Our firm recognizes the importance of the role of an appellate attorney, who brings a fresh perspective to a litigated matter and supplies skills – particularly in the writing of briefs and oral advocacy before panels of appellate judges – that are crucial to obtaining favorable results on appeal.
There are sharp distinctions between trial advocacy and appellate advocacy. While a trial may involve the development of facts over a period of days or weeks, an appellate attorney must synthesize complex facts and analyze the law in a limited number of pages in a brief and then may have only thirty minutes or less to persuade an appellate panel through oral advocacy. Our appellate attorneys have acquired the necessary exceptional organizational and writing skills and superior oral advocacy skills, not only by drafting briefs and presenting oral arguments in hundreds of cases before the New York State and federal appellate courts, but also through their experience as clerks to appellate judges, drafting appellate court decisions.
Our attorneys are frequently engaged by attorneys from outside the firm to handle their appeals due to our skills and experience. Our firm understands the importance of obtaining the involvement of an appellate attorney even before an appeal is filed. Our appellate attorneys draft and review motions presented to the trial court, address evidentiary issues during trials, draft jury instructions, and ensure that all appealable issues are properly preserved for appellate review.
Our appellate attorneys have been recognized regionally and nationally as outstanding appellate advocates. We are frequently called upon to speak at conferences and seminars on issues related to appellate practice.
