Appellate and Critical Motions

When we take on an appeal, we consider ourselves an extension of the team that has been living with the case since its inception. Whether the case was tried by Winston trial lawyers or by another law firm, we work closely with trial counsel to learn the case and to determine which issues present the greatest potential risk and reward on appeal. We take care to draft briefs that tell the client’s story, while still focusing the court’s attention on the particular issues that best serve our client’s interests in the case.

Attorneys in our group are also experienced oral advocates. Collectively, we have appeared in all of the U.S. Courts of Appeals and in a wide range of state intermediate courts and courts of last resort.  We have special experience in the appellate courts of Illinois, New York, and California, where so many of our clients have had important, bet-the-company disputes. Indeed, Winston & Strawn has a longstanding tradition of great oral advocacy, beginning with our former Chairman — former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson — who has argued more than 200 cases to date in the Illinois Supreme Court during his long and distinguished career as an advocate.

View representative federal and state court appellate experience