Effective oral argument requires not only the skills of excellent public speaking but also the mental agility to engage in an impromptu dialectic with an audience that is actively testing the soundness of your positions. And it requires the alert fluidity that allows you to do as the situation requires: perhaps delivering a cogently organized monologue, perhaps responding pointedly to nonstop rapid-fire questions, or perhaps something in between—and never knowing what the situation will require until the argument is under way. Intense preparation, thorough knowledge, capacious memory, flexible adaptability, and unerring judgment are required. That's just about all there is to it. Mr. Garner shares his accumulated knowledge about the likes and dislikes from judges all across the country. He presents practical points that any oral advocate can learn from and perfect.
