Best Lawyers in America for Appellate Practice
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Appeals Eric regularly handles high-profile appeals and issue litigation. He has argued major cases before the Ninth Circuit, Arizona Supreme Court, and Arizona Court of Appeals. Eric is listed in Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List, Best Lawyers, and Southwest Super Lawyers for appeals. Before joining private practice, Eric clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He currently serves as a Ninth Circuit Appellate Lawyer Representative and as Chair Elect for ...
Formerly a Justice on the Texas Court of Appeals, David Keltner is a highly acclaimed and recognized lawyer in the field of appellate law in Texas. He has served as lead counsel in over 350 appellate decisions and his legal writings have been cited with approval by Texas courts. He has been honored with various prestigious awards and accolades for his outstanding contributions to the legal profession. From 2021 through 2025, he was recognized as a Star Individual by Chambers USA and has recei...
Nothing defines an appellate lawyer more than writing ability. Chad Baruch wrote one of the most acclaimed appellate briefs in American history while representing what the New York Times called "a glittering array of hip hop stars." The "Hip Hop Brief" went viral and received national media coverage including articles in New Yorker and Rolling Stone. One newspaper called it "the greatest amicus brief in Supreme Court history." Chad’s work focuses on high-stakes civil and family appeals,...
Sharon Baumgold is an expert in the arcane science of California appellate writs. She spent nearly four decades as a writs attorney on the California Court of Appeal’s Second District. There, she reviewed, analyzed, and advised appellate justices on more than 10,000 appellate writ petitions in all areas of state law, including arbitration, business and commercial litigation, employment, entertainment, government, insurance, real estate, and probate law. Frequent topics included jurisdic...
The Honorable Leslie Rothenberg serves as a partner at Ferraro Law, bringing an exceptional depth of experience both at the trial court level and the appellate level. Judge Rothenberg is a highly experienced litigator and trial attorney with over 100 jury trials as lead counsel. She has also developed keen insight and exceptional written and oral skills as an appellate lawyer based on her fourteen years of experience as a Judge on the Third District Court of Appeal and her appellate practice ...
Hannah concentrates on commercial litigation and has represented clients in a wide variety of areas such as breach of contract and fiduciary duties, fraud, business ownership disputes, construction litigation, and product liability. Prior to joining Gallagher & Kennedy, Hannah was a law clerk for Justice Robert M. Brutinel of the Arizona Supreme Court, where she worked on a multitude of legal issues, including issues concerning the Arizona and U.S. Constitutions, statutory interpretation ...
Ms. Sungaila’s appellate work, which focuses on complex tort cases raising cutting-edge issues, has helped define the scope of the duty to warn sophisticated users of product hazards, set the guidelines for admitting expert testimony at trial, and overturned multimillion dollar judgments. Ms. Sungaila has also consistently helped secure important rights for women and girls internationally, nationally, and throughout California. Ms. Sungaila has been pro bono counsel of record for amici ...
Julie Smith is an appellate lawyer who also specializes in advising trial attorneys on litigation strategy and in drafting and arguing complex motions. Before joining Cosgrave, she served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Trial and Appellate Divisions of the Oregon Department of Justice, where she twice received the department’s Outstanding Achievement Award. Prior to that, she clerked for the Honorable Virginia Linder of the Oregon Court of Appeals. Appellate services include: Re...
With more than 40 years of experience as an appellate lawyer, and more than 2,000 appeals in state and federal courts, Elliot brings a practical and client-centered approach to his work. Elliot's practice covers a wide range of substantive law, which enables him to counsel his clients on both their legal rights and structuring their transactions. He is the co-chair of the firm's National Appellate Practice Group.
Andrew Weber, who previously served as Texas First Assistant Attorney General under now-Governor Greg Abbott, is currently a partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP. At the firm, he heads the Austin office and Co-Chairs the Public Law practice group, which provides legal guidance to clients on matters at the intersection of law, policy, and politics before state agencies and the Legislature. Governor Abbott, when he was the Texas Attorney General, appointed Mr. Weber as his First Assistant in...
Nicole J. Benjamin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation. Nicole J., who practices law in Providence, Rhode Island, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nicole J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
Adam Charnes focuses his practice on appellate, constitutional and complex business litigation. Mr. Charnes has extensive experience in cases pending in federal and state courts of appeals across the nation, including the United States Supreme Court. He also has been responsible for a broad range of business litigation matters, including contract, business torts, environmental, copyright and other commercial litigation. He regularly represents clients in constitutional litigation and in class...
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.