California Appeals

  • Appeals lawyer intro
  • About John Derrick
  • Types of appeals
  • Should you appeal?
  • Why hire an appeals specialist?
  • Defending an appeal
  • Appellate skills
  • Transition to appeal
  • Civil appeals process
  • Civil writs
  • Criminal appeals process
  • Supreme Court review
  • Appeals statistics
  • Appellate mediation
  • Appeals consulting
  • Appeals terminology
  • Flat fees for appeals
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Sample winning briefs
  • Contact
  • Appellate links

Appeals consulting

Most of John Derrick’s appellate practice consists of taking the lead role for his clients, whether it’s a matter of bringing or defending the appeal. However, he is also available as a consultant in cases where — for whatever reason — he is not going to be in that role, but a client, or a lawyer, wants to draw on his experience and specialist expertise.

Sometimes, he gets involved before a case is over in the trial court. A typical example is when he acts as a consultant during the critical post-trial phase during which a case is still under the jurisdiction of the trial court but appears to be on its way on appeal. Sometimes, appellate input is sought well before trial.

On other occasions, trial counsel is going to handle the appeal, but wants a specialist to be on hand to advise on some of the more technical issues or on “big-picture” appellate strategy.

Whatever the reasons, and whatever the need, if the case is a legitimate one, and if the chemistry is right, John Derrick is willing to consider a consulting role. The fee is considerably less than having him handle the whole appeal. It generally starts at around $2,500, depending on the extent of his involvement.

As a consultant, John Derrick does not become an attorney of record. His involvement is “behind the scenes.” As with other aspects of his practice, he can consult on cases throughout California.

© 2011 The Law Office of John Derrick, a professional corporation