Appellate Practice

Overview

If trials are hand-to-hand combat, appeals are chess matches demanding equally different skill sets. Convincing a judge or a panel of judges that a trial decision was wrong or right requires the ability to boil down what may be a sprawling mass of testimony and other evidence into a concise and comprehensible record. It also requires an ability to make strategic decisions about the issues most likely to get the attention of the appellate court and formulate legally sound and persuasive arguments.

Experience in Regional Appellate Courts

Appellate procedures require thorough knowledge of the rules and practices of the appeals courts, from the deadlines for notices to the required colors of brief covers. The limitations on the length of briefs put a premium on precise and selective argument. Our appellate practice attorneys bring this knowledge to many venues, including state appeals courts in Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and federal appeals courts, including the United States Supreme Court.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

One result of any contested case is a disappointed party convinced the decision was wrong. Whether trial counsel agrees or not, there is value in appellate counsel providing an objective and practical perspective on whether an appeal is worth the additional investment. Our attorneys consistently deliver that value.

We are often brought in to handle the appeals of decisions in trials handled by other counsel. We welcome the opportunity to make our skill sets available to evaluate and pursue appeals when the hand-to-hand combat turns into a chess match.


Publications

News

Events

  • ULI Washington, D.C. Young Leaders Presentation “Northern Virginia Land Use”
    Monday, May 25, 2020
  • Comparative Zoning and Land Use Laws in Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland
    University of Maryland, Monday, May 25, 2020
  • Maryland State Bar Association Land Use Institute: “Recent Federal and State Land Use Court Decisions”
    Saturday, May 25, 2019