Appeals

Appeals

Mitby Pacholder Johnson PLLC is a dynamic civil law firm providing practical solutions to the legal problems of businesses and individuals. Our firm's attorneys are skilled in litigation and experienced handling a wide variety of proceedings, including civil appeals. Texas civil litigation has changed, in that a trial verdict is only part of what you need your lawyer to handle. Verdicts are regularly appealed and our lawyers can handle a case from the initial filing throughout the appellate process. 


When you receive an unfavorable result at a civil trial but believe the judge or jury made a mistake, you can seek an appeal. An appeal takes place when one party asks a higher court to review the trial court’s (or other lower court’s) decision. An experienced appellate attorney can review your case and determine whether the trial court’s mistake involved an issue of the law, which then allows you to appeal it in a higher court.

Appeals are a special area of the law, and require a lawyer who has the skill set and experience necessary to develop a strong appeal. The partners at the law firm of Mitby Pacholder Johnson PLLC have more than 100 years of combined experience representing clients in civil appeals and seeking to enforce verdicts or other ruling.

Our appellate practice handles civil appeals in state and federal courts of Texas. We work directly with businesses that were parties in a lawsuit (plaintiff or defendant) to pursue appellate relief, and with trial lawyers who are reluctant to accept the appeal due to time constraints, location or other conflicts.

Texas Appellate Process

A civil case starts in a trial court, whether state or federal. Assuming the matter was filed in a Texas state court, the next level up for appeals is in a Texas Court of Appeals. Texas is divided into fourteen districts, each of which has its own Court of Appeals. In larger districts, the courts have six justices, and in smaller districts the courts have only three justices. These Texas appellate courts have jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases, except death penalty cases.

Should your first appellate stop in the Texas Court of Appeals not yield the result you’d hoped for, your next step in the civil appeals process is to the Supreme Court of Texas, the highest court in the state. If a party loses before a court at this level, there are no remaining options for a civil appeal, with the party exhausting all legal remedies. This underscores the need to hire and work with superior appellate counsel early in your case so you don’t waste all of your appeals.

Texas Civil Appeals Attorneys

Businesses involved in Texas state court litigation should work with attorneys experienced in appellate law. The rules leave little room for error. Whether you are defending a successful verdict or challenging a decision, the civil appellate attorneys at Mitby Pacholder Johnson PLLC have the knowledge and experience to achieve the best possible results for your business. Our trial attorneys have extensive experience representing clients in civil appellate courts throughout Texas. To find out more about how we can help you understand whether an appeal is appropriate in your specific situation, please call to schedule an appointment.

The civil appeals process is substantially different from trial, and you want an attorney to help you find relief from an unfavorable trial result. Our team have worked as appellate counsel in all stages of complex civil appeals litigation. They have worked with trial counsel to protect and preserve the record prior to and during trial. They have presented appeals to all levels of appellate courts through the Texas Supreme Court.