Goodell DeVries continues to grow its appellate advocacy and critical motions practice. After a slew of impressive victories in Maryland and across the country in 2025, it has started 2026 by naming Peggy Chu its practice group Vice-Chair. She joins Chair Derek Stikeleather to position the growing team to maximize its services to firm clients.
The firm’s Appellate and Critical Motions Practice Group excels in appellate advocacy at all stages of civil litigation through not only appellate briefing and argument but also strategic motions to preserve appellate issues, achieve dismissals, effectuate favorable settlements, and exclude expert witness testimony.
The team has a national reputation for overturning record-setting jury verdicts. Last year, Derek and Peggy persuaded Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal to vacate the $208 million judgment that followed a $261 million verdict against a Florida children’s hospital. The high-profile case was featured in the Netflix movie ‘Take Care of Maya.’ It is the second time that Goodell DeVries has prevailed on appeal to vacate a final judgment against a hospital that exceeds $200 million. In 2021, Derek’s briefing and oral argument persuaded the Appellate Court of Maryland to overturn a $205 million final judgment — the largest birth-injury award in U.S. history — and order JNOV for the defendant hospital. Derek has led the appellate teams that vacated each of the three largest appeals of birth-injury verdicts in Maryland history: Byrom ($205M), Martinez ($55M), and Biggs ($34M).
The appellate team has also helped secure important precedents. In 2020, it persuaded the Supreme Court of Maryland to formally adopt the Daubert standard and retire the Frye-Reed test.
“Our clients are looking for strategy before, during, and even after trial,” says Derek. “At trials, we do not ‘monitor’ trial counsel. Instead, we help them win. Serving as embedded appellate counsel, we support the trial team by preserving appellate issues and providing legal research and briefing to strengthen our defense and improve the likelihood of favorable outcomes.”
He continues, “Peggy’s skill in drafting and arguing complex motions is a tremendous asset to our team and to the continued success of our clients. I’m thrilled to have her as Vice-Chair of our rapidly growing Appellate and Critical Motions Practice Group.”
