About Our Firm - Complex Appellate Litigation Group

Firm

Our firm is different

Our lawyers have devoted their careers to appellate work.

Most of our lawyers clerked on appellate courts — supreme courts and lower appellate courts at both the federal and state levels — and have seen firsthand what goes on behind the curtains. Many know the appellate judges and justices we appear before so well that they can often predict the kinds of arguments that will have the best chance of persuading them.

The majority of our lawyers have extensive business and civil appellate experience. Some focus on appellate sub-specialties such as family law appeals, bankruptcy law appeals, and white-collar criminal appeals. All our attorneys have practiced appellate law for years and years. No one is learning on the job.

Unlike other firms, we give our lawyers extraordinary flexibility and control over their careers. We have no minimum billable mandates. That leaves our team focused and disciplined — and free to love what they do.

Our firm began in San Francisco, the hotbed of disruptors, and has expanded to Los Angeles, San Diego, and across the nation

In 2012, we started from scratch with the question, “how can we build a firm that does things better?”

We’ve think we’ve done just that.

We found a way to bring together some of the most talented and experienced appellate lawyers on the West Coast in a supportive environment that magnifies each of their strengths. That leads to sharper appellate strategies, more persuasive briefs, and the most effective advocacy around.

Our lawyers include leading appellate practitioners at the peak of their careers, appellate court clerks with years or decades of experience behind the curtain, appellate writs specialists with inside knowledge about game-changing procedures, and talented appellate attorneys who want to rebalance their careers and regain control of their lives.

We don’t hire associates. We don’t have minimum billable hours. Our lawyers devote their full attention to the cases in front of them and produce extraordinary work that wins appeals for our clients. And our low turnover rate establishes that they love where they do it.

Team See Our Team

Every member of our team is a leader in the field

The National Law Journal called Ben Feuer an “elite boutique trailblazer.” California Lawyer Magazine named Rex Heinke “California Lawyer of the Year” twice. The Daily Journal named Anna-Rose Mathieson one of the “top women lawyers” in California three times. Benchmark Litigation deemed Kelly Woodruff a “California Litigation Star.” Johanna Schiavoni was elected president of the Bar Association.

They and our other recognized, experienced, successful appellate leaders are ready to play for keeps.

We win a lot

Our lawyers have decades of experience representing companies and individuals, plaintiffs and defendants, in federal and state appellate courts, and in virtually all types of complex appellate matters. Here are a smattering of our recent wins.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Degamo et al. v. Bank of America N.A.

Revived class action on behalf of a thousand Hawaii homeowners defrauded by their mortgagor.

The Belvedere Hotel Partnership v. Tasco

Prevailed in high-stakes trade secrets case involving luxury Beverley Hills hotels.

Rivera et al. v. Allstate Insurance Corp.

Obtained affirmance of dismissal in $29 million suit for defamation and False Credit Reporting Act claims.

Talented appellate lawyers interested in joining our practice are welcome to reach out

Our firm model gives our lawyers unmatched flexibility, and lets them build a portfolio of business that best leverages their experience. We have an innovative compensation structure that can rival or exceed the top of the market for appellate practice while also giving our attorneys the ability to lead vibrant personal lives.

We look for experienced appellate practitioners who have focused their careers on appeals — those who have excelled in private practice, spent years with the appellate courts, or taken on significant appellate roles in government agencies. We encourage junior lawyers interested in our firm to first serve as appellate law clerks and seek out appellate experiences during their associate years.

We think outside the box about how law should be practiced, as several leading journals have recognized.

“California Appellate Law Group Brings Work-Life Balance to a Niche Practice” by Law.com

Law.com’s “Mid-Market Report” profiled CALG and its unique approach to appellate practice in a 2020 interview with its chairman Ben Feuer.

“Top Boutiques in California” by the Daily Journal

The California Appellate Law Group was honored to be one of only 20 boutique law firms in California named to the Daily Journal’s “Top Boutiques of 2016” list.

“Flexibility First” by the Daily Journal

The California Appellate Law Group is made up of “seasoned, expert attorneys” and “thrives on subverting the typical law firm model,” according to a July 2018 profile of the firm in the Daily Journal.

If you’re interested in talking with us about whether your practice would be the right fit for our firm, feel free to email.

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