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Our firm has a long and distinguished tradition of effective appellate advocacy.  We have represented our clients in the Supreme Court of the United States, the federal courts of appeals, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the twelve Ohio appellate districts, and the courts of appeals of other states across the nation.  Our appellate practice encompasses briefing and argument of virtually every kind of litigated matter, from questions of constitutional interpretation, statutory construction, and application of the rules of evidence and civil procedure to detailed factual and legal analysis of lengthy records created after multi-week trials.

Our ranks include 18 lawyers who served as law clerks on appellate courts and 37 lawyers whose clerkships with trial judges have given them unique exposure to the origins of appellate issues in the judicial system.  Several of our lawyers also have gone on to serve with distinction as judges on federal and state appellate courts.  In recognition of our record of fine appellate work, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and other appellate courts often have asked our lawyers to brief and argue cases as pro bono counsel on behalf of indigent clients whose cases present significant questions of law.  Appellate lawyers from the firm also have served by appointment of the Supreme Court of Ohio on the Board of Bar Examiners, the Board of Commissioners on Character and Fitness, and the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline. 

Our appellate work consists of cases that the firm has handled at trial as well as cases where the firm has been retained after trial.  In addition, we frequently file amicus curiae briefs on behalf of clients who have an important stake in the outcome of appellate litigation to which they are not a formal party.  The emphasis in all of our appellate work is on accurate, practical, scholarly, and persuasive presentation of the record and the dispositive legal issues.  We respect the need of the courts and our clients for cogent and concise briefing and focused and effective oral argument.  Our appellate lawyers welcome the challenge and excitement of appellate cases - a vital part of the litigation sequence and a mainstay of our litigation practice.