Legal Advocacy: Strategies for Persuasive and Credible Brief Writing

Chris S. Edwards | Ward and Smith, P.A.

Chris is an appellate attorney who focuses his practice on complex legal issues in both federal and state courts of appeals. A North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice, Chris has handled both civil and criminal appeals raising a wide variety of legal issues. To take a few examples, he has handled appeals in constitutional litigation, child custody litigation, employment litigation, equitable distribution litigation, estate litigation, municipal litigation, patent litigation, personal injury litigation, tax litigation, trade secrets litigation, and unfair competition litigation. All told, since joining the firm in 2018, Chris has presented more than a dozen oral arguments in state and federal courts, and he has been the primary author of more than 30 appellate briefs.

As an appellate attorney, Chris also works with trial counsel before a final judgment has been entered. In this capacity, he drafts and argues significant motions, consults on legal strategy, and works to set the case up for a successful appeal.

Before joining Ward and Smith, Chris was a law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee of the Fourth Circuit and U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan of the Eastern District of North Carolina. Outside of the firm, Chris is an active member of the appellate bar, administering the N.C. Bar Association’s Appellate Pro Bono Program and serving on its Appellate Rules Committee.

I. Avoiding Overstatements to Maintain Credibility | 1:00pm – 1:15pm

II. Avoiding Overstatements to Maintain Credibility | 1:15pm – 1:30pm

III. Shift from pre-digital to digital filing and its impact on public perception | 1:30pm – 1:45pm

IV. How electronic access to documents affects credibility | 1:45pm – 2:00pm

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

V. Techniques for Organizing and Structuring Briefs | 2:10pm – 2:20pm

VI. Creating an Effective Outline and Headings | 2:20pm – 2:30pm

VII. Simplifying Complex Ideas | 2:30pm – 2:40pm

VIII. Clarity and Adaptability in Legal Writing | 2:40pm – 2:50pm

IX. Adapting Tone for Different Stakeholders | 2:50pm – 3:10pm