In late January, the Northern District’s six newest judges attended a Federal Bar Association* panel to offer insights into their practices and chambers. The recurring theme of the discussion was a call for civility: Civility in court. Civility in briefs. Civility in emails. Over the next several weeks, I will provide summaries of each judge’s comments and insights. This post (the third in the series) focuses upon Judge Feinerman:

• Allege diversity jurisdiction properly (watch corporate entities)
• Assume he has read the papers when arguing
• Be prepared to argue motions when noticed
• Answer the question the court asks: If it is a yes or no question, the answer should start with "yes", "no" or "I cannot answer that because. . . ."
• Jury trials: respect juries and use humor sparingly