May 2008 Issue

Cover Story

A Voice for the Write

When legal writing expert Bryan A. Garner set out to in­terview all nine U.S. Supreme Court justices for his website, at lawprose.org, he found one jus­­tice particularly compatible: Antonin Scalia. “I found on a personal level that he and I clicked,” says Garner.

Measured only by their contrasting voices, they seem an unlikely duo: Dallas native Garner’s broad Texas drawl, Scalia’s lively New York-bred tempo.

But they are united in their devotion to the written and spoken word—no matter the accent.

The result: Their just-published collaborative tutorial, Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges.

In March, the ABA Journal’s Richard Brust sat down with Scalia in the Supreme Court’s Lawyers’ Lounge—joined by Garner in teleconference—to talk about writing and oral argument. Highlights of that conversation appear below.

Feature Section

Making Your Case

The art of persuading judges.

Learning the Hard Way

Michael Burke lost his freedom and his license to practice. But along the way, he learned some important truths about himself and the law. He’s not alone.