As part of a Litigation Department ranked number one in Michigan by
Chambers USA, Honigman’s Appellate Advocacy Practice Group has a simple mission: to provide clients with an experienced team of appellate advocates who have demonstrated the ability to efficiently and intelligently identify the strengths and weaknesses of a trial court result, analyze complex appellate questions, and present reasoned answers to judges in a simple and persuasive manner.
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ADVOCATES
The Appellate Advocacy Practice Group consists of accomplished Honigman trial and appellate lawyers who have helped clients navigate complex business and legal challenges in courts throughout the country. These attorneys have honed the art of appellate advocacy through numerous arguments before federal and state appellate courts. They have demonstrated a command of time-tested rhetorical techniques, while also exhibiting the creativity to employ new and aggressive appellate strategies when necessary.
The Appellate Advocacy Practice Group draws its attorneys from Honigman’s stable of approximately thirty former law clerks, who have served judges on the federal courts of appeals, the federal district courts, the Michigan Supreme Court, and other appellate courts.
Whether through clerkships or practice alone, the Appellate Advocacy Practice Group’s attorneys have developed an extensive understanding of the region’s courts and judges. The group’s attorneys have been recognized as knowledgeable advocates in the region based upon their record of success in handling the important and challenging matters for clients.
APPROACH
The Appellate Advocacy Practice Group leverages the substantive legal knowledge, technical acumen, and extensive in-court experience of these accomplished attorneys to meet the business needs and legal objectives of its clients. It does so in a variety of ways.
- APPEALS FROM THE TRIAL COURTS: In appeals from trial court decisions, the practice group evaluates a client’s purpose in pursuing or defending an appeal. Individual attorneys then apply their substantive legal knowledge and practical in-court experience to craft creative and effective appellate arguments. These attorneys then draw upon the oral and written advocacy skills of the attorneys, as well as their collective understanding of individual judges and courts, to present those arguments in terms that are persuasive to judges in search of the “right” and “correct” answer to complex cases.
- APPEALS FROM TRIAL COURT MATTERS HANDLED BY OTHER FIRMS: Attorneys in the practice group are often retained to handle appeals in cases originally litigated by other law firms in the trial courts. In such cases, the advocates apply a fresh approach based upon an objective review of the trial record and the appellate posture of the case.
- ISSUES PENDING IN THE TRIAL COURTS: Practice group attorneys also consult on matters while cases are still pending in the trial courts. In certain matters, it is critical that an issue, or an entire case, be properly framed to ensure success in defending or pursuing subsequent appeals. In such matters, the practice group’s attorneys work with trial lawyers to develop a strategy that preserves beneficial appellate arguments, while strategically narrowing the available arguments of opponents.
- CONSULTATION WITH OTHER FIRMS ON ISSUES AND APPEALS: The practice group also consults on matters where other firms serve as lead counsel. The attorneys draw on their extensive experience with the region’s courts and judges to provide insight regarding procedural rules and tactical considerations. In matters pending in courts outside of the region, particularly matters arising out of nationwide class-actions and multi-district litigation, the practice group’s attorneys are often called upon to provide arguments and advice on issues that involve the substantive law of the region.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
No matter the scope of the engagement, the Appellate Advocacy Practice Group focuses upon the individual client’s ultimate objective: to procure a successful business result efficiently and effectively. Members of the practice group have appeared in hundreds of cases in the federal and state appellate courts, obtaining successful results in a large percentage of those matters. A list of those representative matters is available upon request.
CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS
The Appellate Advocacy Practice Group understands that clients face difficult choices regarding their appellate options—choices that require that they balance the overall risks and rewards of an appeal. To assist clients in making informed choices, the practice group has created an advisory process by which clients participate in an evaluation of the merits and potential outcomes of an appeal and have the option to elect from among a variety of alternative fee structures, in appropriate cases, based upon that evaluation.
Our clients face considerable business challenges operating in a global and fast-paced economy. Like our clients, our attorneys must be willing and able to adapt to those challenges by applying aggressive and innovative appellate arguments and strategies to evolving legal principles. Through its Appellate Advocacy Practice Group, Honigman is positioned to meet those challenges now and in the future.
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