You have the right to appeal an unfavorable verdict in a civil case. The United States Courts, there were approximately 27,500 federal civil appeals filed in 2020 alone. Many thousands more civil appeals were filed in state courts, including in California and Washington.
This raises an important question: Do you have to keep the same attorney for your civil appeal? The short answer is ‘no’—you can and often should hire an appellate attorney. Here, our civil appellate lawyers explain the key things to understand about changing lawyers for your appeal.
Know Your Rights: You Can Change Legal Counsel at Virtually Any Time
To start, it is important to clarify that you, as a client, have broad discretion to change counsel at virtually any time in the legal process. While it will sometimes require approval from a court, you can even change lawyers while you are in the middle of a trial. Of course, it is often not wise to do so. Once a trial verdict is reached, you have the right to bring in a new lawyer for your civil appeal.
Bringing an Appellate Law Specialist in for a Civil Appeal is Often Sensible
Appeals are complicated. There are rules and procedures that govern the appellate process are different from those regulating other aspects of your legal case. For this reason, it is often a best practice to bring in a new lawyer for a civil appeal.
It is especially important to change lawyers and hire a specialized appellate law attorney if you believe that you received an adverse decision based on ineffective assistance of counsel or if you otherwise lost faith in your trial lawyer.
Beyond that, it is also useful to consider changing lawyers for your appeal even if you believe your trial lawyer did an acceptable job. Many individuals, businesses, and organizations considering civil appeals can benefit from bringing in a new lawyer who has specialized skills and expertise.
Be Proactive: A Civil Appeals Lawyer Should be Consulted as Early as Possible
Bringing in an appellate law attorney at the second second is not ideal. The sooner you consult with an experienced appellate lawyer, the better position you will be in to get a favorable outcome in your civil case. Indeed, you may benefit from consulting with an appellate lawyer while your civil cases are in the trial stage. Once you receive an adverse verdict, you should consult with a civil appellate lawyer as soon as possible. An appellate law specialist will help you consider every potential option for challenging the trial court’s decision.
Call Our Civil Appellate Law Attorneys for Help With Your Case
At The Appellate Law Firm, our appellate lawyers have experience handling a wide array of civil legal cases. If you have any questions about changing lawyers for your civil appeal, we can help. Contact us today for a fully confidential evaluation of your case. We represent clients in civil appeals in federal courts, California states courts, Washington state courts, and several other jurisdictions.