Appellate Law

Careful Planning Matters

Whether you are in a pending appeal – or if you simply anticipate one pre-trial – you need our dedicated team of appellate attorneys to guide you. Our Appellate Practice Group's dual perspective as both trial and appellate lawyers can help you reach your desired results.

Appeals Begin at Trial

Our appellate professionals are more than excellent writers and orators; they have on-the-ground experience as trial lawyers who understand the appellate impact of seemingly inconsequential legal and evidentiary rulings. They will work to strengthen your case and preserve issues for appeal by:

• Selecting the most persuasive issues for dispositive motions
• Briefing pre-trial evidentiary motions that limit evidence and display adversary's weakness
• Developing dispositive pre-trial expert motions that expose an adverse expert’s insufficient qualifications

When the time comes for appeal, our appellate attorneys excel at:

• Identifying key appellate issues early to shape a potent strategy
• Recognizing industry groups to file helpful amicus briefs
• Drafting persuasive post-trial motions to support appellate arguments
• Crafting briefs and arguments to keep the court's attention on winning issues

Our appellate practice team also works closely with our professional liability team to defend lawyers in licensing proceedings. The Maryland Court of Appeals has original and exclusive jurisdiction in attorney discipline matters. Although each attorney grievance case is referred to the Circuit Court for trial, the Court of Appeals decides whether the attorney violated the Maryland Rules of Attorney's Professional Conduct and any sanction. Our appellate team, which includes former Court of Appeals clerks, helps our professional liability team select issues for briefing and present oral arguments at the Court of Appeals.

Across the Country

Our appellate practice spans all practice areas in state and federal courts. We have won appeals nationwide including:

• Court of Special Appeals of Maryland - Overturned a record-setting $205 million birth-injury judgment
• Court of Appeals of Maryland - Persuaded the Court to formally recognize that the evolution of Maryland evidence law warranted formal adoption of the Daubert standard and retirement of the Frye-Reed test
• California Court of Appeal - Affirmed a class action decision not to certify a case involving a medical device manufacturer
• Court of Appeals of Maryland - Granted mandamus relief to correct a trial court's administration of high-profile medical malpractice trials
• Court of Special Appeals of Maryland - Vacated a $55 million medical malpractice verdict
• District of Columbia Court of Appeals - Adopted the Daubert standard for admitting expert testimony
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit - Affirmed summary judgment in a medical malpractice case
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit - Affirmed a product liability verdict for a forklift manufacturer