The Basics Of California State Appellate Procedure

Let's say you just lost a civil lawsuit in California Superior Court (one of California's 58 trial courts), and you think the court got it wrong. You may want to challenge that loss by appealing to the California Court of Appeal. There, a panel of three judges will consider the trial court's ruling and decide whether any legal errors require correction.

But while filing a compelling brief matters, it won't be enough to simply point out the mistakes made by the trial court to win. There are several other important procedural steps that a party must take before the Court of Appeal will even consider the merits of your case. And the failure to do so could have dramatic consequences, including dismissal of the appeal. Thus, it's just as important that a party clear all these procedural hurdles to have a chance of winning on the merits.