CCL President Robert S. Peck advises appellate advocates to prepare for a traditional question from a judge: "What is Your Best Case?" Judges often look for a simple straightforward answer to the question before them and sizing up each side's best case can often provide a powerful guide to decision.

     In a post on the Appellate Advocacy Blog, Peck suggests that an advocate not strain to find a "best case" when no single case answers the question. While there may be instances where it does, often an explanation of how several cases inexorably lead to the right conclusion may be necessary and should not be avoided when it is the correct way to look at the issue.