Find Lawyers in California, United States for Appellate Practice
Practice Area Overview
Appellate practice involves different skills and strategic considerations than trial practice. On appeal, the focus shifts from developing and proving facts (through discovery, examining witnesses, and trial) to the legal issues that decide the case. Effective appellate advocacy thus demands a formulation of the issues that is focused on what is important to a panel of appellate judges deciding the case.
In formulating the issues on appeal, an appellate lawyer conducts thorough legal research; analyzes the legal issues in light of the rule-making and policy considerations that shape the development of law; and then presents the facts and those issues and arguments selected for appeal concisely in a persuasive appellate brief.
The importance of a well-crafted appellate brief cannot be exaggerated. Appellate briefs receive greater judicial scrutiny than written materials prepared at trial because they are reviewed by a panel of judges, rather than a single judge, along with those judges’ larger legal staff, under comparatively less time pressure than exists in the trial court. As one appellate court has explained, appellate work is “most assuredly not the recycling of trial level points and authorities” but instead “entails rigorous original work in its own right” and “offers counsel probably their best opportunity to craft work of original, professional, and, on occasion, literary value.” In re Marriage of Shaban, 88 Cal. App. 4th 398, 408-10 (2001).
After the appellate briefing, oral argument is an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the appellate judges regarding the issues in the case. To be effective, appellate oral advocacy must be keyed to the unique concerns of the appellate forum – avoiding emotional or fact-based pleas that may play well before a jury, but instead focusing on the dispositive legal issues, being sure to answer the judges’ questions.
In addition to the practice in the appellate courts, appellate lawyers play important roles in the trial courts. Appellate lawyers collaborate with trial counsel on strategic and tactical matters to raise all applicable arguments and make the appropriate trial record, identifying and preserving legal issues as they arise and crafting effective motions on substantive legal issues – before, during, and after trial.
Therefore, involving an appellate lawyer in a case as early as possible is important to ensure the best chance of success both at trial and on appeal.
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Sharon Baumgold is an expert in the arcane science of California appellate writs. She spent nearly four decades as a writs attorney on the California Court of Appeal’s Second District. There, she reviewed, analyzed, and advised appellate justices on more than 10,000 appellate writ petitions in all areas of state law, including arbitration, business and commercial litigation, employment, entertainment, government, insurance, real estate, and probate law. Frequent topics included jurisdic...
Education : University of California, San Diego (B.A., History Honors 1977); McGill University, Montreal, Canada (M.A., 1980; LL.B., 1983). Comments Editor, McGill Law Journal. Admitted to : California State Bar; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Tenth Circuit; U.S. District Courts in California. Professional Experience : Associate, Horvitz & Levy (1987-1993); Associate, Lewitt, Hackman, Hoefflin, Shapiro & Marshall (1985-1987); Associate, Elmer Low P...
Michael Berger is one of California’s preeminent appellate lawyers and is a partner in Manatt Real Estate and the appellate practice. One of the top land use and condemnation lawyers in the United States, his appellate cases have involved planning, zoning, eminent domain, various kinds of business litigation, landslides, contract, due process, equal protection, defective construction, nuisance, insurance and environmental law. Michael has argued four cases before the United States Supre...
Thomas “Tom” H. Bienert, Jr. is a highly experienced trial attorney who handles the spectrum of litigation matters. After spending ten years as a federal prosecutor and two years at a national law firm, Tom founded Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP (BKLW) in 2000 and steadily grew the firm to its current size through the addition of other trial attorneys. Since starting the firm, he has obtained many multi-million dollar verdicts for plaintiffs in civil cases, multiple zero-su...
Joseph Bui regularly briefs complex and novel legal issues before California and federal appellate courts, including the California Supreme Court. Joseph joined GMSR after clerking for three federal judges: Judge Amos L. Mazzant in the Eastern District of Texas, Chief Judge M. Casey Rodgers in the Northern District of Florida, and Magistrate Judge David L. Horan in the Northern District of Texas. As a judicial law clerk, Joseph worked on complex civil actions that implicated contract law, cla...
Harry Chamberlain is a Shareholder of Buchalter, an Am Law 150 firm with a dozen U.S. offices. For over 40 years, he has served as trial and appellate counsel on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, and a variety of public and private sector clients in complex litigation matters. He is certified as an Appellate Specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, arguing hundreds of appeals, including numerous cases before the California Supreme Court and the highest state and fe...
GMSR Managing Partner Timothy Coates is one of the country’s leading appellate attorneys representing public entities and their employees. Over the past thirty years, Tim has briefed and argued over 250 appeals in the state and federal appellate courts, including five cases in the United States Supreme Court. Tim has been recognized as the “go-to” lawyer for governmental entities in civil appeals and related law and motion proceedings in major cases in the areas of civil rig...
