We see it through.
A case is rarely over when the trial ends. We handle civil appeals and writ proceedings in the California Courts of Appeal, whether we are seeking relief from a ruling that got the law wrong or defending a judgment the other side wants to undo.
We are not afraid to see a case through to the end.
Most matters do not end with the verdict. A judgment can be challenged, a favorable ruling can be appealed, and a close question of law can be reopened in a higher court. We do not shy away from that stage. When the trial court got it wrong, we are prepared to say so to the Court of Appeal. When we win and the other side appeals, we defend the judgment all the way through. Carrying a case to the end, including the appeal and the remittitur that closes it, is part of how we represent clients, not an afterthought.
We litigate the full span, and we are still standing at the far end of it.
What an appeal asks
An appeal is a separate proceeding from the trial that produced it. It turns on the record, the applicable standard of review, and the precise question of law presented. Before any of that, it turns on whether a right to appeal exists at all. We bring that analysis to clients pursuing relief and to clients defending what they have already won.
What we handle
- Civil appeals and cross-appeals from final judgments
- Anti-SLAPP appeals and related motions
- Appealability and jurisdiction analysis under Code of Civil Procedure section 904.1
- Notice-of-appeal timeliness and service analysis under the Rules of Court
- Petitions for writ of mandate and other extraordinary relief
- Opening, respondent's, and reply briefs
- Oral argument before the Court of Appeal
- Post-judgment, fee, and sanctions appeals
- Record preservation and error analysis for trial counsel
- Strategic assessment of appellate prospects and cost
How we work on appeal
Read the record
An appeal lives or dies on what is in the record. We read it closely, because the court will consider only what is there.
Frame the question
We identify the one or two issues the court will actually decide, and the standard of review that governs each, then build the argument around them.
Press it through
Briefing, oral argument, and the steps that follow, including the remittitur. We do not run out of stamina before the matter is finished.
Representative appellate matters
A selection of appellate results. Each turned on the record, the standard of review, and the precise legal question presented.
360 So. Reeves, LLC v. Dutton
The firm obtained a published decision clarifying what a landlord must prove in a nonpayment unlawful detainer. The court held that compliance with Civil Code section 1962 is not part of the landlord's affirmative prima facie case. The issue arises only if the tenant specifically raises and proves it as a defense.
The opinion disapproved earlier language suggesting that section 1962 compliance is a jurisdictional prerequisite, confirming that whether a statutory requirement belongs in the lessor's case in chief, in an affirmative defense, or neither, depends on the language of the statute or ordinance itself.
Mirae Bank v. Messian
Our client faced a default judgment that had grown into seven figures with accrued interest, and the creditor was pressing hard to collect. We moved to set aside the default. The trial court denied the motion.
We took it up. The Court of Appeal reversed, set the default judgment aside, and gave our client the chance to defend the case on its merits.
Haghnazarzadeh v. Sun Tree Townhomes Owners' Assn.
A mediated settlement confirmed our client's easement and a $350,000 payment. When the homeowners association moved to undo the settlement, the firm defeated that effort and secured affirmance on appeal, with the Court of Appeal holding the settlement valid and enforceable.
When the association then challenged the resulting fee award, the firm prevailed again, securing affirmance of the $125,000 attorney fee award entered in the client's favor.
This one was personal. The client was family, and the firm carried it that way through two appeals.
Results depend on the specific facts and law of each matter. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any other case. Opinions designated "not to be published" may not be cited as precedent under California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115.
Considering an appeal?
Whether you are weighing an appeal from an adverse ruling or facing one after a win, the timelines are short and they matter. Reach out and we will talk through where your matter stands.
Request a consultation →Los Angeles, CA 90024
This page is attorney advertising and provides general information, not legal advice. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship. Jacob Zadeh, State Bar of California No. 331659.
