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18 Cap. U. L. Rev. 481 (1989)
Book Review

handle is hein.journals/capulr18 and id is 491 raw text is: BOOK REVIEW

Callaghan's Appellate Advocacy Manual, Lawyer's Edition, By John
W. Cooley (2 volumes, looseleaf 1989).
There is much to recommend John W. Cooley's Appellate Advocacy
Manual. Unfortunately, for this reader at least, there is also much which
seems irrelevant and unnecessary. (A reviewer of a more suspicious nature
might conclude that the publisher took what was to be a distin- -uished single
volume and diluted its contents to form two volumes of u -ven quality
in order to appear to justify a looseleaf subscription and a higher price
tag.)
The first two hundred pages of the first volume comprise an excursus
into theories of art and thought. Indeed, the whole of the first volume is
sprinkled generously with quotations of dubious application from Robert
Henri's The Art Spirit, such as, for example, [tihe mind is a tool, it is either
clogged, bound, rusty, or it is a clear way to and from the soul. An artist
should not be afraid of his tools. He should not be afraid to know. After
comparing the appellate practitioner to an artist, a scientist, and a
phychologist (among other vocations), Mr. Cooley turns to a discussion
of thinking and the differences between the left brain and the right brain.
In my opinion, the inclusion of this material (and without question its posi-
tion) is an egregious mistake that will threaten the serious reader's atten-
tion and perhaps, compel some to judge his work prematurely as un-
focused and unhelpful. Such peremptory dismissal, however, would be
a shame, because there is a wealth of useful information waiting for
those who are willing to slog on past these introductory irrelevancies.
The first of the two volumes is devoted to a general discussion of the
skills necessary for appellate practice: making the record, perfecting the
appeal, reading the record, reviewing the rules of appellate procedure, find-
ing grounds for appeal, and drafting the various components of an appellate
brief. Mr. Cooley's third chapter on preserving the record for appeal is
interesting and cogent. It seems to this reader that both fledgling appellate
practitioners and veterans alike will find valuable pointers on the handling
of exhibits and the timing of motions. The fourth chapter on perfecting
the appeal is cursory, but it does include an interesting table setting forth
in Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit's determinations on the
reviewability of various orders and motions. The fourth chapter also in-
cludes references to state rules of appellate procedure that govern the
filing of notices of appeal, but it is by no means a complete list. The
bibliographies to these chapters (and to most of the other chapters) are
detailed, current, and helpful. The fifth chapter is a succinct but solid ad-
monition to read all of the pertinent rules of court before mounting an

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