University of Arizona Law Partnering with NITA to Publish Recently Acquired Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

The National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) has entered an agreement with University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law to collaborate on publishing the influential Journal of Appellate Practice and Process. Since its founding in 1999, the Journal has provided a forum for creative thought and dialogue about the operation of appellate courts and their influence on the development of the law. University of Arizona Law acquired the Journal this summer, following more than 20 years of sponsorship by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law.

Among the changes coming to the Journal through this collaboration between NITA and University of Arizona Law are a conversion from printed to online-only editions and the end of the paid subscription model. “NITA is proud to assist University of Arizona Law in continuing the tradition of the Journal of Appellate Practice and Process,” said Jennifer Schneider, NITA’s Associate Executive Director, Operations. “The new online format will increase the accessibility of the articles to a wider audience and help ensure the Journal’s future.”

Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Stephen Breyer and John Paul Stevens of the United States Supreme Court have written for the Journal, as have prominent federal and state appellate jurists including Judge Frank Coffin of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Judge Robert Katzmann of the Second Circuit, Judge Ruggero Aldisert of the Third Circuit, Judge Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit, Judge Richard S. Arnold of the Eighth Circuit, Chief Justice Randall Shepard of Indiana, Chief Justice Vincent McKusick of Maine, Chief Justice Charles Blackmar of Missouri, and Chief Judge Judith Kaye of New York. So influential is the Journal that courts often refer to it in their opinions, with over 100 citations in 2019 alone.

Tessa Dysart, assistant director of legal writing and clinical professor of law at University of Arizona Law, is the publication’s new editor in chief. “For 50 years, NITA has been a leading voice in the field of legal advocacy. It also produces an extensive number of top-notch publications on a range of legal issues,” said Dysart. “We are excited that NITA will lend its expertise in technology, advocacy, and editing to the Journal. We believe that this partnership will not only lead to a better journal but also widen the reach of the publication.” Dysart and Fifth Circuit Judge Leslie Southwick are successor authors of the late Judge Aldisert’s appellate classic, Winning on Appeal: Better Briefs and Oral Argument, published by NITA.

Issue 1 of the Journal’s volume 21, the first to be published by University of Arizona Law in December 2020, will include a comprehensive assessment of the reasonableness standard, a scholarly review of the United States Supreme Court’s grant-vacate-and-remand practice, advice on structuring appellate briefs, a plea for shorter appellate opinions, and a look at the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected appellate courts and appellate practice.

The National Institute for Trial Advocacy is the world’s leader in advocacy skills training and publications. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Boulder, Colorado, NITA is a service organization made up of a volunteer network of lawyers, judges, and esteemed advocates across the globe whose mission is to train and mentor lawyers to be competent and ethical advocates in the pursuit of justice. To learn more, visit nita.org, or call (303) 953-6828.