Can you give the members of the Appellate Practice Section any advice on filing better Petitions for Review?
The supreme court is not an error correcting court. Consequently, error below will not hold the day in a petition for review. The court primarily looks at whether the petition meets the criteria set forth in 809.62, including whether the law that needs to be resolved is of statewide significance. If a lawyer is crafting a petition for review, the best tip I could give them is to try and have their arguments follow the criteria for review. To that end, we are better able to evaluate whether it is a case that should be taken or not. It seems obvious, but sometimes the obvious is worth repeating. Do you read all the petitions for review yourself? Yes. The court commissioners do a superb job preparing a memo on the matter as well. In fact, I will get a trunk-load to bring home with me on my birthday this Friday. The good news is that if I cannot sleep at night, I always have something to read. Unlike at the trial court where matters are in court at a particular time, much of the work at th
