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Appellate practice differs from trial court practice

On Behalf of | Aug 14, 2019 | Appellate Practice |

When you take your grievances to a Pennsylvania court, you hope to achieve a certain outcome. If that does not happen, you may feel cheated and wonder whether you have any recourse. It may be possible to file an appeal, but in appellate practice, you can only do so for certain reasons.

In fact, filing appeals is far different than taking your case to a trial court. The two legal systems have vast differences. The rules are different, and so are the exceptions.

This makes appellate practice a unique niche in the legal field. Appellate judges review the lower court proceedings and make their rulings. There is no jury present.

You should know that appellate courts do not hear every case that comes before them. While many trial lawyers are exceptional, they may not have the appropriate skills to take on an appeal. Instead, you would more than likely do better to take your concerns about the trial to a lawyer with experience in this area of the law.  

Appellate lawyers are often experienced in research, writing and the preparation of these types of cases. They are also used to going before these courts and presenting their arguments. Since the judges could ask any number of questions, these attorneys need to be able to go with the flow and change course quickly.

If you believe that the verdict you received in a Pennsylvania trial court was not right, you may have the ability to file an appeal. When you look for legal assistance, you may do better choosing an appellate practice attorney who understands how the appeals system works. He or she can review your lower court case, the verdict and any other pertinent information and let you know whether an appeal would be appropriate.