The Art of Persuading Judges

If you’re the appellant, reserve rebuttal time.
It’s never wise to waive rebuttal in advance-but it won’t be given to you if you’ve used up all your time in your first presentation. In many courts, it’s customary for counsel to request rebuttal time at the outset of an argument, right after any personal introduction. In other courts, rebuttal time must be arranged with the court­room deputy before argument. If you don’t request or arrange it, you won’t get it.

If the court has warning lights, find out from the clerk in advance whether they’ll be set to take account of your reserved time. If not, you’ll have to keep track of it yourself; if you use up all your time, your request for rebuttal will be dead.