Horvitz & Levy LLP

Appellate litigation is not like trial litigation. The rules are different, the courts are different, and the process is different. To maximize your chances of success on appeal, you need a different sort of lawyer. You need representation by attorneys with a deep understanding of appellate practice and procedure, bringing to bear refined expertise and fresh perspectives, both in briefing and at oral argument. Horvitz & Levy is that law firm.

With an outstanding track record of success spanning more than a half-century, we are the largest law firm in the nation specializing exclusively in appellate litigation. Since 1990, we have litigated more than 1,400 appeals in state and federal court and have made nearly 200 appearances before the California Supreme Court. Our experience in California appeals and Ninth Circuit appeals is simply unparalleled.

Precedent-setting Outcomes

A single inexpertly handled appeal can result in an adverse precedent that may affect a business or industry for years to come.

Whether you are seeking to appeal an unfavorable lower court decision or are attempting to preserve a judgment in jeopardy, our unmatched skills and strategic approach to re-designing arguments has led to six decades of preserving, reversing, or reducing amounts awarded in connection with many of California?s highest profile cases.

We have achieved particular success in challenging punitive damages awards. In the last decade alone, we have won reversal of more than 95 cents of every dollar of punitive damages assessed against our clients.

Trial Strategy and Forward-looking Case Management

Clients around the country turn to Horvitz & Levy for its demonstrated expertise in appellate success and shaping the law. Our services include not only full briefing and oral arguments before the appellate courts, but also consulting on trial strategy, assisting trial counsel in preserving and developing issues for appellate review, preparing post-trial motions in anticipation of appeal, and negotiating favorable settlements pending appeal.

How Do We Do It?

It?s not only our size and long-term record of success that sets us apart; it's also the high caliber of our lawyers, their specialized training in the field of appellate law, our commitment to technology, and superior client service.

Our attorneys earned degrees at the nation's top law schools. Before joining us, they received outstanding legal training, often at national litigation firms or in government service. More than 70 percent of our lawyers started their careers in appellate clerkships. More than half served as law clerks to federal appellate judges or as staff attorneys at federal courts. Others have served as research attorneys to state court appellate justices.

Modern appellate advocacy requires the effective use of technology, and our state-of-the-art resources enable us to fully exploit our decades of briefing on cutting-edge appellate issues. In other words, when we perform legal research, our clients don?t pay us to reinvent the wheel.

Horvitz & Levy?s brief bank contains thousands of appellate briefs dating back to 1982. We take full advantage of the brief bank through West km?, a software program that integrates our brief bank with Westlaw? and provides real-time updates of the legal authorities in every brief.

We are pioneers in the use of ?e-briefs? in the California appellate courts. An e-brief is a searchable CD-ROM that contains the entire appellate record, legal authority, and briefing with hyperlinked cross-references. E-briefs not only substantially increase the odds that appellate justices and their staff will understand the nuances of a case, but they also allow us to work more efficiently during the briefing process.