Education : Occidental College (B.A., Psychology/Theater, cum laude, 1979); University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D. 1983). Admitted to : California and New York State Bars; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; U.S. District Courts in California. Professional Experience : Benedon & Serlin, LLP (2015-present); Senior Counsel head of Law and Motion & Appellate Department, Collins Collins Muir & Stewart (2012-2015); Associate, Lit...
Thomas R. Freeman is a principal at Bird Marella and a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law. His practice is focused on civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels, and criminal appeals. He is certified as an appellate specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and has argued countless cases before federal and state appellate courts and case-dispositive motions before trial courts. Tom has handled a broad range of complex matters, including...
Ernest Galvan is a partner at Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP. He assists clients in difficult and complex matters involving actual or potential litigation. Mr. Galvan has worked with clients to resolve a wide range of problems, including business formation and dissolution, commercial disputes, employment law matters, disability access compliance, and attorney fee disputes. Mr. Galvan’s practice includes both trial and appellate matters. He has successfully briefed and argued cases...
Jesse Gessin is trial counsel for businesses and individuals. He is the rare attorney who successfully tries both civil and criminal cases. For example, his multimillion-dollar jury verdict was recognized as the highest California verdict in several categories for that year. He entered the case only a few months before trial. In 2022, hired less than ten days before trial, Jesse achieved a complete defense verdict for a successor trustee against multimillion-dollar claims of wrongful investme...
Melanie Gold spent more than three decades as a research attorney for California appellate courts. She primarily worked with the justices of the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego, but also with those of the Sixth District Court of Appeal in San Jose as well as the California Supreme Court in San Francisco. During that time, Melanie analyzed thousands of briefs, motions, and petitions, advised justices on hundreds of appeals, and developed a deep understanding of how appellate court...
GMSR partner Jeff Gurrola is a dedicated appellate lawyer who thrives on providing efficient, excellent legal analysis in high-pressure appeals and fast-paced writ proceedings. Having worked previously both as a trial litigator and as an in-house litigation attorney, Jeff has a deep understanding of the considerations his clients and their trial counsel face when considering and pursuing an appeal or writ petition. Like his colleagues at GMSR, Jeff specializes in appeals but is a subject-matt...
Mira Hashmall is an accomplished trial lawyer with a record of success in federal and state courts, and in arbitration. She is recognized by the Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Appellate Practice and Litigation – Labor and Employment. She has been honored by the Daily Journal on its lists of Top 100 Lawyers in California, Top Women Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, and Top Labor and Employment Lawyers. Los Angeles Business Journal has recognized Mira on its lists of Top Litigators,...
Rex Heinke is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished and experienced appellate practitioners in California, and among the best in the nation. He has argued more than 150 appeals in federal and state courts across the country. Between 2001 and 2020, Rex was co-head of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s nationally renowned Supreme Court and Appellate practice. He is regularly called on to defend major corporations and high-profile individuals in some of their most hotly conte...
Laurie Hepler is a leading San Francisco appellate lawyer, who collaborates with clients to address all aspects of the appellate process objectively and strategically. For almost 30 years, Laurie has helped trial counsel, corporate counsel, insurers and individuals keep their wins, reverse their losses, and develop the law. Successful first- and second-chair trial experience back up her appellate expertise. Clients retain Laurie in state and federal courts throughout California and the U.S. S...
Susan Horst is a specialist in writs of mandamus and prohibition in the California appellate courts. For more than 31 years, Susan served as the writ attorney for the California Court of Appeal for the First District, Division One, in San Francisco. Susan is one of the only practicing attorneys in California to have devoted virtually her entire career to appellate writs. As writ attorney in the First District, Susan evaluated thousands of pre- and post- trial writ petitions in all types of ci...
PRACTICE AREAS Trials Commercial Litigation Intellectual Property Insurance Recovery/Bad Faith Legal Malpractice EXPERIENCE Shaun Hoting focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation. Shaun’s practice includes litigation related to legal malpractice, contract disputes, patents, copyrights, trademarks, securities, and white collar defense. He has litigated cases involving technologies as diverse as software, cellular telephones, aerospace seals, and waterpark attractions. Shaun&r...
Barry Landsberg is a health industry litigation partner, who has made landmark law for hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare providers and insurers. Barry has also won several first-impression cases for hospitals before the California Supreme Court and the California Court of Appeal. Barry handles cases and appeals of complex business and health regulatory litigation disputes arising under the Unfair Competition Law, the anti-kickback statutes, the False Claims Act, and RICO, as well...
A Shareholder and Co-Chair of the Appellate Practice Group, Robert C. Little is a seasoned business lawyer and appellate litigator with over two decades of legal experience. Mr. Little is certified as a legal specialist in the practice of appellate law by the State Bar of California, one of fewer than 350 attorneys who hold this distinction among California’s 191,350 practicing lawyers. He has served as counsel of record in over 200 state and federal appeals and writ proceedings for ins...
