Appeals – Legal Services

Rulings and your verdict can be reversed

Judges can be wrong in their rulings. Innocent California criminal defendants receive unfair sentences on a regular basis and suffer needlessly. These wrongful convictions occur as the result of common mistakes made during your defense process. In many cases, your verdict can be reversed by seeking a California state or federal immigration appeal assisted by an experienced California appellate attorney.

Request for a higher court review

An appeal is a request for a higher court to review a lower court’s decision. An appeals lawyer handles cases on appeal when a party loses or is unhappy with some part of the decision made by the lower court. The appeals court reviews the record made in the trial court. Nothing new can be added to the record; this is not the time to add new facts or evidence. The appeal is not a trial and looks nothing like what you see on TV. The appeal is much less exciting, and is typically handled by a lawyer who is experienced and skilled at research and writing. An appeals lawyer presents the facts and law to the appeals court in a legal brief that looks like a book. The appeals court decides whether to affirm or to reverse the trial court’s decision based upon the written briefs.

When an appeals lawyer represents you as the appellant – the person who is appealing – the lawyer tells the appeals court why the trial court made errors and should be reversed. When an appeals lawyer represents you as the appellate – the person who is defending the trial court’s decision – the lawyer explains why the court ruled correctly.

Contact an appellant attorney

If you have been wrongly convicted of a crime, proving your innocence can be difficult. For this reason, contacting a California appellate attorney, such as Caroline C. Gomez, is your smartest defense.