[blindLaw] Oral Arguments

Tue Mar 14 18:47:15 UTC 2023

OneNote is also a great tool that I used a lot when I was practicing law. It has become even more accessible over the last few years. I still use it.

That combined with a good Braille display and an aftershock headset, you should be good to go, if that fits your style.

Having said that, as a blind person, you should never step into a courtroom without a plan B, as technology frequently fail. I always had back up Braille copies in case I had a need to refer to my outline.

I, too, had been told once that I couldn't use my laptop at a hearing. I politely asked the court staff to inform the judge that I was blind and that I needed to use my laptop to represent my client, and everything was fine.

Good luck.

Rod,

Rod Alcidonis

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sanho Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 2:18 PM
To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Sanho Steele-Louchart <sanho817 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Oral Arguments

Matthew:

I'm emailing you off-list.

Warmth,
Sanho

On 3/14/23, Brian Unitt via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Matthew,
>
> I will share some things I have done over the past 40 years, and 
> apologize for the length of this reply. In the end though, what is the 
> least distracting for you is what you should insist on.
>
> Since I started practicing before computers were accessible, I used a 
> slate and stylus for all my notes. The trick I learned in college and 
> law school was not to use braille paper, but to use notebook paper, or 
> later on, legal pads. That paper isn't as durable, but my experience 
> was that it lasted through exams, and in practice through the 
> conclusion of the case they related to. In the early '00s I had a 
> PacMate from Freedom Scientific and that was great until I wore it 
> out. I experimented with several iPad and Braille display combos but 
> was never comfortable with the reliability of the setup, too many 
> potential failure points. You don't want to be standing in front of 
> the court messing with your technology instead of making your 
> argument. I now have a Focus 40 Blue display and often use the 
> scratchpad function for my outline. I set the righthand rocker to 
> display panning and the left to paragraph, and I separate my main 
> points with two hard returns so I can skip through them by paragraph 
> with left Rocker if I need to change course base on the questioning. But mostly I have gone back to slate and stylus. There's no battery to die and no Bluetooth connection to drop.
>
> To me, the key to an effective presentation is to have most of what 
> you might need to tell the court in your head. Only use your notes for 
> an outline of main points to kkeep you on track, and to reference key 
> quotes (short ones) and citations as needed.
>
> If using your laptop will make you most comfortable and able to most 
> effectively do your job, then you should insist on it. I once had 
> court security tell me I couldn't take my PacMate into the courtroom 
> because of a no electronics policy, and many years before that in the 
> same court they tried to confiscate my stylus. In both cases I told 
> them they were the tools I used to represent my client, and asked them 
> to take it up with the Presiding Justice. Security was overridden both times.
>
> Best of luck to you, oral argument is to me the most enjoyable part of 
> appellate advocacy.
>
> Brian
> Brian C. Unitt
> Certified Specialist in Appellate Law
> By the State Bar of California
>
> Law Office of Brian C. Unitt
> 6185 Magnolia Ave, PMB 40
> Riverside, CA 92506
> P: 951-682-7030
> E: brianunitt at holsteinlaw.com
>
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Matthew 
> Smith via BlindLaw
> Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 6:41 AM
> To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Matthew Smith <matthewj.smith1914 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [blindLaw] Oral Arguments
>
> Goodmorning,
> I am currently preparing to give my first oral argument for legal 
> writing. I am not able to use my laptop during the actual arguments 
> but, I was wondering what alternatives are there to supplementing that 
> use. I would prefer to use an electronic due to not having access the 
> ability of producing braill notes  on campus. I also wanted to know 
> what was an approach to memorizing the arguments while answering 
> questions on the material. During practice I attempted to memorize all 
> of the argument but was unsuccessful. Are there any tips about 
> managing your place in your argument wile answering questions. I thank you in advance your help.
>
> Matthew J. Smith
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--
He/Him

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