Appellate

Described by Chambers USA 2023 as “a destination appellate practice” and praised as being “pretty widely recognized as number one,” our Appellate Practice Group received the highest ranking in Texas in Chambers USA (Chambers and Partners), as one of only three firms with a Band 1 rating in Texas in the 2023 directory.

In addition to the Band 1 group rating, the Chambers USA 2023 directory ranked nine of our appellate litigators as leaders in Texas, ranked one, Nina Cortell, as the top-ranked appellate lawyer in the state, and ranked one, Daniel Geyser not only in Texas but also Nationwide. As one of the largest full-time teams of any national law firm, we have earned national recognition through decades of dedicated service to our clients and collaboration with trial lawyers. We’ve won precedent-making victories in bet-the-company appeals, and we’ve earned the respect of judges across the country along the way.

What we bring to the table before judgment is entered is often as important as what we do afterwards. Clients appreciate our collaborative, laser-focused approach to shaping litigation strategy, preserving error, prosecuting and defending expert witness challenges, crafting and arguing the jury charge, and preparing all manner of legal briefing before, during and after trial. After a judgment is entered, we use cutting-edge empirical studies we conceived and conducted to evaluate the likely outcome of the appeal and guide our appellate strategy.

Most of our appellate lawyers have clerked for federal or state court judges (or both), and four are members of the prestigious American Law Institute. Our lawyers have chaired national and state appellate law bar groups, including the American Bar Association’s Council of Appellate Lawyers and the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section, and one is a former president of the State Bar of Texas. Three of our lawyers have been selected by the Texas Bar Foundation as winners of the Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award (in 2015, 2016, and 2019). We also are regularly invited by the federal and state judiciaries to speak at judicial conferences as the lawyers chosen to help judges stay informed about complex, cutting-edge areas of law.

We’re proud to gain many clients through the recommendations of lawyers at other firms who recognize our skill, experience, and collaborative approach in the trial and appellate courts.