Best Lawyers in California, United States for Appellate Practice
Gerry Serlin is a California appellate lawyer and a co-founder of Benedon & Serlin LLP, established in 1993. Based in Woodland Hills, California, he has devoted nearly four decades to Appellate Practice, handling civil appeals in state and federal courts throughout California and beyond. His career reflects sustained involvement in shaping appellate advocacy through briefing, oral argument, and strategic counseling. Gerry’s professional background includes numerous recognitions refl...
Harry Chamberlain is a Shareholder of Buchalter, an Am Law 150 firm with a dozen U.S. offices. For over 40 years, he has served as trial and appellate counsel on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, and a variety of public and private sector clients in complex litigation matters. He is certified as an Appellate Specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, arguing hundreds of appeals, including numerous cases before the California Supreme Court and the highest state and fe...
Scott Tillett is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Appellate Practice. Scott practices law in Sherman Oaks, California Best Lawyers has recognized Scott Tillett since 2024. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Scott Tillett is held by other lawyers.
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 ...
Michael Berger is one of California’s preeminent appellate lawyers and is a partner in Manatt Real Estate and the appellate practice. One of the top land use and condemnation lawyers in the United States, his appellate cases have involved planning, zoning, eminent domain, various kinds of business litigation, landslides, contract, due process, equal protection, defective construction, nuisance, insurance and environmental law. Michael has argued four cases before the United States Supre...
Douglas Benedon is a co-founder of Benedon & Serlin LLP and has practiced law since 1993, focusing on Appellate Practice in California state and federal courts. Based in Woodland Hills, California, his work has included representing rank-and-file employees, police officers, firefighters, district attorneys, and other public servants in employment discrimination and retaliation matters. Certified in Appellate Law by the State Bar of California for more than two decades. Recipient of the Pr...
Nadia is a Certified Appellate Specialist who helps clients keep their wins, reverse their losses, and develop the law. She brings appeals to life with structured and vivid writing that distills messy facts, untangles convoluted areas of law, and effectively frames the issues in a way that resonates with appellate courts. Clients and colleagues rely on Nadia to successfully develop a case long before an appeal is filed. She collaborates on dispositive and other significant pre-trial motions a...
James R. Sigel is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Appellate Practice. James R. practices law in San Francisco, California Best Lawyers has recognized James R. Sigel since 2026. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which James R. Sigel is held by other lawyers.
Ernest Galvan is a partner at Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP. He assists clients in difficult and complex matters involving actual or potential litigation. Mr. Galvan has worked with clients to resolve a wide range of problems, including business formation and dissolution, commercial disputes, employment law matters, disability access compliance, and attorney fee disputes. Mr. Galvan’s practice includes both trial and appellate matters. He has successfully briefed and argued cases...
The Daily Journal describes Anna-Rose Mathieson as “one of the West Coast’s leading appellate litigators.” She’s been named one of the Top Women Attorneys in California three times, is certified as an appellate specialist by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California, and taught appellate writing at Stanford Law School. She served as a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court. Anna-Rose draws from her broad experience to ...
Whitney Z. Bernstein is a trial attorney and litigator with experience representing individuals and businesses in criminal and civil matters throughout California and in federal court. Based in San Clemente, California, Whitney represents clients through Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP in matters involving Appellate Practice , Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense : General Practice, and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Her practice includes defending felony and misdemeanor criminal ca...
Kelly Woodruff is a seasoned appellate advocate, having represented clients and amici curiae in dozens of significant writs and appeals in the state and federal appellate courts in her 25 years of practice. Over the course of her career, Kelly has gained experience with appellate matters in nearly all subject areas related to business and civil litigation, including intellectual property, breach of contract, torts, probate, and trust matters. Recently, Kelly preserved a multi-million-dollar i...
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.
