Appellate Work

P.K. Schrieffer LLP represents clients in State and Federal Courts of Appeal, including the Court of Appeal for the Second and Fourth Districts in California, as well as the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Recent appeals have involved areas such as legal malpractice, bad faith, and insurance coverage, in addition to health care providers, skilled nursing facilities, and premises liability.

How Does The Appeal Process Work?

An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a lower court. In most jurisdictions the court system is divided into at least three levels: the trial court, which initially hears cases and reviews evidence determine the facts; an intermediate appellate court; and a supreme court (or court of last resort) which primarily reviews the decisions of the intermediate courts.

A jurisdiction’s supreme court is that jurisdiction’s highest appellate court. Appellate courts nationwide operate under their own states varying rules.

The authority of appellate courts to review the decisions of lower courts varies widely from one jurisdiction to another. In some areas, the appellate court has limited powers of review.

Generally, the appellate court’s judgment provides the final directive of the appeals courts as to the matter being appealed, setting out with clear direction the court’s determination that the action appealed from should be affirmed, reversed, remanded or modified.