Appellate Minefields: What Is A “Judgment” Anyway? To readers: Sponsored columns consist of paid content from companies and organizations that have information and opinions to share with the business community. They do not represent the views of Minnesota Lawyer. Columns are accepted on a variety of topics and are subject to approval by Minnesota Lawyer management. To contribute contact Bill Gaier at 612-584-1537. By: Norman H. Pentelovitch An accurate criticism of law school is that it does little to prepare new lawyers to represent clients. Students read a single paragraph about the facts of a case then focus on endless pages of U.S. Supreme Court legal analysis, minimizing the work of navigating the procedural complexities it takes to end up in the Supreme Court. While that is a great way to learn what a small number of judges think about a narrow topic, it does little to prepare young lawyers for the nitty-gritty of actually trying to get a favorable outcome for a client.