When a Warrior has built a connection to a client over weeks, months or years in the trial court, but hires a contractor for the appeal, the risk arises that the contractor won’t bring TLC methods to the appeal. The risk arises that a contractor cannot understand, and thus will not help the appellate court understand, the story that the Warrior discovered. A contractor may not appreciate the urgency of the legal issues presented, and may not invest in the opportunity to change the law for the better.
This happens when a Warrior assumes, “I’m not a good writer,” or “I’ve never handled an appeal, I wouldn’t know where to begin,” or “I like to talk to juries – I can’t talk to judges!” The assumptions are self-defeating. We can all become better writers. And if we can tackle these challenging cases at the court below, then we have the capacity to learn appellate rules and fight for our clients on appeal. As for “I can’t talk to judges”? If we can’t, we better learn how. As TLC has long taught, judges are human, and it’s on us to reverse roles to discover what the man or woman in the black robe needs to hear.
And, as TLC also teaches, you are enough. The Warrior who loves her client really can beat the bloodless opposing counsel; can obtain unlikely results on appeal, just as at trial; and can change the law for the better. The appellate process can indeed feel intimidating, but the TLC Appellate Support Team is now here to help alums meet those challenges.
The Appellate Support Team does not handle appeals for Warriors; nor do its members write briefs for Warriors. But the Team can give alums coaching and guidance in handling their own appeals. The types of support the Team can provide include:
Collectively, the members of the Appellate Support Team have handled nearly 200 appeals. Appellate work does not have to be tedious – we know how TLC methods can bring humanity to a seemingly dry legal issue. We want to help alums serve their clients, and improve the law, in the appellate courts.
If you foresee an appeal in your client’s civil or criminal case, you can reach out to any member of the Appellate Support Team for coaching and guidance:
You can become an appellate Warrior. Your client’s story can be told by the Warrior who knows it best. You can grow professionally, adding a new arrow to your TLC quiver as you learn how to use TLC methods on appeal. And, you can be part of changing the law for the better.