Law Office Of Thomas R. Villecco, P.C.
Appellate Services
Appellate Advocacy
The Law Office of Thomas R. Villecco dedicates itself to the fine art of appellate advocacy and will apply this experience in zealously representing you throughout the appellate process.
We offer reasonable fees for both individuals or trial attorneys in need of experienced appellate counsel. Please contact us for more information.
INDIVIDUALS
We represent individuals who wish to appeal an adverse order, judgment, or criminal conviction.
Having litigated over 200 appeals in New York’s appellate courts, we can bring a fresh perspective to your case.
We frame issues and facts in the most favorable possible light and position your appeal for the best chance of a successful outcome.
LAW FIRMS
Law firms, often too busy with the hustle and bustle of trial practice to handle an appeal, frequently hire us to litigate their appeals and major motions.
We can litigate any appeal from any area of law, though specific areas of focus include personal injury, medical malpractice, and criminal defense matters.
The Art of Appellate Counsel
Since appellate work is a specialty in its own right, retaining appellate counsel offers several distinct advantages.
Just as depositions and trial work are the lifeblood of a trial attorney, crafting sophisticated legal arguments through clear, direct prose is the handiwork of appellate counsel.
This is perhaps the most important function of appellate counsel since the overwhelming majority of cases are decided on the briefs alone.
Brief writing is a labor-intensive exercise that requires large blocks of time to analyze the record and research the issues.
This process can take as long, if not longer, than writing the brief itself.
Once a draft is finished, the attorney must edit the brief—an undertaking that often requires the writing and editing of several drafts until the attorney has created a polished work product.
With an active deposition and trial schedule, the trial lawyer rarely has the large blocks of time necessary to give every detail the utmost attention.
By contrast, appellate counsel, enjoying the benefit of the longer deadlines inherent in his work, can deliver a brief of the highest caliber.
Oftentimes, trial counsel, having litigated numerous motions at the trial level, mistakenly believes that a hotly contested issue is in and of itself worthy of litigating on appeal.
With the clear eye of an outsider's perspective, appellate counsel can bring a big picture approach to the matter and skillfully sift through the record, raising only those issues with the greatest likelihood to secure a favorable result.