Overview
Quality work using appropriate resources -- we never forget that our clients’ cases involve both a legal and practical aspect. Our well-rounded approach focuses on the following skills and techniques:
- Thoughtful counseling about clients’ best available options, paired with incisive legal analysis and persuasive writing.
- Collaboration with trial lawyers who first handle a case, whether assisting before trial with dispositive motions and jury charges, during trial with error preservation, or after trial with judgment drafting and classic appellate matters.
- Use of unique "rapid response teams" to handle time-sensitive projects such as mandamus and other original proceedings, and jury charge drafting and error preservation at trial.
- Contributing articles and speeches to publications and seminars, keeping us up-to-date about emerging legal theories, issues and policies that affect our clients.
Our appellate attorneys draw on decades of experience in handling appeals and developing strategies for our clients before state courts, every federal appeals court and the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, we serve our profession and communities. Our appellate lawyers have:
- Led their peers as chairmen of the appellate sections of state and local bar associations.
- Contributed to the appellate profession as members of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, a member of the Texas Pattern Jury Charge Committee (Business, Consumer, Employment Law), and a member of the Civil Appellate Exam Commission for the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
- Donated pro bono services to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the federal Criminal Justice Act program.
Given this background of experience, leadership, and service, a trademark of Locke Lord's appellate attorneys is teamwork. We work closely with trial lawyers at the trial stage and in appeals or original proceedings in all types of cases. Successful appeals begin even before a case goes to trial. If an appeal is likely, we are ready to work with the trial team in the pre-trial and trial stages. We prepare motions, review jury instructions and argue post-trial matters, with the goal of preserving a strong appellate record. Once a verdict is rendered or judgment entered, we take a fresh look at the case by evaluating the merits of an appeal and counseling clients about whether an appeal or alternative dispute resolution might better serve their interests. If the decision is made to move forward, we draw on our experience to preserve hard-won victories and reverse unjust or incorrect decisions.
We represent large and small companies, manufacturers, banks and financial institutions, insurance companies, educational institutions and medical institutions, among others. Our appellate attorneys have a broad range of experience in appeals and other proceedings concerning:
- Class actions
- Environmental cases
- Oil, gas, and energy law
- Employment cases
- Administrative law (including electric and telecommunications areas)
- Product liability cases
- Intellectual property matters
- Healthcare law
- Lending and mortgage matters
In addition to representing clients directly involved in appeals and original proceedings, we often represent non-party clients who are likely to be affected by an appeal but whose interests may not be represented adequately by the litigants. We assist trade associations and others by presenting the appellate court with public policy arguments, economic analysis and broader concerns.
We have obtained substantial court-ordered reversals for our clients in multimillion dollar cases involving many diverse businesses and industries and a myriad of legal issues. Our efforts have led to judicial review of lower court decisions that not only had a positive local, regional and national impact on our clients’ businesses, but also change the law on a wider scale. The Locke Lord appellate section doesn’t just know the legal landscape – we help shape it. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you on your next appellate matter.