Reno Appellate Attorney

An appeal is not a second trial. It is a written argument that one specific legal error changed the outcome — made to judges who will have read the record and the briefs long before anyone stands up to speak. It rewards precision, not volume.

Chris Rusby earned a Witkin Award for Appellate and International Advocacy and an award for Best Appellate Brief at McGeorge School of Law, and has since briefed and argued appeals in the Nevada Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, including cases that became published decisions.

Appellate matters

• Nevada Supreme Court appeals
• Nevada Court of Appeals
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Writ petitions
• Post-trial motions
• Appellate consulting for trial counsel
• Record and issue evaluation
• Opposing an appeal as respondent

How it works

1. Deadline checkThe first conversation is about timing. Appeal deadlines are short, and missing one usually ends the appeal before it starts.
2. Record and issue reviewWe read the record and identify which errors were preserved and which are worth arguing.
3. BriefingThe brief is the case. Most appeals are decided on the strength of the written argument.
4. Oral argumentIf the court grants oral argument, we prepare for the questions the judges are most likely to ask.