Best Lawyers in America for Appellate Practice
Select a location from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
State
Justice Kaye Hearn focuses her practice at Wyche on litigation and appellate advocacy. She retired in April of 2023 as a Justice on the South Carolina Supreme Court. At the time of her retirement, she was the longest serving member of the South Carolina State Court Judiciary. She was elected to the Supreme Court of South Carolina in May of 2009, becoming only the second woman member in the court’s history. Prior to her election to the state’s highest court, Justice Hearn was a mem...
April Lucas is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice. April, who practices law in Austin, Texas, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which April is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Julian W. Poon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice. Julian W., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Julian W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
L. Lamar Armstrong III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice. L. Lamar, who practices law in Smithfield, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which L. Lamar is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Charles F. Newman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, First Amendment Law, Litigation - Environmental and Litigation - First Amendment. Charles F., who practices law in Memphis, Tennessee, has been recognized since 1991. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Charles F. is held by other top lawyers in the same...
Peter Stris is one of the most prominent business litigators of his generation. He serves as a lead strategist and presenter in must-win trials, landmark appeals, and rapid media-response campaigns. Peter represents a wide range of clients including companies, governmental entities, non-profits, investors, entrepreneurs, and executives. He is also regularly hired by other attorneys to play a leading role in their most important and difficult cases. Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Peter r...
Deanne E. Maynard, chair of the Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group, is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office, and a former Assistant to the Solicitor General at the United States Department of Justice. Ms. Maynard has argued 13 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, and she has filed over 100 briefs in that Court. Her Supreme Court arguments include prevailing for the respondent in RadLAX Gateway Hotel, LLC v. Amalgamated Bank , an important bankruptcy case involving ...
R. Brent Cooper focuses his practice on commercial litigation, insurance litigation, and appellate practice. He has had significant experience in the representation of clients before federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings. He has tried numerous cases covering areas of business litigation, construction litigation, catastrophic personal injuries, complex litigation, intellectual property, constitutional and business tort cases. In his 35 years of pra...
Ellen C. Brotman began her career as a law clerk in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York. She has served as an Assistant Federal Defender in Philadelphia, PA and practiced in small, medium and large firms with a focus on criminal defense, appellate advocacy, professional responsibility and ethics. She has defended a wide variety of high-profile criminal cases, including political and public corruption, securities fraud, tax fraud, money laundering, currency structur...
Jim Abrams represents clients in civil litigation matters with a focus on commercial litigation and appellate practice. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Jim works with businesses and individuals involved in complex disputes in state and federal courts. He draws on decades of business and financial leadership experience to help clients address litigation challenges with practical, business-minded counsel. Before entering the legal profession, Jim held executive leadership positions at both publicly tr...
Spencer G. Scharff represents and advises businesses, nonprofits, and individuals in complex litigation in state and federal courts. He is admitted to practice in California, Arizona, New York, and the District of Columbia, and has extensive experience in high-stakes commercial litigation, regulatory disputes, and appellate advocacy. Before founding Scharff PC, Spencer was a member of Goddard Law Office PLC, where he practiced alongside former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard. He previo...
Bill Wynne is a member of the Complex Commercial Disputes practice group, where he represents individuals and businesses across a variety of industries. What do you focus on? My practice concentrates in the areas of commercial and business litigation. Specifically, my practice focuses on helping clients with complex commercial, business, land use, and real estate litigation. I also work with clients to protect their intellectual property and rights to publicity. I have extensive experience su...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.