Appellate Litigation

The stakes are never higher than when your case is on appeal. When facing appellate matters, clients must turn to a highly credible team to win their case. Blank Rome’s appellate team holds a legacy few firms can boast, and that legacy is maintained and celebrated by both our members and the legal and business communities we serve. Our reputation among our peers is crucial to attaining a favorable outcome for our clients when seeking an appeal. The courts in which we argue cases know and respect our team, and we know the courts and which approaches will work in appellate matters.

Appeals require unique combinations of experience and judgment across a broad array of jurisdictional laws. Our appellate practice group argues in the United States Supreme Court and all 13 of the federal circuits, as well as most state appellate courts, and we are one of the most distinguished and valued appellate practices in the country. Our practice has prepared strategic briefs and argued in hundreds of federal and state court cases, and we also represent amicus curiae before the appellate courts on matters of significant public interest. Our team has led appeals in many types of civil cases, and we have handled venue and jurisdictional appeals, injunction appeals, governmental and public official immunity appeals, discovery mandamus, and, when necessary, petitions for Supreme Court review.

Comprising former federal judges and current appellate practitioners, our team is uniquely qualified to identify and refine issues and arguments at all stages of litigation. The result of our many years of this experience has been a higher level of written and oral advocacy, the acumen to identify and research important issues a less experienced team might otherwise miss, and ultimately a greater likelihood of success for clients on appeal.
Blank Rome’s attorneys are especially suited as a practice group specifically focused on appellate advocacy. We believe that our clients would be well served by our tenured team that is prepared to provide appellate advice before, during, and after a trial as well as handle any pre- and post-trial motions that may arise.

Additionally, we have collaborated with Thomson Reuters Practical Law to develop practice note resources on civil appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which are available for our clients and readers here. Thomson Reuters’ members are also able to download these resources through our firm’s published Contributor Page.

What Sets Us Apart

Led by Stephen M. Orlofsky, former United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, and Timothy K. Lewis, former United States Court of Appeals Judge for the Third Circuit, our well-balanced team includes many of the United States’ leading litigators and legal scholars, including former judges, U.S. Department of Justice assistant U.S. attorneys, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appellate attorneys, and district attorneys, as well as former federal and state court law clerks. In addition, appellate practitioners have increasingly sought the guidance of our former federal judges to assist in their preparation, and we are often invited to sit as appellate judges for mock oral arguments in cases throughout the country.

Recent recognitions include:

• Ranked Tier 1 in 2025 Best Lawyers in America^® (Woodward/White, Inc.) national ranks for Commercial Litigation, Banking and Finance, Bankruptcy, Labor & Employment, and White Collar Litigation. Also highly ranked nationally for Intellectual Property, Patent, Securities, Environmental, and Tax Law.
• Chambers USA editors have stated that Blank Rome has a:
  • “Significant commercial litigation practice, offering sought-after representation across a range of cases including securities, antitrust, environmental, construction and cybersecurity disputes. Further highlighted for its federal appellate work and for its experience in class action defense.”
• Chambers USA client feedback includes:
  • “The litigation team was excellent. Each of the lawyers brought a very interesting element to the team and they blended together well. They were great and I would highly recommend them!”