Dan Marmalefsky specializes in complex civil and criminal business litigation. His civil practice covers issues relating to securities, unfair competition, fiduciary and shareholder rights and obligations, and general business litigation. His civil cases have included matters related to the subprime banking crisis, alleged backdating of stock options, fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, inaccurate financial reporting, and deceptive sales practices in the insurance, telecommunications and food...
The Daily Journal describes Anna-Rose Mathieson as “one of the West Coast’s leading appellate litigators.” She’s been named one of the Top Women Attorneys in California three times, is certified as an appellate specialist by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California, and taught appellate writing at Stanford Law School. She served as a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court. Anna-Rose draws from her broad experience to ...
Few appellate specialists have successfully tried a jury case. Robin Meadow tried jury cases for over 20 years at a major commercial firm, while also handling appeals, in many fields of law. Over time, he realized that it’s nearly impossible to excel at both trials and appeals, because the skill sets and practice rhythms differ completely and often clash. Concluding that his greatest strengths lay in appellate work, Robin joined GMSR in 1994, handling his last trial late that year. Robi...
Business owners, celebrities and trust beneficiaries across California turn to Christopher C. Melcher for his assistance protecting their most valuable assets. With deep experience in complex family law litigation and premarital agreements, Mr. Melcher helps his clients achieve successful outcomes despite extremely challenging circumstances. He understands the need to keep sensitive family matters private for his noteworthy clients and is dedicated to handling family law matters in a discrete...
Known for being a clear thinker and articulate writer, HFM Partner John Morris uses his expertise to creatively negotiate compensation, representing plaintiffs and defendants as both appellants and respondents. Mr. Morris' practice is devoted exclusively to civil appeals, and during his nearly 38 years at HFM, he has served as lead appellate counsel in hundreds of cases in California Courts of Appeal and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. He has also appeared before the California Supreme ...
More than 30 years ago Bob Olson found his passion and calling for appellate law. It started with a clerkship with Hon. Anthony Kennedy, then on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after graduating Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School. He eventually found his way to GMSR where he has practiced for nearly three decades. Bob is a leader of the appellate bar, a past president of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate ...
Greg Pimstone leads the firm’s healthcare litigation practice. He is one of the country’s leading healthcare litigators, having been recognized on multiple occasions by the Daily Journal as one of the top 100 attorneys in the state of California. Greg has been lead counsel in numerous high-profile cases that produced landmark decisions transforming the legal landscape in the healthcare field. Greg is a trial and appellate litigator for California’s largest healthcare entitie...
Norman Pine, a Certified Appellate Law Specialist (State Bar, CBLS), has been singled out by CAALA (2003: “Appellate Lawyer of the Year"), CELA (Joe Posner Award), and the Daily Journal (“Top Employment Lawyers in California” 2009, 2011–2018, inclusive). For the past ten years he has been one of only a handful of appellate lawyers to make the “Top 100" Southern California Super Lawyers list (2009–2019, inclusive), and he has consistently been listed in Sout...
Education : University of California, Los Angeles (B.A., History, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, College of Honors 1990); UCLA School of Law (J.D. 1993). Member and Editor, UCLA School of Law, Women’s Law Journal. Admitted to : California State Bar; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third and Ninth Circuits; U.S. District Courts in California. Judicial Clerkship : Law Clerk to Hon. Melvin Brunetti (Dec.), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1993-1994). Professional Experience : B...
Jeffrey Raskin argued and won his first appellate case even before graduating from law school—a First Amendment case before the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Since then, Jeff’s career has focused on appellate law, including a clerkship with the Honorable Raymond C. Fisher of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and more. Reflecting his broad range of substantive legal experience, Jeff has been twice honored with the prestigious California...
Claudia Ribet is one of only four attorneys in California recognized by the State Bar as a certified specialist in both appellate law and family law. This dual qualification gives Claudia deep insight into effective presentation of complex arguments in high-stakes family law appeals. She wins most of the California family law appeals she litigates. Some of Claudia’s published family law appellate victories are listed below, and Claudia has served as counsel in many more unpublished fami...
Kent Richland has been an appellate lawyer since he graduated from UCLA Law School in 1971. In 1983, Kent was one of the founding partners of Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland, LLP. Kent has been lead appellate counsel in hundreds of appeals. He has argued in state and federal appellate courts across the country, including many high-profile cases in both the California Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. He gained national prominence in 2006 for his United States Supreme Co...
Sanford Jay Rosen is a founding partner of Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP, where he concentrates his practice on constitutional and civil rights law, employment law, consumer law, complex commercial litigation, and litigation involving attorneys, including malpractice, law firm formation and withdrawal issues, and claims for attorneys’ fees. He is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, arbitrator, mediator, ADR panelist, and testifying expert on attorneys’ fees and relat...
