer on the ATL Law Blog, the blog of the Fulton Daily Report. The post has generated thoughtful emails to me about the election. I hope that you’ll research the candidates yourselves […]