Strategic appellate counsel for civil, business, property, family law, probate, land-use and administrative matters. St. Johns Law Group represents parties seeking review of adverse decisions and parties defending favorable judgments, with a focus on preserving issues, analyzing the record, writing persuasive briefs and preparing for oral argument.
Appellate rights can depend on the type of order, the court, post-judgment motions and the date an order is rendered. Prompt review helps identify jurisdiction, preservation issues, the applicable standard of review and the deadline for seeking relief.
Go directly to the appellate service or related SJLG practice most closely connected to the order, judgment or administrative decision under review.
Contract, business, real estate, construction, association and other civil judgments and orders.
Explore Civil Appeals →Divorce, equitable distribution, alimony, child support, parenting and related appellate issues.
Explore Family Appeals →Appeals involving probate administration, estates, fiduciaries, trusts and contested proceedings.
Explore Probate Appeals →Judicial review of zoning, development, local-government and quasi-judicial decisions.
Explore Land Use Appeals →Certiorari, mandamus, prohibition and other extraordinary forms of appellate or original-jurisdiction relief.
Explore Writs →Preservation, entitlement and procedure involving attorneys’ fees when authorized by contract, statute or rule.
Fees on Appeal →Issue selection, standards of review, record citations, initial/answer/reply briefs and oral-argument preparation.
Appellate Process →Coordination with trial counsel on preservation, post-trial motions, record development and appellate strategy.
Civil Litigation →The existing SJLG appellate practice includes attorneys with substantial appellate experience and a record of handling appeals across civil, family, probate, property, local-government and business matters.
An appeal is not a new trial. Appellate courts generally review the record created below, the preserved legal issues, the applicable standard of review and the parties’ written and oral arguments.
Identify the order or judgment, jurisdiction, appealability, rendition date, preservation issues and applicable deadline.
Evaluate transcripts, pleadings, exhibits, orders and other materials necessary for the appellate record.
Select the strongest issues, frame the standard of review and develop persuasive arguments supported by the record and authority.
Prepare for oral argument when scheduled and address the appellate court’s questions with a record-focused presentation.
Appeals can arise from contract disputes, real estate and property cases, business conflicts, construction matters, association litigation, landlord-tenant disputes, summary judgments and other civil proceedings.
The appellate issue may turn on substantive law involving family, probate, property, business, construction, associations or government decisions.
Divorce, equitable distribution, support, parenting and post-judgment issues.
Family Law →Estates, fiduciaries, contested probate, trusts and beneficiary disputes.
Probate Litigation →Administrative and quasi-judicial review involving development and local-government decisions.
Land Use Appeals →Commercial contracts, ownership, fiduciary and business disputes that continue into appellate review.
Business Litigation →Some matters reach an appellate court through extraordinary writs or original-jurisdiction proceedings rather than a conventional appeal. The correct vehicle depends on the order, tribunal and relief sought.
Review in circumstances where certiorari jurisdiction is available and the governing standards are satisfied.
Extraordinary relief involving the performance of a legal duty or the exercise of judicial authority.
Appellate and circuit-court review of qualifying administrative, local-government and quasi-judicial decisions.
Fee entitlement and appellate procedure can depend on the underlying contract, statute, order and applicable appellate rule. SJLG evaluates fee issues as part of appellate planning rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Evaluate whether fee entitlement was preserved below and whether additional appellate steps are required.
Analyze contractual, statutory or other legal grounds for appellate fees.
Address the timing and form of motions or other filings required to pursue fees in the appellate proceeding.
The existing SJLG appellate page identifies representative matters spanning civil litigation, landlord-tenant, employment, probate, family law and other disputes.
319 So. 3d 762 (Fla. 3d DCA 2021) — reversal of summary judgment and remand permitting amendment of an answer.
Contract / Fees325 So. 3d 865 (Fla. 5th DCA 2021) — defense of a breach-of-contract judgment and attorneys’ fees.
Landlord / TenantCase No. 5D2023-0169 (Fla. 5th DCA 2024) — appellate fee relief after a trial-court denial.
Employment / Theft300 So. 3d 664 (Fla. 5th DCA 2020) — defense of a treble-damages award.
ProbateCase No. 5D2022-1133 (Fla. 5th DCA 2024) — appellate matter involving preservation of estate assets.
Family Law323 So. 3d 738 (Fla. 5th DCA 2021) — affirmance involving alimony, child support and fees.
Representative results are provided for informational purposes only. Every matter is different, and past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.
SJLG’s appellate team combines focused appellate briefing with experience in civil litigation, community-association disputes, real estate, land use, local government proceedings, extraordinary writs and complex litigation.
Alex focuses on appellate advocacy, appeals and writs together with civil and commercial litigation. His background includes judicial internships at the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
View Alex Nunchuck’s Profile →
Hillary’s civil and property litigation practice includes successful appellate defenses, including reported Fifth District Court of Appeal matters involving breach-of-contract judgments.
View Hillary Mesa’s Profile →
Doug’s litigation practice includes land-use and zoning challenges, petitions for writ of certiorari, complex real estate disputes and matters involving local-government decisions.
View Douglas Burnett’s Profile →Generally, no. An appellate court usually reviews the record created in the lower tribunal, preserved legal issues and the applicable standards of review rather than retrying witnesses and evidence.
Quickly. Appellate deadlines can be short and may be jurisdictional. The correct deadline depends on the order, tribunal and procedural history, including certain post-judgment motions.
Yes. Appellate representation includes both seeking reversal of an adverse ruling and defending a favorable judgment or order.
The standard of review describes how an appellate court evaluates a particular issue. Different issues may receive different levels of deference, making issue selection and framing important.
Preservation can affect whether an appellate court may consider an issue. Appellate counsel reviews objections, motions, rulings and the record to evaluate preservation and available arguments.
No. Whether oral argument occurs depends on the court and the case. When argument is scheduled, preparation focuses on the record, governing law, likely questions and the strongest points for the panel.
Sometimes. Entitlement and procedure depend on the underlying legal basis and applicable appellate rules. Fee issues should be evaluated early.
Yes. SJLG’s appellate and land-use practices overlap in matters involving zoning, development orders, quasi-judicial decisions and other forms of local-government review.
Recent SJLG resources addressing Florida appeals, appellate procedure, litigation strategy and related review issues.
Overview of appellate review, potential appeal issues and the role of appellate counsel.
Read Article →Trial and appellate resources for business, contract, property and complex civil disputes.
Read Resource →Review of zoning, development and local-government decisions across Northeast Florida.
Read Resource →Family law representation involving divorce, parenting, support, property and litigation.
Read Resource →Contested probate and fiduciary litigation resources for estate-related disputes.
Read Resource →Representative matters involving trials, appeals, development approvals and other legal results.
View Results →If you are considering an appeal, responding to an appeal, evaluating an extraordinary writ or reviewing an administrative decision, send us the order or judgment and tell us where the matter stands procedurally.
St. Augustine Office
104 Sea Grove Main Street
St. Augustine, Florida 32080
Include the court or agency, the order or judgment date, any upcoming deadline you know about, and how we can reach you. Do not send confidential information until an attorney-client relationship has been established.
