Award Mouse thought multimedia interface book medal screen monitor

Appellate & Supreme Court

Our Appellate & US Supreme Court Practice includes successful appeals experience before the US Supreme Court, as well as almost every federal circuit and appellate court within the US. Our lawyers handle appeals in every substantive and procedural area of civil and criminal law, serving clients in all aspects of the appellate process. In addition, clients retain us specifically to take over appeals after adverse jury verdicts, as well as to complement their trial team on trials with a high level of risk exposure.

Why Choose Us

  • Wealth of experience in appellate courts across the country, winning high-stakes appeals and navigating extraordinary writs and nuanced, but critical, issues, such as stays
  • A national appellate team of dedicated litigators and former federal and state appellate law clerks, including from the US Supreme Court; we know the courts where we practice
  • Ability to quickly “parachute in” on the aftermath of a verdict and help design post-verdict strategy in order to maximize appellate prospects
  • Focused experience on handling appeals that have an international component, such as cross-border disputes and litigation based on treaties, as well as representing foreign nationals sued in the US
  • ABA Journal commended our Sixth Circuit Appellate blog, the only blog devoted to the Sixth Circuit, as “blog of the week” and as an appellate information resource

Scope of Services

We work with clients across the globe on their US appeals in the following areas:

  • Antitrust
  • Arbitration, including cases related to international arbitration
  • Bankruptcy
  • Business torts and personal injury
  • Contracts and real property
  • Environmental
  • Financial services
  • Intellectual property
  • International
  • Labor and employment
  • Privilege and litigation issues
  • Securities and derivative actions

Areas of Concentration

Overturning/Defending Lower Court Decisions

With the affirmance rate in many courts nearing 90%, knowing how to frame a case to convince an appellate court to overturn a trial court’s ruling takes particular skill and attention to detail. Clients entrust us with this task, especially when the stakes are high. We are also well equipped to defend lower court decisions on appeal.

Extraordinary Writs, Motions and Stays 

We are fully experienced with extraordinary writs at the state and federal levels. In addition to knowing when and how to petition appellate courts for extraordinary relief, we understand the strategies related to securing a stay of a lower court’s adverse order in order to preserve the status quo. Our appellate lawyers have obtained and defeated stays in high-profile cases, along with orders staying or expediting the mandate, to further our clients’ interests. 

US Supreme Court and Amicus Briefs 

Our appellate lawyers are intimately familiar with US Supreme Court practice and procedure, having handled numerous certiorari petitions and briefs in opposition and participated in several merits cases. 

On behalf of our clients who have an interest in cases in which they are not a party, we routinely file amicus briefs to help focus the courts’ attention on matters the parties may have overlooked. We have represented the American Bar Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Kingdom of Belgium, among other highly respected clients, in amicus briefs filed at the US Supreme Court.

Pro Bono 

Our appellate lawyers devote a substantial amount of time to assisting indigent litigants in appellate proceedings. Courts frequently appoint us to work with such litigants in a pro bono capacity because of our appellate experience. We have won a number of victories for pro bono clients, including a rare win at the Eleventh Circuit in a death penalty case. Regardless of our clients’ issues, we value our clients’ goals, and we emphasize strategy and quality to meet those goals.

{{insights.date}} {{insights.type}} {{insights.contentTypeTag}}