Law360 offers 3rd Circ. Oral Argument Dip Troubling, Chief Judge Says, noting that only 12% of 3d Circuit appeals had oral argument in 2014 (slightly ahead of the 11% rate at the 4th Circuit). The D.C. Circuit topped the list at 55% (and the 7th Circuit was next at 45%).
Not sure what to make of this unpublished family-law-appellate decision here? File it under Appellate Oops?
Moskovitz on Appeals in the DJ has Appellate Adventures, Chapter 8: How Do I Turn The Facts Into A Story?
"Every lawsuit -- and every appeal -- is about a conflict between people. Conflict is the stuff of drama. The parties are fighting about something -- something important enough to spend a lot of money on litigation. People like to read about a fight -- just about any fight. So frame your statement of facts to tell a story about a fight."But recognize creative limits on professional storytelling; don't get too fancy (e.g., using flashbacks or jump-aheads), because the audience is reading the brief "for work, not for pleasure." So stories should be told chronologically.