"[B]revity is the soul of wit." — William Shakespeare

The following post at "On Appeal" made me think that all lawyers — younger and experienced — can learn from Justice Ginsburg’s and Justice O’Connor’s observations.  Although I sometimes think that some courts have become too strict on a blanket-page limitations rule, I understand where the concern originates.  I’ve noticed that most submissions I read — whether motions or appellate briefs — don’t get the heart of the matter and are repetitive.  After reading this article, I have set out to make a concerted effort to work on writing with concision. 

Here is the post:

It’s quite rare that US Supreme Court justices talk candidly in public about how they do their work. But two – Justices Ginsburg and O’Connor – recently admitted many amicus briefs are only skimmed by those on the bench or are nor read at all.

Ginsburg said she has her law clerks arrange the briefs into three piles: (1) “Must-read” briefs; (2) those she could skim or read selected pages from; and (3) the “skip” pile that she does not need to read at all. The first pile, she said, is “very thin.” The largest pile, she admitted, is the “skip” pile.

This isn’t all that surprising, given the sheer quantity of such briefs that are filed in many cases. Click here for the story as reported by The American Lawyer – it contains useful pointers to counsel about when to file such briefs and what to put in them.