I Will Roar

“I will roar that it will make the duke say, ‘Let him roar again, let him roar again!”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream I,2; Bottom, eager to play the lion in the ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’ play

“Well roared, Lion!”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream V,1; Demetrius is appreciative

I once got to play the Lion (Snug the joiner) in the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I won’t tell you the year. Hence, I have good authority to use the quotations above!

When presenting your oral argument, roaring may not be the best stylistic choice.  I have the following question, though: can you find a way to enjoy yourself during the argument? Presumably, by the time you get to oral argument, you have put in many hours of research, reading, writing, rewriting, and conferring. You may have lost sleep, hair, your car keys, a sense of direction. You have worked. Hard. You even spent an afternoon with your team, mocking your argument in preparation for this very moment. You have fifteen minutes. Why would you not enjoy that?

I pause now for your well-reasoned response. . . .

That’s what I thought. At least find a way to look like you are enjoying it. The judges, like anyone else, don’t want to stare at a grim face, looking and feeling like they would rather be anywhere but there.

Don’t be a lifeless lawyer, parroting a mediocre brief. Smile! Look like you want to be there!   Judges need to enjoy the moment too. Don’t just read from your brief or mutter the same points over and over again. Sound like you care.

In the end, argue such that the panel says “Let them argue again!”