Appeals Practice
Get a second set of eyes on the evidence and arguments in a trial and decide on an appropriate outcome
Our lawyers have extensive experience doing appellate work and they can help turn the tide on a ruling.
At Garriott Maurer, PLLC, we work together to bring our collective strengths to bear on your case. If you begin your case with us, rest assured that we can stay with you through any subsequent appeals. If we were not working with you during your trial, we welcome you to come to talk about your case with us. While our trial practice focuses on family law, we are available to assist in civil appeals of all types. In addition to family law actions, we have worked on appeals of real estate disputes, workers’ compensation actions, and construction cases, among other civil litigation matters.
When you think the court made a mistake, do not despair because we are here to help
The laws in Virginia are written and applied by people, and people make mistakes now and again. When a court makes a mistake (and even sometimes when they don’t), aggrieved parties may have an opportunity to have a ruling modified by the Court of Appeals of Virginia or the Virginia Supreme Court. However, these appeals are not do-over trials.Â
For an attorney, handling a trial is dramatically different than handling an appeal. Often, a trial attorney resembles a choreographer. She crafts a story to show the court, creating a compelling presentation of witnesses, exhibits, and arguments to help the judge or jury to share her client’s point of view.Â
An appellate advocate is more like a scientist. She must be comfortable working within an intricate and delicate web of rules, laws, and regulations. Her job is to determine if, when, and how a trial went wrong, and then write a paper to convince the appellate courts of the logic of her analysis.
When your case is on appeal, you want an attorney who loves doing appellate work on your side. Appellate advocacy involves intense bursts of single-minded focus on the matter at hand. The procedural rules are unforgiving. If an attorney drops a ball, it is not always possible to pick it up and run with it again.Â
The benefits of hiring our appellate lawyers include:
Accurate identification of trial errors
Our season lawyers can zero in on the trial errors and form successful arguments out of those issues.
Updated insights on appellate courts
We are familiar with arguments that are likely to be successful and we have an experience-backed understanding of patterns in appellate decisions.
Fresh eyes on the case
We will examine the case objectively and look at the case from a cold record — the same way an appellate court will.
Meet our attorneys
We offer expert consultation and representation from knowledgeable, experienced attorneys who will tenaciously fight for your rights, no matter the circumstances of your case.
