Bruce Merenstein Quoted in “Quiet Time? Oral Arguments Disappear in Federal Appeals Courts” in National Law Journal
On June 4, 2018 by SchnaderBruce P. Merenstein, chair of the Firm’s Appellate Practice Group, was quoted in “Quiet Time? Oral Arguments Disappear in Federal Appeals Courts” in the National Law Journal.
“Still, appellate litigators say that focusing on the lack of cases where arguments change outcomes misses some of the vital purposes it serves in the appellate system. . . . Bruce Merenstein, the chair of the appellate practice group at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, based in Philadelphia, agreed. Oral arguments, he said, allow clients ‘to see that the court is taking their case seriously.’ But Merenstein added that advocates’ focus on arguments can sometimes outpace their overall importance. ‘To be perfectly frank, it’s not the primary part of being an appellate lawyer,’ Merenstein said, pointing to all the time he spends developing legal arguments, researching, deciding which issues to raise on appeal, and drafting briefs. ‘That’s where most cases are won or lost.’”
Merenstein has a comprehensive litigation practice ranging from first and second-chairing jury trials to handling state and federal court appeals to serving as court-appointed special master in a number of complex federal cases. He has extensive experience mediating difficult disputes and has been responsible for dozens of appeals covering a wide variety of subject matters.