Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Litigation/Appellate Litigation
What makes for good appellate advocacy? Whether the appeal is from a small claims court or to the United States Supreme Court, the key ingredients are much the same: carefully listening to the client, distilling the essential facts, understanding not only what law applies but the purpose behind it, candor and a clearly stated theme. And while appellate practice has much in common with litigation in the trial court, it requires its own unique set of skills. The appellate process not only has its own rules, procedures and even customs, but it calls for a different approach — foregoing some issues, focusing on others and often looking at them all in a new light.

Broad appellate experience. Diverse client base.
In the past 10 years, Quarles & Brady lawyers have handled nearly 300 appeals in state and federal courts across the country, including the United States Supreme Court. Our broad appellate experience stems from representing an array of clients, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses and from large governmental bodies to indigent prisoners. This diverse client base has given us experience in a broad range of disciplines, including antitrust, business torts and contract disputes, constitutional law, environmental, labor and employment, insurance, intellectual property, land use, product liability and public utilities. Our experience is national, with particular depth in the courts of Arizona, Illinois and Wisconsin as well as the Seventh and Ninth Circuits. Our resources include 23 attorneys who have clerked for appellate judges at the federal and state level. We are also proud of our long history of representing indigent clients in their appeals.

Our Appellate Practice Group draws on all of this experience. We meet regularly to focus on best practices for the appellate arena, which include working with trial counsel not only after an appeal has been filed but before, to anticipate issues that may arise on appeal. Once an appeal is filed, we are well equipped to serve our clients at each step of the appeals process, from weighing the costs, risks and rewards of an appeal at the outset to negotiating the final stages of brief writing and oral argument.

We are here to help you navigate the challenges.
An appeal brings the client to a crossroads in litigation and presents its own unique challenges. We would be pleased to discuss how we might help you navigate the process — whether as lead counsel, co-counsel or as a consultant.

Some of the areas of laws for which we have handled appeals include: 

• Antitrust
• Arbitration
• Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights
• Class Actions
• Contracts and Commercial Law
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law
• Environmental
• Insurance
• Intellectual Property
• Labor & Employment
• Libel & Slander
• Products Liability
• Public Utilities
• Zoning and Land User