Trial Lawyers College™️ is pleased to announce the creation of a new service to help alums identify issues for appeal, prepare the record and represent their clients on appeal. A team of Warriors who practice in the state and federal courts, in civil and criminal cases, is now available to assist you in continuing your connection and service to your client — and in improving the state of the law for all — during appeal.
When a Warrior has built a connection to a client over weeks, months or years in the trial court, but hires a contractor for the appeal, the risk arises that the contractor won’t bring TLC methods to the appeal. The risk arises that a contractor cannot understand, and thus will not help the appellate court understand, the story that the Warrior discovered. A contractor may not appreciate the urgency of the legal issues presented, and may not invest in the opportunity to change the law for the better.
This happens when a Warrior assumes, “I’m not a good writer,” or “I’ve never handled an appeal, I wouldn’t know where to begin,” or “I like to talk to juries – I can’t talk to judges!” The assumptions are self-defeating. We can all become better writers. And if we can tackle these challenging cases at the court below, then we have the capacity to learn appellate rules and fight for our clients on appeal. As for “I can’t talk to judges”? If we can’t, we better learn how. As TLC has long taught, judges are human, and it’s on us to reverse roles to discover what the man or woman in the black robe needs to hear.
And, as TLC also teaches, you are enough. The Warrior who loves her client really can beat the bloodless opposing counsel; can obtain unlikely results on appeal, just as at trial; and can change the law for the better. The appellate process can indeed feel intimidating, but the TLC Appellate Support Team is now here to help alums meet those challenges.