Judges and juries do not always render correct decisions. When confronted with an adverse decision or verdict, in most instances a party has an automatic right to appeal to a higher lever court known as an appellate court. Broadly stated, appellate practice involves the practice of law before appellate courts. The function of appellate courts is to review the decisions of lower courts to determine if reversible error has been committed. Such review involves the interpretation and application of the law to a given set of facts. Appeals can be time consuming and expensive, so the decision to file an appeal should not be taken lightly. Practice before Appellate Courts requires a unique set of skills and experience. The attorneys at Byrnes O’Hern & Heugle have that experience.
The appellate lawyer deals primarily with the law, not the facts; he or she argues to judges, not to lay juries. Thus, the focus of the appellate specialist is on legal argument, through written and oral advocacy. The Byrnes O’Hern & Heugle appellate practitioners are proficient in these key areas, including, but not limited to: brief writing; oral argument; and rules of appellate procedure. As experienced appellate practitioners, Byrnes O’Hern & Heugle will identify the questions to raise on appeal, which arguments to pursue, and which facts to stress. They will help clients determine the most significant legal issues worth pursuing on appeal and present only the strongest arguments. The appellate knowledge and experience that the Byrnes O’Hern & Heugle attorneys possess is central to their ability to provide sound advice to clients regarding the appeals process and to obtain favorable results for clients on appeal.
