Appellate

We understand the goals, the thinking and the motivation that drive business decisions inside and outside the courtroom. The experience of our attorneys enables us to bring the highest level of legal skills to the defense of matters prior to suit, and throughout each phase of litigation, trial and appeal.

Appeals can be won—and lost—before a case ever gets to the reviewing court. To meet our clients’ needs, we have, as one of our areas of practice, a group dedicated to handling appeals in state and federal courts. The members of this group have clerked for members of the Illinois Appellate Court and appear before reviewing courts in the Midwest and beyond.

View a relevant list of appellate team cases, here.

Client Services

Clients retain members of the group to develop and implement appellate strategies before, during, and after trial, and to advise clients on the most effective way to reach favorable results in cases that other law firms have handled. Members of the group are effective in their practice because they are familiar with and experienced in all phases of appeals. Our attorneys routinely:

• Work with our trial attorneys in preparing motions in limine and second chairing trials in high exposure cases in which the record must be preserved;
• Draft and argue all forms of motions for post-trial relief, including motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, for a new trial, for approval of appeal bonds, and for stay of enforcement of judgments;
• Handle appeals from non-final orders (e.g., denying motions to dismiss on grounds of lack of personal jurisdiction, venue and forum non conveniens, granting new trials, or granting or denying preliminary injunctions, etc.); and
• Brief and argue cases before reviewing courts.

Clients also retain this group to take over cases handled or tried by other law firms to perform these services or to evaluate and consult on appeals being handled by other firms. Our attorneys have also been selected by industry and professional organizations to file amicus curiae briefs before reviewing courts on issues important to their members.

A Record of Results

The attorneys in our appellate group have handled over 600 appeals, resulting in over 300 published opinions that have shaped tort and commercial law.