Three Experienced Litigators Collaborate On "The Panel" -- An Independent Moot Panel For Preparing Appellate And Arbitration Arguments

NEW YORK, July 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Three experienced litigators today announced a collaboration called "The Panel" (www.mootpanel.com) – an independent moot panel available to help other litigators prepare for appellate and other important court and arbitration arguments. The three litigators all have the extensive experience needed to frame the tough questions that go to the heart of any legal argument. The lawyers are:

• Philip Allen Lacovara, who served as Deputy Solicitor General of the United States, has argued 18 times before the U.S. Supreme Court, and has handled hundreds of appeals. He is the editor-in-chief of Mayer Brown LLP's treatise Federal Appellate Practice, published by BNA. He was Vice President and Senior Counsel in charge of world-wide litigation at General Electric Co. and General Counsel of Morgan Stanley & Co. He is now Senior Counsel at Mayer Brown, where he was previously a partner in the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group.

• George A. Davidson chaired the litigation practice for 13 years at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, where he is now Senior Counsel. He has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal Courts of Appeals in seven circuits, and 16 high or intermediate appellate courts in seven states and the District of Columbia. He is a former President of The Legal Aid Society and was the founding Chairman of Federal Defenders of New York.

• Evan A. Davis, former President of the New York City Bar, is a former litigation partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he is now Senior Counsel. He has argued before federal Courts of Appeals in five circuits and many times before the New York Court of Appeals. He is a recipient of the Milton Gould Award for Outstanding Appellate Advocacy and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.

There are enormous stakes at risk in appellate litigation, and there is no one quite so alone as the appellate advocate standing at the podium, beyond assistance from his or her colleagues and papers. Rehearsal is key, as unanticipated questions pose the hazard of impromptu response. Yet typically rehearsal is conducted within law firms, drawing on internal resources as available. The quality of that rehearsal can be affected greatly by the availability and preparation of key resources as well as the willingness of colleagues to be frank and probing.

The value of an independent moot panel is the quality and focus of the litigation experience it provides, its readiness to be candid and forceful in response to the arguments presented, and its lack of previous involvement in the case – offering a fresh perspective similar to that which the appellate court will bring.

The Panel draws on decades of litigation experience. Its members have argued well over a hundred appeals in federal and state courts across the nation and a similar number of crucial motions in major cases. They differ in their advocacy styles and judicial philosophies and can, therefore, anticipate the environment that the appellate advocate will face appearing before almost any court.

In the definitive Making Your Case, Justice Antonin Scalia and Bryan Garner argue, "No preparation for oral argument is as valuable as a moot court… Nothing, absolutely nothing, is so effective in bringing to your attention issues that have not occurred to you and in revealing the flaws in responses to issues you have been aware of."

The quality, focus, and independence of any moot panel is key. The Panel provides extraordinary experience in litigation, a focus reflective of different advocacy styles and viewpoints, and the fresh and demanding insights that come from independence. Additional information on The Panel is available at www.mootpanel.com.

SOURCE Goodman Media International