[blindLaw] Keeping Time in Court

Sai sai at fiatfiendum.org
Mon Dec 2 10:24:18 UTC 2019


I'm curious about this also, especially combined with
a) slowness of accessing notes,
b) need to use a computer & a text to speech earpiece (my Braille reading
skills are terrible), and
c) need for more time than usual (if my voice is not working well, or if
there are delays due to notes).

This is both for judicial hearings, and for public speaking more generally
(which I do regularly).


I'd thought of a few ideas, and wonder what the rest of you think about
them.

A. Time

1. A tactile wristwatch

2. Multiple alarms on a smartphone, eg to make a quiet single ding tone
every minute, a different one every 5, and more marked ones when getting
close to the end of allotted time (minus time reserved for rebuttal)

3. Notice from the clerk or a judge

4. Notice from co-counsel, in a more subtle way (eg tongue clicks or finger
snaps with prearranged meaning)


B. Notes

1. Preemptively asking for permission to write a follow-up filing
addressing anything that would've been in notes and I don't remember on the
spot, eg references, examples, or addressing questions that require
reference to notes

2. Using a smartphone or laptop at the lectern, in audio mode to an
earpiece (so it's private)

3. Getting co-counsel to look it up and be allowed to whisper to me the
answers (or share the mic)


C. Voicing issues

1. Having a legal ASL interpreter on hand, and mooting with that specific
person beforehand

2. Having my laptop on hand to do text to speech

3. Getting preemptive permission for extended time if my voice starts
failing (for me, stutter or painful speech tends to happen before I go
mute).

Using an interpreter for live discussion, on technicality precise topics,
typically takes double to triple the ordinary amount of time even if
they're very good, and often I need to correct them. Same for text to
speech; I type fast, but it's still much slower than speech.


Any thoughts on any of the above, or other alternatives?

Sincerely,
Sai
President, Fiat Fiendum, Inc., a 501(c)(3)

PS Non-gendered pronouns please. NSA et al: I'm a US citizen.

Sent from my mobile phone; please excuse the concision and autocorrect
errors.

On Fri, Nov 29, 2019, 20:18 Brian Unitt via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> I can only speak to my experience in California. I don't keep track of
> time during the argument. I just focus my preparation on the key points I
> need to make, knowing that if the court has questions all bets are off. In
> the trial court, you seldom have more than five minutes, and the judge will
> cut off the argument when she has heard enough. In the appellate courts, we
> generally get 15 minutes. Any party can ask the clerk to provide a five
> minute warning, and that is all I use. I am too focused on making my points
> and responding to the court's questions to want to be distracted by
> checking the time. Your preparation will tell you how much time you are
> likely to use.
>
> Brian
> Brian C. Unitt
> Certified Specialist, Appellate Law
> The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
>
> Holstein, Taylor and Unitt
> A Professional Corporation
> 4300 Latham Street, Suite 103
> Riverside, CA 92501
> Tel: 951-682-7030
> Fax: 951-684-8061
> www.holsteinlaw.com
> mailto:brianunitt at holsteinlaw.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sanho
> Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw
> Sent: Friday, November 29, 2019 9:06 AM
> To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Sanho Steele-Louchart <sanho817 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [blindLaw] Keeping Time in Court
>
> All,
>
> What is your preferred method for keeping time when in court, especially
> while giving oral argument?
>
> Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, Sanho
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> BlindLaw mailing list
> BlindLaw at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> BlindLaw:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/brianunitt%40holsteinlaw.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> BlindLaw mailing list
> BlindLaw at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> BlindLaw:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/sai%40fiatfiendum.org
>



More information about the BlindLaw mailing list