What Is Appellate Law?
Appellate law is the branch of law that deals with appealing court decisions. If you have received a court decision that is against you, and you want to explore the options available to you to appeal that decision you will need to hire an attorney who has experience in appellate law.
What Does Appellate Law Do?
At the core of appellate law is the review of the legal proceedings. In an appeal, another judge or court reviews the facts and processes of the trial that produced the verdict. They will look for errors and may provide a different legal outcome if there were mistakes.
In Oklahoma City, appellate cases are best handled by an appellate attorney.
What Kinds of Cases Can Become Appellate Cases?
- Civil Cases – these include personal injury, employment law cases, such as wrongful termination, workers’ compensation cases, or disputes between parties such as a homeowner suing a contractor. Family law cases or cases involving deprived children are also often appealed.
- Criminal Cases – If found guilty a person may appeal the case.
- Financial and Bankruptcy cases
Facts about Appellate Law
- You cannot present new evidence by appealing your court verdict.
- The court will only look at the case to see if there was a mistake made in how the court handled the case. That is a comprehensive legal burden. The court will look to see how the law was applied to the facts of the case and whether the application of the law was correct. For example, errors by the judge in giving jury instructions can lead to a successful appeal.
- Lack of Evidence – In an appeal, a lawyer can ask that the court review the evidence to ensure that there is sufficient evidence to support the judge’s or court’s ruling. When there is not enough evidence, the appeals court may modify the prior decision or overturn it.
- The appeals court will not reverse your case without a reason. Not liking the verdict is not a valid reason in the eyes of the court.
What You Can Do?
If you have been to court and received a verdict that you do not agree with, the first step is to have a lawyer who is experienced in appellate law review the case.
If there is a chance that there were legal mistakes made during the trial or leading up to the trial, you may decide to appeal the case. Your appellate attorney will advise you of your rights and outline the issues with the case.
Contact Owens Law Office For More Information About Appellate Law
Owens Law Office handles appellate cases and has the experience to help you understand the legal proceedings and outcomes. Learn more about your rights and options following a court verdict by reaching out to our team at (405) 608-0708.
