Appellate Law

Appellate Law

“Appellate work is “most assuredly not the recycling of trial level points and authorities” but instead “entails rigorous original work in its own right” and “offers counsel probably their best opportunity to craft work of original, professional, and, on occasion, literary value.” In re Marriage of Shaban, 88 Cal. App. 4th 398, 408-10 (2001).”

We couldn’t agree more. Appellate practice involves different skills and strategic considerations than trial practice. The focus shifts from developing and proving facts to the legal issues that interest judges, decide the case and develop the law. Our appellate lawyers have briefed and argued cases before the Colorado Court of Appeals, Colorado Supreme Court and the Unites States Courts of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. More than 60 of those cases have resulted in published opinions and several are landmark decisions.

The importance of a well-crafted, concise and ultimately persuasive appellate brief cannot be exaggerated. Our Denver-based appellate lawyers have handled case originating in trial courts from all over Colorado. They recognize appellate briefs receive greater judicial scrutiny than written materials prepared at trial because they are reviewed by a panel of judges, rather than a single judge, along with those judges’ larger legal staff, all under comparatively less time pressure than exists in the trial court. We also understand appellate oral advocacy must avoid emotional or fact-based pleas that may play well before a jury or trial judge, but are not dispositive legal issues. At oral argument we are particularly careful and always answer the judges’ questions.

Some of our more recent published decisions include:

Rooftop Restoration, Inc. v. Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co., 418 P.3d 1173, (Colo. 2018)
Trust Life Ins. Co. v. Estate of Casper, 418 P.3d 1163 28Colo. 2018)
McCracken v. Progressive Direct Ins. Co., 896 F.3d 1166 (10th Cir. 2018)
Arline v. Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co., 431 P.3d 670 (Colo. App. 2018)
Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Summit Park Townhome Ass’n, 885 F.3d 1278 (10th Cir. 2018)
Vasquez v. Davis, 882 F.3d 1270 (10th Cir. 2018)
Apodaca v. Raemisch, 864 F.3d 1071 (10th Cir. 2017)
Lowe v. Raemisch, 864 F.3d 1205 (10th Cir. 2017)
Peden v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 841 F.3d 887 (10th Cir. 2016)
Calderon v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 2016 CO 72 (Colo. 2016)
Casper v. Guarantee Trust Life Ins. Co., 2016 COA 167 (Colo. 2016)
Alhilo v. Kliem, 412 P.3d 902 (Colo. App. 2016)
Garcia v. Harms, 410 P.3d 561 (Colo. App. 2014)
DC10 Entertainment v. Manor Ins. Agency, 2013 WL 562625 (Colo. App. 2013)
Nunn v. Mid-Century Ins. Co. 244 P.3d 116 (Colo. 2010);
Radil v. Nat’l Union Tire Ins. Co.,7C2207 P.3d 849 (Colo. Ap. 2008);A0aff’d, 233 P.3d 688 (Colo. 2010)
565 F.3d 753 (10th Cir. 2009);
Fire Ins. Exchange v. Sullivan, 224 P.3d 348 (Colo. App. 2009);
Rider v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 205 P.3d 519 (Colo. App. 2009)(amicus);
Wagner v. Travelers Property Cas. Co. of America, 209 P.3d 1119 (Colo. App. 2008)(amicus);
Brodeur v. American Home Assur. Co., 169 P.3d 139 (Colo. 2007)(amicus);
Travelers Cas. and Sur. Co. v. Village Homes of Colorado, Inc., 155 P.3d 369 (Colo. 2007);
Roberts v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 144 P.2d 546 (Colo. 2006);
Stokes v. Denver Newspaper Agency, 159 P.3d 691 (Colo. App. 2006);
Friedland v. Travelers Indem. Co., 105 P.3d 639 (Colo. 2005) (amicus)
Royal Maccabees Life Ins. Co. v. Choren, 393 F.3d 1175 (10th Cir. 2005)
Coors v. Security Life of Denver Ins. Co., 91 P.3d 393 (Colo. App. 2003), aff’d 112 P.3d 59 (Colo. 2005) (amicus)
Goodson v. American Std. Ins. Co., 89 P.3d 409 (Colo. 2004) (amicus)
McGowan v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Co., 100 P.3d 521 (Colo. App. 2004)
Radil v. Sanborn Western Camps, Inc., 384 F.3d 1220 (10th Cir. 2004)
State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Brekke, 105 P.3d 177 (Colo. 2004) (amicus)
American Mfrs. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Seco/Warwick Corp., 266 F.Supp. 2d 1259 (D. Colo. 2003)
Cyprus Amax Minerals Co. v. Lexington Ins. Co., 74 P.3d 294 (Colo. 2003) (amicus)
Giampapa v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 64 P.3d 230 (Colo. 2003) (amicus)
Kidneigh v. UNUM Life Ins. Co of America, 345 F.3d 1182 (10th Cir. 2003)(amicus)
City of Sterling Irr. Co., 42 P.3d 72 (Colo. App. 2002)
Hall v. UNUM Life Ins. Co., 300 F.3d 1197 (10th Cir. 2002)
Nichols v. Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. Co., 56 P.3d 106 (Colo. App. 2002)
Arvada v. Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency, 19 P.3d 10 (Colo. 2001)
Arvada v. Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency, 988 P.2d 184 (Colo. App. 1999), aff’d, 19 P.3d 10 (Colo. 2001)
Gourley v. Yellow Transp., LLC, 178 F.Supp. 2d 1196 (D. Colo. 2001)
Salas v. Grancare, Inc., 22 P.3d 568 (Colo. App. 2001)
Showpiece Homes Corp. v. Assurance Co. of Am., 38 P.3d 47 (Colo. 2001) (amicus)
Colorado State Bd. of Dental Examiners v. Norton, 9 P.3d 1182 (Colo. App. 2000)
Greene v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 210 F.3d 1237 (10th Cir. 2000)
Rojhani v. Meagher, 22 P.3d 554 (Colo. App. 2000)
Slack v. Farmers Ins. Exch., 5 P.3d 280 (Colo. 2000) (amicus)
Flannery v. Allstate Ins. Co., 49 F. Supp. 2d 1223 (D. Colo. 1999)
Cassidy v. Millers Cas. Ins. Co. of Texas, 1 F.Supp. 2d 1200 (D. Colo. 1998)
Estate of Harry ex rel. Harry v. Hawkeye-Security Ins. Co., 972 P.2d 279 (Colo. App. 1998)
Peterman v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co., 961 P.2d 487 (Colo. 1998) (amicus)
Oja v. Howmedica, Inc., 111 F.3d 782 (10th Cir. 1997)
Allstate Ins. Co. v. Juniel, 931 P.2d 511 (Colo. App. 1996)
Greene v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 98 F.3d 554 (10th Cir. 1996)