
FEDERAL APPEALS IN NORTH FLORIDA
THE FEDERAL APPEALS PROCESS
The decision whether or not to appeal should be made as soon as possible after conviction because in most instances there is only a brief window of time to file a “notice of appeal” with the courts. If you and your attorney can identify specific aspects of the case in which significant errors occurred, an effective appeal may reverse these errors and change the outcome of the case.
Your appeal primarily consists of a written brief filed by your attorney with the Circuit Court of Appeals, detailing specific instances of error or negligence and the reasons why these instances may have negatively affected the verdict. In rare occasions with north Florida federal appeals, the prosecuting and defense attorneys will be summoned to Atlanta to present oral arguments; however, in most cases, the judges will render a decision based only on the written briefs and the court documents themselves. (This is why it’s so important to hire an experienced appeals attorney who can prepare an effective written brief.)