Oral arguments are spoken to a
judge or
appellate court by a
lawyer (or parties when representing themselves) of the
legal reasons why they should prevail. Oral argument at the appellate level accompanies written
briefs, which also advance the
argument of each party in the legal dispute. Oral arguments can also occur during
motion practice when one of the parties presents a motion to the court for consideration before trial, such as when the case is to be dismissed on a point of law, or when
summary judgment may lie because there are no factual issues in dispute.