The work of an appellate lawyer is quite different from that of a trial lawyer. A large part of a trial lawyer’s practice consists of obtaining and presenting evidence. He talks to and deposes witnesses; he subpoenas documents; and he might need to consult with various experts about standards of care. The appellate lawyer doesn’t do any of that. All that’s been done by the time he’s retained. He deals mostly with the record of the trial and determines whether there was in legal error in the trial court.
Examples of Our Work
Below are a few samples of our work. You’ll notice that we not only endeavor to fashion effective arguments, we also take pains to present them in a persuasive manner.
Villanueva v. Tarrant Regional Water District. The TRWD filed a plea to jurisdiction, arguing that Villanueva had missed filing her administrative charge in time. We responded by arguing that Congress’s Lilly Ledbetter Act changed the limitations window. These briefs provide a comparative example of the difference in brief writing styles. The appeal is still pending.
Pena v. Smith Cindy Pena was sued for the alleged breach of a real estate sales contract. The trial court entered judgment for Smith and awarded him specific performance over the land in dispute. Our firm was retained to appeal the trial court’s judgment. We were successful on appeal; the court of appeals reversed the judgment.
