Arguing to Win at Court of Appeals

The Michigan criminal defense appeals attorneys at Grabel & Associates have years of experience successfully arguing before the Michigan Court of Appeals

If you have been convicted of a crime, or accepted a plea deal that seemed unfair, you may be able to appeal your case to the Michigan Court of Appeals. Experienced Michigan criminal appeals attorneys can review your case and help give you a second chance at securing justice.

Although Michigan Courts of Appeals don't hear argument on all appeals, where a request for oral argument is granted, a criminal appellate attorney has only a short amount of time (between 15 to 30 minutes) to argue his or her client's case. Because of this short period of time, it's critical that the attorney you choose understands how to argue to win at the Michigan Court of Appeals.

At Grabel & Associates our team of dedicated criminal appellate attorneys have years of experience practicing in Michigan Courts of Appeals throughout the state. Attorney Scott Grabel served as a prehearing clerk at the Michigan Court of Appeals and is a member of the prestigious Michigan Supreme Court Advocates Guild. This experience gives the firm unique insight into the criminal appellate process, including how to present the most persuasive arguments at the Michigan Court of Appeals.

How Can A Top Michigan Criminal Appeals Attorney Argue To Win?

Even though each Michigan court has certain protocols and internal operating procedures that are available for anyone to read, through years of experience practicing in appellate courts across Michigan, the knowledgeable criminal defense appellate attorneys at Grabel & Associates have picked up other key tips that can lead to success in front of the appellate panel.

A Knowledgeable Michigan Appellate Attorney Understands How To Present A Compelling Oral Argument

The appeals process starts by submitting briefs to the appellate court, along with trial transcripts and exhibits. The Michigan Court of Appeals may also set a court date to hear oral argument. Skilled Michigan appellate attorneys always remember that an appeal is not a new trial. Instead, it's a review of what happened at trial. With this in mind, top criminal appellate attorneys focus on errors that may have occurred at trial that influenced the outcome. These trial errors are the foundation of a compelling argument.

Successful Criminal Appeals Attorneys Perform In-Depth Research

Typically, if the Michigan Court of Appeals grants a request for an oral argument the case will be assigned to a panel of three judges. Learning about the judges' backgrounds and general philosophy becomes vitally important. At Grabel & Associates, once our team of dedicated appellate attorneys learns the names of those judges, they will go to work finding out what can about they can about the particular judge's viewpoints.

For example, some judges may be predisposed to be "tough on crime" while others may be more likely to throw out evidence collected in violation of your rights.

By having a good handle on the panel's viewpoints, our skilled criminal appellate lawyers are able to frame their arguments in a way that takes advantage of favorable leanings and be prepared to address other judicial concerns.

Top Criminal Appeal Lawyers Focus On The Most Persuasive Arguments

Conventional wisdom provides, "You can not win your case at oral argument, you can only lose it." In other words, most cases are decided based on what's in the appellate brief. However an experienced criminal appellate attorney will use any opportunity to sway a judge to rule in this or her client's favor. Although in many situations a judge may have already formed an opinion one way or another about a case before argument, other times they have not.

Our criminal appeals lawyers understand that what a top appellate advocate argues may be just what tips a judge to rule in his or her favor. We believe the most persuasive arguments focus on only one or two main ideas.

Lawyers who switch from issue to issue will lose the focus of the judges. In fact, court of appeals judges don't expect attorneys to argue about all of the issues in a case, and prefer to hear only the most critical issues.

Skilled Criminal Appellate Lawyers Listen And Respond To Judicial Questions

Rather than writing out a prepared speech, our appellate attorneys have found that it's a good idea to have just a few notes about central theme, or a brief outline listing the main issues. By having just a few notes with critical points, they are better able to listen and respond to questions, rather than being tied to a prepared text.

Our Michigan criminal appellate attorneys also firmly believe in preparation and practice, and make sure to run through practice oral arguments several times before the actual court date. By being intimately familiar with the issues and arguments, we can more persuasively answer judges' questions without losing site of critical points.

Effective Criminal Appeals Attorneys Treat The Appellate Court Judges And Their Clients With The Respect They Deserve

At Grabel & Associates, we firmly believe in respect. We treat our clients with respect and make sure to always show respect to judges and other attorneys. By arriving on time, being prepared and taking the time to really talk and listen to our clients, our criminal appellate attorneys have earned the reputation as a top Michigan criminal appellate defense firm.

The Michigan Criminal Appellate Lawyers At The Law Firm Of Grabel & Associates Argue To Win At Michigan Courts Of Appeals

At Grabel & Associates, our attorneys have successfully argued before the Michigan Courts of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court. We understand how to address the court and provide the most compelling arguments to help you succeed in your appeal.

For more information or to discuss how the top Michigan appellate attorneys at Grabel & Associates can help you, call us toll-free at 1-800-342-7896, or you can use the contact form on this website to email our law firm.