The Candid Review: A Blog About Appeals

Hiring an appeals attorney is not a place that anyone wants to be. When you need to hire an appeals attorney it not only means you are in legal trouble, it also means that your case did not turn out the way you had hoped. Whether you need criminal appeal attorneys or civil appeals attorneys, you need to prepare yourself for a somewhat drawn out process. Many people don’t know what to expect when they go through the appeals process. Here are a few things you need to know:

Appeal Lawyers in Jacksonville handle different types of cases

One of the biggest difference between Appeal lawyers in Jacksonville is that this type of attorney specializes in appeals. Your appeals attorney could be working on a civil case one day and a criminal appeals case the next. When you hire civil appeal lawyers Jacksonville, you are hiring a writing and research expert who is very familiar with appeals courts and the type of information required to satisfy the requirements of the court for a case. Having an expert on your side will make your appeals process go much faster.

Appeal Attorneys in Jacksonville must Meet Deadlines

Appeals cases can be tricky. There are a lot of deadlines for an appeals case, which is why you should prepare to hire appeal attorneys in Jacksonville prior to receiving your verdict. If you miss a deadline for your appeal, you lose your legal right to file an appeal at all. In most states you have 30-days following your court case to file an appeal. Your Jacksonville appeal lawyers need time to file the paperwork so you should contact them as soon as possible.

When your appeals lawyers in Jacksonville FL file your appeal, they must file a cost bond (basically, pay to file an appeal) and then file a docketing statement within 10 days of the cost bond. The attorneys then have an additional 10 days to provide proof that they have provided access to transcripts of the original hearing. 

Appellate Lawyers in Jacksonville need Paperwork

One of the most important things you can do to help your appeals attorneys in Jacksonville FL is to bring your final, signed judgement. You need to have the final judgement before you can apply for an appeals. You may also need to give the post-conviction lawyers in Jacksonville permission to view court documents and information you other lawyer had on file.

When you hire appellate lawyers in Jacksonville make sure you bring the information they request so they can begin working on your case quickly. There is a finite amount of time your appeals lawyer has to work with, you can help speed up the process by providing any requested information as quickly as possible. 

Appellate Lawyers in Jacksonville do not do New Trials

Many clients do not understand how the appeals process works. An appeals case is not a traditional court case. Your case will not be retried and, in fact, you cannot even present new information to the court case. Your Jacksonville appellate law firm will look at all of the information from the original case. This information includes documents and court transcripts. Then your Jacksonville criminal appeals attorneys will research and review previous laws and other information to determine how to appeal to the judges. Criminal appeals attorneys Jacksonville absolutely cannot add new information that was in the case. While it is possible to get your case over turned due to misconduct by attorneys, the information used in your appeals must come directly from the court proceeding.

Your appeals attorney understands how important it is for you to get the verdict you want and deserve. They will work as hard as possible to ensure that a favorable result is achieved. You should be prepared for a rather boring wait as the paperwork is filed and submitted to the higher courts. The judge will then review the appeal and determine whether there is sufficient grounds to overturn or revisit your case.

Keep in mind that when you file an appeals the other side will hear about it. This gives them the opportunity to provide information to the higher courts about why the verdict should stand as is. The judge will review information from both sides and make his or her decision based on the information provided.

Working with an appeals attorney is a great way to give your case a better chance at success. Appeals attorneys know the process. They know the deadlines and understand the information courts require to return a favorable result. While you trial attorney is licensed and capable of presenting and appeals, hiring an outside attorney to pursue the appeals offer the benefit of fresh eyes and experience.

Call our office today to talk to an appeals attorney about your case.