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Chris Edwards, a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice and co-chair of the Appellate Practice at Ward and Smith, P.A., was recently featured in the Q1 issue of Trial Briefs, the quarterly publication of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice.
Chris writes the quarterly “Appellate Thinking” column, and his most recent submission, “Three Ways to Make Writing Clearer and More Persuasive,” gives North Carolina trial attorneys a direct framework for producing briefs that appellate judges can follow quickly and find persuasive.
Key takeaways include adding context to ensure judges and decision makers know what to look for and what’s important. Just as important as including context is omitting unnecessary information to help your reader better understand the facts. Finally, using tools that go beyond spellcheck — such as the read aloud function.
Chris stressed the importance of clear legal writing: “Writing clearly is not a stylistic preference. It is the job. A judge reading your brief at the end of a long day does not have the patience to work through a dense paragraph to find your argument. The brief has one job: make the argument easy to accept. Context, brevity, and careful editing get you there.”
Chris’s contribution reflects his depth of experience and commitment to helping fellow practitioners sharpen their approach to advocacy at every stage of a case. We’re always glad to see members of our team sharing their knowledge and contributing meaningfully to the broader legal community.
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