Doug Alexander of Alexander, Dubose & Townsend recorded a Ten-Minute Mentor video for the Texas Young Lawyers Association (see here).  In the video, Alexander gives seven basic principles that apply to every appellate brief.  Below are Alexander’s seven along with my own notes. 1.  Master the Record. As Alexander points out, the appellate lawyer has an advantage over the trial lawyer handling his own appeal in that the appellate lawyer gets the case the same way as the appellate court does: in a box.  The appellate lawyer isn’t weighed down with the roller coaster emotions of the client or the drama of the courtroom.  He examines the record afresh and is better positioned to cut the fat off the swine if need be. 2. …