Silber, Perlman, Sigman, and Tilev
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Appellate Litigation

SPS&T defends and prosecutes judicial and administrative appeals on a wide range of legal issues. Appellate litigation generally requires attorneys to work with only the facts already included in the record of an initial agency hearing or court trial. Success can be achieved either by convincing the appellate court that it has no choice but to accept your position, or by making the court want to accept your position and providing it with the legal basis to do so.

Therefore, whether challenging an unfavorable decision or defending a favorable decision with some potential weaknesses, our attorneys think creatively, conduct thorough research, and present persuasive written and oral arguments to achieve victory for our clients.

Kenneth Sigman, the lead attorney in most of our appellate cases, draws on his experience drafting judicial opinions as a law clerk to an appellate and a trial court judge, as a research assistant to an eminent legal scholar, and as a published member and editor of the Catholic University Law Review. Mr. Sigman regularly defends against judicial appeals of decisions of local government agencies, and has litigated appeals involving such diverse issues as the revocation of a liquor license, the termination of a police officer for mental unfitness, and the authority of a local government to impose rent control.

Susan Silber has litigated several successful appellate cases, including cases involving the defense of a county civil rights statute, interstate child custody disputes, and the rights of lesbian and gay parents. She drafted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding affirmative action on behalf of national women’s organizations.

Appellate litigation often is costly and time consuming. Therefore, we carefully analyze prospective cases before we will commit to prosecute an appeal. Once underway, the appellate process often creates opportunities for settlements that address our clients’ concerns. We take advantage of these opportunities to minimize our clients’ risk and legal expenses. In the most compelling cases, we have enlisted the participation of national interest groups to bolster the quality and credibility of our argument and to defray our clients’ costs.

If you are considering appealing an unfavorable decision, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible because you may be required to file a notice of appeal within as little as ten days after the issuance of the decision. By missing a deadline, you may forfeit your right to pursue your case, regardless of the merits.

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© 2007 SILBER, PERLMAN, SIGMAN & TILEV, P.A.