Justice Patterson was among the panelists at a seminar on mass torts tonight. In the course of her remarks about preserving issues on appeal, writing effective appellate briefs, and presenting compelling oral arguments, she made a suggestion that I had not heard before, even from her.
Justice Patterson suggested that rather than a one-sentence Conclusion section that says merely “For the reasons set forth above ….,” she suggests a terse summary of your key points once again, like a tailored and targeted bookend to an Introductory Statement. Food for thought.