The California Blog of Appeal


"The California Blog of Appeal is an appellate practitioner's take on practice and legal developments in the California Courts of Appeal, California Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. But it's not just for appellate lawyers. ... Trial lawyers will also be interested in the focus of this blog," which includes "(1) substantive legal developments; (2) appellate procedure, standards of review, and appellate jurisdiction that can greatly influence how a trial attorney shapes litigation at the trial level; (3) post-trial practice in the trial courts; and (4) writing, oral advocacy, and other practical skills."

Author: Greg May is a Ventura, Calif., appellate attorney.

Blawg Related Categories: Appellate Practice • Law Practice Management • Trials & Litigation • States • California • Legal Information

Recent Posts from The California Blog of Appeal


  • En banc ninth tries to clear up the “abuse of discretion” standard

    The “abuse of discretion” standard of review, depending on the particular court applying it and the particular case in which it is applied, can sometimes seem about as clear as mud. The en banc Ninth…

  • Big city justices roll into Napa

    The First District Court of Appeal convened yesterday in Napa to hear two criminal cases at a public auditorium before about 400 high school students. The justices also treated the students to a Q&A session.…

  • Well, just the impetus I needed!

    If you are a regular reader, you know I’ve been AWOL for several months. What started as a short break turned into a hiatus, without so much as an announcement from me. Work and family…

  • Supreme Court announces court closure schedule

    The California Supreme Court has announced the statewide court closure schedule made necessary, according to the announcement, by “California’s current fiscal crisis.” “The Supreme Court of California, the Courts of Appeal, and all superior courts…

  • Review of Remand Orders: One Man’s Obsession

    And I mean obsession in a good way. I never thought I’d get out-geeked on the subject of jurisdiction, and especially not on the subject of appellate jurisdiction, but I think Jones Day partner Mark…

  • Can your clients help you be more persuasive?

    Here’s an article on my short list of must-reads: in Know Your Client: Maximizing Advocacy by Incorporating Client-Centered Principles into Legal Writing Rhetoric Practice, Rutgers-Camden law professor Jason Cohen advocates that lawyers look beyond the typical “write…

  • A civil case and a criminal case look the same to a mailbox

    For an appellant whose mail slot looks like the one pictured, there was an important decision yesterday. The California Supreme Court reached a sensible decision in Silverbrand v. County of Los Angeles, case no. S143929…

  • Service of Summons via Social Media

    Sometimes, a defendant manages to dodge service of summons quite skillfully.  A colleague of mine once resorted to serving a  defendant with summons at the defendant’s daughter’s wedding because the defendant had successfully dodged many…

  • Judge Bea calls out his colleagues

    In a dissent from a Ninth Circuit denial of en banc review in Lopez-Rodriguez v. Holder, case no. 06-70868 (9th Cir. Aug. 7, 2008, r’hng en banc denied March 27, 2009), a case concerning the application of the…

  • Another Supreme Court Justice Meet-Up at Pepperdine

    After hosting Justice Alito and Justice Scalia, Pepperdine recently hosted an event with Justice O’Connor. Read appellate attorney Ben Shatz’s account of the Justice O’Connor event at the Los Angeles County Bar Association blog, en banc, where you…