Session 1: Overview and Tools of the Trade

This post includes the video and slidedeck for the first lecture in my Appellate Practice and Procedure course. The presentation appears below.

In this lesson, after introducing myself and going over the course syllabus, I discuss the nature of appellate work as opposed to other types of litigation, the upside of having an appellate practice, the anatomy of the appellate process, and the tools of the trade.

Although I put this lecture together several years ago, my observations about it being a good time to start a solo appellate practice generally hold true today. In 2009, technology had advanced such that one could run an appellate practice with a laptop, high-speed internet, a printer, and a legal research database subscription. Smartphones, tablets, and online practice-management platforms have since emerged as additional tools in the appellate lawyer’s toolbox.