My years as a law clerk for a well-respected appellate judge taught me many things-the most important was that first impressions matter.   And that first impression came-for better or worse-in the appellate briefing.  Oral argument-and face-to-face contact-would be months away.   My first impression came from the writing that I was either glad to read or forced to endure. The harder I had to work to understand the writing and the writer’s argument, the less likely I was to think favorably of the lawyer or the lawyer’s argument.  Read More…