Members of the firm's Appellate Practice Group frequently serve as primary counsel on appeals, handling matters from initial notice to final argument, both in cases where our firm has been involved in the initial litigation, as well as cases in which another firm has handled the proceedings below. Just as frequently, our appellate lawyers provide strategic counseling and advice to trial lawyers and their clients on issues before an appeal is eminent. For instance, we frequently are retained to assist in briefing complex legal issues at the trial level to ensure that arguments are properly preserved for appeal. Other aspects of litigation support include assisting trial counsel with pre-trial motions, jury instructions, objections during trial and post-trial motions. We are also frequently involved in evaluating the prospects of an appeal and assisting in appellate mediation.
For example, our Appellate Practice Group can assist in preparing and responding to post-verdict motions in the trial court; evaluating prospects for appeal; reviewing the trial transcripts or agency record for appealable issues; analyzing and researching the law; perfecting appeals; preparing appellate briefs and appendices; drafting motions for leave to appeal; presenting oral argument; preparing post-argument motions and petitions for certification or certiorari;. We also handle specialized appellate proceedings, such as petitions for writs of certiorari and mandamus and amicus curiae briefs.
Lawyers in the Appellate Practice Group are very familiar with Florida's appellate courts, having handled numerous appeals in Florida's District Court of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court. Members of the Group have also handled appeals in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (which includes Florida, Georgia, Alabama), the United States District Courts of Appeal for Florida and Georgia, as well as petitions for certiorari before the United States Supreme Court.
The Group's appellate work encompasses a wide variety of substantive legal areas including: all aspects of civil liability, employment and civil rights, personal injury, wrongful death, construction, trust and estates, guardianship, probate, insurance, commercial disputes, workers' compensation and numerous administrative matters.
McConnaughhay, Duffy, Coonrod, Pope & Weaver's Appellate Practice Group is led by Board Certified Appellate Lawyer Mary L. Wakeman, who has spent more than 20 years briefing and arguing appeals in various federal and state courts. Mary has not only handled numerous appeals while with our firm, she also clerked in the Florida Supreme Court with Justice Stephen H. Grimes.
For additional information on our practice, contact:
Mary L. Wakeman, Esquire
mwakeman@mcconnaughhay.com
P.O. Drawer 229
Tallahassee, Florida 32302-0229
Phone: 850.222.8121
Fax: 850.222.4359