Thomas C. Goldstein had a busy day yesterday at the Maryland State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting in Ocean City.

Goldstein, a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauser & Feld LLP in Washington D.C. and founder of the popular SCOTUSblog, spoke at two educational sessions. One was about the U.S. Supreme Court under President Barack Obama; the other, which I attended and wrote about, was on effective appellate representation.

Goldstein has argued 21 cases before the Supreme Court and offered advice on how to get a petition for writ of certiorari granted and, if you’re lucky, how to argue your case before the high court.

I say “lucky” because Goldstein estimated the court grants approximately 1 percent of the 7,500 cert petitions it receives.

“They’re looking to deny cert,” he said.

Goldstein said the cert petitions granted answer four questions:

• Why this question?  (And it must be a clear question of law);
• Why this court: Can the issue be resolved by Congress or a regulatory agency instead?
• Why this case: What makes this case the perfect vehicle to resolve this question? And,
• Why now: Is there a sense of urgency to decide this case?

When it comes to arguing a case before the high court, Goldstein prepares through moot courts, practicing as many as a half-dozen times before the real deal.

He has two strategies: the principle of relative advantage (what can I bring to the conversation?) and the art of the possible (realizing you will not convince all of the judges to change their minds). Sometimes Goldstein will focus on one judge and discuss only one issue.

“Think modestly about what you can accomplish at oral arguments,” he said.

The bar for seersucker has been raised, possibly out of reach, by Chief Judge Robert M. Bell of the Court of Appeals.

The always-dapper Bell appeared Thursday at the Maryland State Bar Association’s annual meeting in Ocean City wearing a pink seersucker jacket.

Bell, who hosted the annual mid-morning reception for newly-appointed judges, complemented the jacket with a trademark bowtie.

The chief judge told me he has five or six seersucker suits in addition to his jacket and that he will wear all of them regularly throughout the summer. “It’s like any other suit,” he said.

Alright, so they’re my notes, not actual blueprints – but there were hard hats and toolbelts present at this morning’s workshop. “Business Development Blueprints: Laying the Foundation for Your Career” was sponsored by the Young Lawyers Section, though there was a mix of young and mature lawyers in attendance.

Self-promotion can make people uncomfortable, but as Denise Dewling, Marketing Director of Tydings & Rosenberg, pointed out – no one’s going to do it for you, especially if your firm doesn’t have a marketing manager.

Tips ranged from simple-yet-often-overlooked things to nuanced discussions of privacy settings on social networks. For example:

• Always hold a drink in your left hand at networking receptions – this frees up your right hand for handshakes, and avoids giving your new contact a handful of cold, clammy drink sweat!
• Take notes on your contacts (after they walk away) on the back of their business card. Write down tidbits like their hometown, kids’ names and school affiliations. Then enter these facts in Outlook back at the office so you’ll have easy-to-reference talking points at your fingertips.
• Do you have an email mailing list? You should. Populate it with your college buddies, law school friends, professors, and your alumni association. Send periodic updates on your life — including promotions and job changes.
• Take advantage of all networking opportunities. Don’t play golf? Learn! Or find a way to contribute to an outing – even if it’s as a drink runner or driving the golf cart.
• Simple, sincere gestures matter: Send someone an article you think they’d be interested in (hard copy, people!) with a handwritten note attached. Remember those?

Get your hands on a sample marketing plan and give it consideration. Program chair Laurie Wasserman (Tydings & Rosenberg) passed out samples this morning, but they’re also easily found on the Internet.

Karren Pope-Onwukwe, Esq. (left), and Jason Hessler, Esq. (incoming Young Lawyer Section president) also led and helped organize the workshop.