Tag Archive: Garner

Scalia & Garner: Brevity

The power of brevity is not to be underestimated. A recent study confirms what we all know from our own experience: people tend not to start reading what they cannot readily finish. “Making Your Case”, p. 25 In other words, keep it simple, stupid.

Scalia & Garner: Moderation in the pursuit of justice

In 1964 Barry Goldwater famously proclaimed that “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice … and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Perhaps Goldwater was right. But when advocating on behalf of a client, perhaps not: Select the most easily defensible position that favors your client. Don’t assume more of…

Scalia & Garner: Never say never

So I’ve finally gotten around to reading “Making Your Case”, Justice Antonin Scalia and Bryan Garner’s book on effective advocacy. There’s a lot of really good stuff in the book (which I highly recommend), and it occurred to me that some f the better bits were worth sharing here, so I’ve decided to try and…