Racking Up Appellate Argument Experience with Chris Schandevel

The California Appellate Law Podcast

ADF attorney Chris Schandevel explains how he got the opportunity to orally argue dozens of cases in multiple appellate courts including state supreme courts in just a decade of practice. We also discuss:

👩‍⚖️Does oral argument make a different? Can amicus briefs make a difference? Yes, and one case proves it: Chris talk about Kligler v. Attorney General in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, where Chris’s amicus brief and oral argument made the difference.

📃Even a failed petition for certiorari makes a difference: ADF’s petition in Hoggard v. Rhodes asked SCOTUS to review the extension of qualified-immunity even to campus police officers’ non-urgent action restricting free speech. SCOTUS declined, but Justice Thomas wrote a statement agreeing with ADF’s argument, and that statement has been cited in nearly 100 decisions since then.

🕔Will the 3rd Circuit’s new 5:00 p.m. filing deadline help or hurt work/life balance? A perspective from a public-interest firm where most attorneys leave early to put kids to bed… but then log back in for some night filings.

✍Top 10 Briefing Myths! Get ready to be offended if you still use Times New Roman and two spaces after a period! Please send complaints (in Century Schoolbook font) to Chris Schandevel.

Chris Schandevel’s biography, and LinkedIn profile.

Appellate Specialist Jeff Lewis' biography, LinkedIn profile, and Twitter feed.

Appellate Specialist Tim Kowal's biography, LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed, and YouTube page.

Sign up for Not To Be Published, Tim Kowal’s weekly legal update, or view his blog of recent cases.

The California Appellate Law Podcast thanks Casetext for sponsoring the podcast. Listeners receive a discount on Casetext Basic Research at casetext.com/CALP. The co-hosts, Jeff and Tim, were also invited to try Casetext’s newest technology, CoCounsel, the world’s first AI legal assistant. You can discover CoCounsel for yourself with a demo and free trial at casetext.com/CoCounsel.

Other items discussed in the episode:

• Turner v. Commonwealth
• Hoggard v. Rhodes, statement of Thomas, J., respecting denial of certiorari.
• Chris Schandevel’s portion of the oral argument in Kligler v. Attorney General in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: https://www.screencast.com/t/M4Si2IMybun
• Link to the full argument: https://boston.suffolk.edu/sjc/pop.php?csnum=SJC_13194
• Link to the SJC’s opinion: https://casetext.com/case/kligler-v-healy
• One space after punctuation is the accepted rule for professional typographers and the consensus of typography authorities.
• Never use ALL CAPS or