Federal Criminal Appeals

Federal Criminal Appeals

If you didn’t win at trial, it’s important to do everything possible to prevail on appeal. 

In federal criminal cases, your freedom is often at stake. It’s essential your federal appellate attorneys fully understand the rules of appellate practice and think outside the box to approach your case as creatively as possible. 

Federal criminal appeals provide the opportunity to raise legal issues with a panel of three judges sitting on a higher court. For example, if evidence was improperly admitted or excluded at trial, if you have discovered new evidence, if the jury was not instructed properly or otherwise acted improperly, if the trial judge made legal errors in rulings, or if sentencing was excessive, you may be able to raise those issues with the court of appeals—and doing so as effectively as possible can be the difference between victory and defeat. 

Time is of the essence. In federal court, a notice of appeal must generally be filed within 14 days after the judgment is entered by the district court.

Our team—which includes two former federal prosecutors, a former federal judicial law clerk, and seasoned appellate practitioners—has argued appeals throughout the country, including before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Seventh Circuit, Eighth Circuit, and Tenth Circuit, and has represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court.