Appellate Practice

Litigation rarely ends with a trial court’s final judgment. If a party disagrees with a trial court’s rulings or with a jury’s verdict, that party’s recourse is appellate review. But Appellate practice is rife with traps for inexperienced attorneys and, as such, it’s important to hire someone who understands the appellate process and who writes persuasively when pursuing, or responding to, an appeal.

Appeals and writ proceedings are markedly different from trial proceedings. Appellate courts do not provide “second bites at the apple” and they generally will not consider evidence or arguments that were not presented to the trial court. Success often hinges on what was presented to the trial court and, thus, it’s important to get appellate lawyers involved early—well before a notice of appeal is filed. The attorneys at Wallen Kelley understand trial practice and, more importantly, they understand what needs to be done at trial to preserve arguments for appellate review.

The appellate attorneys at Wallen Kelley frequently get hired to provide trial support and to take the lead on appeals for other law firms. Whether you are our client, or another firm facing an appeal, we can help.