James R. LaytonIn two October presentations, attorney Jim Layton of Tueth Keeney is training attorneys general in the United States about the art of legal writing. On October 13, Jim delivered a presentation on “Legal Writing in the Digital Age” to all the attorneys in the Utah Attorney General’s office. Later in the month of October, Jim will address the same topic as a faculty member “” for the seventh time “” at the NAGTRI Persuasive Legal Writing Seminar. This National program is offered to selected assistant attorney generals from around the United States. At the NAGTRI Seminar, Jim will also explain “” tongue-in-cheek “” how to write a brief that a judge won”™t want to read. Finally, he and other prestigious faculty members will provide one-on-one instruction to the participating attorneys.
Jim has long been involved in addressing how attorneys should to adapt to judges using tablets and other screens to read legal briefs and other court-filed documents. He was a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) task force that drafted, “The Leap from E-Filing to E-Briefing: Recommendations and Options for Appellate Courts to Improve the functionality and Readability of E-Briefs.” Jim is a former Chair of the ABA’s Council of Appellate Lawyers, and currently serves on the Council’s Executive Board. He also serves on Missouri’s E-filing Rules Task Force, which has been rewriting Missouri court rules to address electronic filing.
In addition to handling appeals with colleagues at Tueth Keeney, Jim assists other attorneys with legal writing and appellate tasks, including consulting on appellate strategy; reviewing or editing appellate and other briefs; and assisting with preparation for oral arguments.
James Layton leads the firm’s Appellate practice group and is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation, Labor, and Education groups. He assists clients with analysis and presentation of complex legal issues in Missouri and federal courts, both trial and appellate. In addition to handling cases himself and with other attorneys at Tueth Keeney, Jim consults with clients on appellate strategy and assists other counsel in high-stakes, complex appeals.
Jim has briefed and argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and before all Missouri appellate courts””including more than 90 cases before the Missouri Supreme Court. He has represented clients in U.S. district courts and in Missouri circuit courts from Jackson County to the City of St. Louis. He has extensive experience with government-related litigation and state taxation disputes. Jim is a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, a past president of the Bar Association of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and a past chair of the American Bar Association’s Council of Appellate Lawyers. He is a frequent speaker in the areas of appellate practice and constitutional law, both state and federal.
Tueth Keeney lawyers have briefed and argued hundreds of appeals, including appeals in all Missouri and Illinois state and federal appellate courts and in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Appellate Practice Group represents clients on a wide range of issues impacting businesses, individuals, government entities, and educational institutions. Tueth Keeney attorneys are also available to contribute their considerable experience (including more than 90 arguments before the Missouri Supreme Court) to appeals handled by others””strategizing, assisting with briefs, and preparing for oral argument.