Preparing Your Brief

/Preparing Your Brief
4 Oct, 2023

Supreme Court Petition—Appendix

2023-10-04T11:27:27-05:00October 4th, 2023|Tags: , , , |

Before you put together a U.S. Supreme Court petition’s appendix, you must do two things: Forget what you've previously learned about lower court appendices; and Read Supreme Court Rule 14.1(i). Rule 14.1(i)'s limited categories of required documents reflect the Court's unique role and the narrow purpose of a petition for certiorari: to demonstrate a case’s [...]

3 Feb, 2023

Perfect Binding v. Saddle Stitching

2023-02-03T09:30:34-06:00February 3rd, 2023|Tags: , , |

Cockle Legal Briefs is the leading filer of U.S. Supreme Court briefs.  The Court’s required booklet format is extremely specific and unusual.  And very few shops—or even general commercial printers—have the requisite expertise and equipment to prepare SCOTUS booklets. These briefs are printed onto a 6 1/8 by 9 1/4-inch page of at least 60-pound [...]

30 Dec, 2022

Briefing in the Federal Courts

2022-12-30T13:17:59-06:00December 30th, 2022|Tags: , , , |

 The term "brief" originated from the Latin word "brevis," which means "short." Legal briefs are called briefs because they are more concise than other legal documents, like pleadings or legal memoranda. Generally speaking, they are meant to provide a summary of the legal issues and arguments involved in a proceeding, rather than a detailed analysis [...]

28 Dec, 2022

Pro Se Basics

2022-12-28T10:26:38-06:00December 28th, 2022|Tags: , , , |

 Are Pro Se Filers Treated Differently Than Lawyers? In general, pro se filers (individuals who represent themselves in a legal proceeding without the assistance of an attorney) are not treated differently than lawyers by the court. However, there are some differences in the way that pro se filers are expected to present their cases. For [...]

29 Mar, 2022

U.S. Courts of Appeals Templates—Microsoft Word

2022-05-04T12:18:51-05:00March 29th, 2022|Tags: , , , |

Preparing a U.S. Court of Appeals filing can be overwhelming. You must meet precise formatting and technical requirements while complying with the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and each of the thirteen Circuits’ ever-changing local rules. That's why we’ve partnered with Looking Glass. Their proprietary Microsoft Word templates include all the required elements of a [...]

1 Feb, 2021

Supreme Court and Circuit Court Brief Template, Discount Offer

2021-07-14T09:15:52-05:00February 1st, 2021|Tags: , , |

There are tons of great reasons to purchase a Looking Glass Supreme Court or Circuit Court legal brief template: they come completely formatted, include detailed guidance notes in most cases, and are competitively priced. Need another reason? We've partnered with Looking Glass to assist you in the event that you require printing/typesetting/formatting services.  Cockle will [...]

2 Jul, 2020

Cockle and Looking Glass Join Forces

2020-07-02T07:17:04-05:00July 2nd, 2020|Tags: , , , |

Cockle Legal Briefs is on the verge of launching Looking Glass™, a new application which will transform legal brief filing.  With its collection of powerful formatting tools and guidance features, Looking Glass will provide Supreme Court filers with a seamless drafting experience.  Over the next few weeks we'll slowly let folks into our Beta to try [...]

7 May, 2020

Writing Your Question Presented

2020-05-07T13:06:30-05:00May 7th, 2020|Tags: , , , |

  “I have always been much better at asking questions than knowing what the answers were.” – Bill James, baseball historian There may be no more daunting task in all Supreme Court practice than distilling a 9,000-word cert. petition down to one or two questions presented. This level of difficulty should come as no surprise—only the [...]

1 Jul, 2019

Amicus Curiae Dos and Don’ts

2019-10-18T18:32:49-05:00July 1st, 2019|Tags: , , , , |

Amicus curiae briefs can play an important role in Supreme Court advocacy by bringing relevant facts and argument to the Court’s attention that the parties have not addressed.  Therefore, Amici have a unique opportunity to shape the outcome of a decision. The incidence of Amicus curiae participation in the Supreme Court has increased dramatically over [...]