The Little Book on Oral Argument, Second Edition by Alan Dworsky is a reader-friendly guide to oral argument for law students and new lawyers, designed to introduce and cover its subject in a simple and entertaining, yet comprehensive, way. It focuses on how to argue a case before an appellate court. Additionally, it contains chapters on such topics as style, substance, structure, questions, and rebuttal to explain effective approaches to this peculiar form of conversation. More profoundly, it delves into the core theme of oral argument—how one interacts with one’s audience. Judges can interrupt with questions, cut a person off, or force a lawyer to move on.

Each oral argument is different, requiring one to make moment-to-moment adjustments to fit the situation and the judges. To make these adjustments intelligently, there is a need for more than mechanical rules. There is also a need to understand the psychology of persuasion.