Shon Hopwood Archives - Page 2 of 2

5 Jan, 2011

Is Law School A Bad Investment?

Shon R. Hopwood2019-03-18T18:48:08-05:00January 5th, 2011|Tags: Above the Law, Elie Mystal, investment, LSAT, Shon Hopwood|

It used to be that attending law school was about the best investment a young adult could make. The JD degree provided security and employment opportunities far surpassing many other graduate degrees. Oh, but the times are a changing. Lately, the blogosphere is chalk-full of caution to those considering a legal education.

6 Dec, 2010

Worst Opening of a Legal Brief Ever

Shon R. Hopwood2019-03-18T18:48:11-05:00December 6th, 2010|Tags: Montana v. Belanus, S, Shon Hopwood, Worst Legal Brief Ever, Worst Opening to a Legal Brief|

Since I spend the majority of my days either writing legal briefs or reviewing those of others, I have seen my share of poorly drafted briefs. But after reading the Montana Supreme Court opinion in Montana v. Belanus, I do not believe I have ever spotted a worse example of how to open a brief. Let me give you a little background. The facts in Belanus are not for the faint-hearted. It involves an admittedly brutal beating and an alleged rape. It also involves a serious legal question on whether the Belanus was entitled to the intoxication defense: because defendant was intoxicated on alcohol and drugs should he be held responsible for hi

30 Nov, 2010

Chief Justice Roberts’ Facebook Page

Shon R. Hopwood2019-03-18T18:48:11-05:00November 30th, 2010|Tags: Chief Justice, Facebook Page, John Roberts, Shon Hopwood|

This weekend I was perusing Facebook to see what my friends are up to when I decided to start searching for some new Facebook friends. I came up with a brilliant idea--I would become Facebook friends with Chief Justice John Roberts. So I searched for his page, found it, and put in a friend request. A short time later, he accepted. I an now "friends" with the Chief, how cool. I copied his page and thought I would share it with you less cool people.

28 Oct, 2010

Formulating the QP—Suggestions and Analysis of Questions Presented from the 2009 Term

Shon R. Hopwood2019-03-18T18:48:12-05:00October 28th, 2010|Tags: 2009 Supreme Court Term, Brian Garner, cert petition, Evan Chessler, Jeffrey Fisher, Mark Stancil, Miguel Estrada, Pam Karlan, Questions Presented, Questions Presented examples, Seth Waxman, Shon Hopwood, Supreme Court Rule 14|

If the argument section is the engine that drives the cert petition car, the Questions Presented (“QP”) is the body governing how the engine is framed and the paint job creating that vital first impression. Send a rusty and dented car to the Court, and the Clerk writing the cert pool memo may move on to a flashier ride. Nor will the Justices be impressed. The goal of this post is meant to turn your scratched and marred Pinto-looking QP into, at very least, a Prius!