Civil Law, Criminal Law and Family Law Appeals
If you wish to appeal the decision of a court or other decisionmaking body, or if you must defend your trial victory on appeal, you want to engage Lindsey S. Topper, an experienced appellate attorney, to handle your appeal.
Why Are There Appeals?
Judges must make numerous instantaneous decisions in the heat of trial, with two or more attorneys advocating opposing positions. Inevitably, some of those decisions are wrong and that can affect the outcome of the case.
What Can Be Appealed?
Virtually any final verdict of any government decision-making body can be appealed. These include appeals of the decisions of:
- Civil courts
- Criminal courts
- The Department of Motor Vehicles (regarding suspension or revocation of driver's licenses)
- The Department of Human Services (affecting relations between parents and their children)
- State and federal agencies (placing names on state sex offender or federal child abuse registries)
The Appellate Process
An appeal is like a trial in that judges review facts, consider the law and make decisions. It is unlike a trial in that there is more than one judge, there are no witnesses, no new evidence may be presented, and the fact-findings of the trial court are for the most part binding on the appellate court.
Appellate law is much more of an intellectual, or scholarly, process. The appellate attorney must have a sharp analytical mind, a complete grasp of all the facts of the case, the ability to research into the depths of the law, strong writing skills and the ability to respond on the spot to the insightful and challenging questions of the appellate judges.
To discuss an appellate law issue, contact lawyer Lindsey S. Topper.