I help litigators and clients keep their trial court victories, and reverse their losses, on appeal. That involves handling appeals and writ petitions in California and federal appellate courts, and partnering with litigators on significant trial court motions and record preservation. My practice spans a wide range of subjects including trusts and estates; profit participation disputes between talent and studios; breaches of contract; employment; federal civil rights; anti-SLAPP; and appellat...
Ellie Ruth is an appellate attorney admitted to practice in California and Texas. Her practice focuses on appeals, writs, and dispositive pre- and post-trial motions on a broad range of legal issues, including premises liability, attorneys fees, contracts, family law/complex divorces, evidence, insurance (bad faith, Cumis counsel), product liability, employment, and civil procedure. Ellie has published and presented on a variety of issues including evidence, expert witnesses, and annual updat...
Nadia is a Certified Appellate Specialist who helps clients keep their wins, reverse their losses, and develop the law. She brings appeals to life with structured and vivid writing that distills messy facts, untangles convoluted areas of law, and effectively frames the issues in a way that resonates with appellate courts. Clients and colleagues rely on Nadia to successfully develop a case long before an appeal is filed. She collaborates on dispositive and other significant pre-trial motions a...
Johanna Schiavoni is certified as a specialist in appellate law by the State Bar of California and has nearly two decades of appellate experience. She has argued more than 40 cases in the state and federal appellate courts, and has been the principal brief-writer in at least 100. Johanna is a leader of state and local legal associations. She was the 2020 President of the San Diego County Bar Association, which serves nearly 10,000 members of the San Diego legal community. In 2023, Johanna was...
GERALD M. SERLIN , born Los Angeles, California. Education: University of California, Berkeley (B.A., History High Honors 1980; B.A., Political Economy Honors 1980); University of Southern California (J.D., 1985). Member, University of Southern California Law Review. Admitted to: California State Bar; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits; U.S. District Courts in California. Judicial Clerkship: Research Attorney to Acting Presiding Justice Robert E. Rickle...
Benjamin Shatz is a partner in Manatt's appellate practice. He has briefed hundreds of civil appeals, writs and petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals, California Supreme Court and California Courts of Appeal, covering areas of law including anti-SLAPP, entertainment, copyright, trademark, employment, land use, banking, insurance, punitive damages, class actions and unfair competition. Before joining Manatt, Ben practiced in the appellate department of an international la...
Ms. Sungaila’s appellate work, which focuses on complex tort cases raising cutting-edge issues, has helped define the scope of the duty to warn sophisticated users of product hazards, set the guidelines for admitting expert testimony at trial, and overturned multimillion dollar judgments. Ms. Sungaila has also consistently helped secure important rights for women and girls internationally, nationally, and throughout California. Ms. Sungaila has been pro bono counsel of record for amici ...
During her many years specializing in appeals at GMSR, Cindy Tobisman has briefed and argued virtually every type of civil case. The only constants are her deep knowledge of appellate practice, her rigorous research, her careful record review, her creativity and her top-notch writing skills. Cindy’s excellence as an appellate attorney has been repeatedly recognized—she has been named a “Rising Star” in Appeals by Super Lawyers five times and has been regularly included...
Gary Wax, an appellate lawyer, represents a wide range of clients in civil appeals and in writ proceedings, including business owners, property owners, insurers, employers, public entities, film finance lenders, film producers, bankruptcy creditors, and trademark holders. Gary also regularly provides assistance to trial counsel in proposing jury instructions and verdict forms and drafting dispositive motions and oppositions—all with a keen eye toward helping preserve the record for any ...
Steven Weisburd has extensive experience representing businesses and individuals in federal and state courts in California and across the country, including class actions, business disputes, mass torts, MDLs, product liability, and other complex civil litigation, for clients in the consumer products industry, mass media and entertainment industries, technology industries, and financial services industry. A skilled litigator and legal strategist, Steven has over the past three decades amassed ...
Jessica Weisel has more than 20 years of experience handling must-win civil appeals, writs, and trial court motions for businesses and individuals. She has litigated in nearly every federal circuit Court of Appeals and has extensive experience in the California Supreme Court and California Court of Appeal. Jessica’s substantive appellate experience covers a vast range of subjects. She recently obtained reversals of a $19 million wrongful termination judgment in an employment suit, a $27...
Kelly Woodruff is a seasoned appellate advocate, having represented clients and amici curiae in dozens of significant writs and appeals in the state and federal appellate courts in her 25 years of practice. Over the course of her career, Kelly has gained experience with appellate matters in nearly all subject areas related to business and civil litigation, including intellectual property, breach of contract, torts, probate, and trust matters. Recently, Kelly preserved a multi-million-dollar i...
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