NEED HELP PREPARING AN APPEALLATE BRIEF AND AN APPENDIX?

Are you taking an appeal of a New Jersey Trial Court or Administrative Agency Decision and you need help preparing the New Jersey appeal papers?  The Law Office of Paul DePetris offers per diem attorney services to many New Jersey law firms taking or defending against appeals and appellate consulting services to New Jersey residents.  An appeal is one of the most complex legal undertakings – don’t go it alone!  Let Paul DePetris prepare the following New Jersey Appeal paperwork for you:

·         Transcript request form

·         notice of appeal

·         appellate case information statement

·         proofs of filing and service

·         table of contents to the appendix

·         appeal brief

·         request for oral argument

·         reply brief

The Law Office of Paul DePetris will prepare your New Jersey Appeal paperwork for you.  In many cases, the Law Office of Paul DePetris can do your New Jersey Appellate Paperwork for a one time flat fee.  After you pay the Firm’s fee (whether flat or hourly) and submit the necessary information to the Firm, the paperwork shall be typed up and sent to you for you to file.  Don’t take a chance getting your papers rejected by the court for drafting errors and don’t rely upon legal advice from anyone other than an attorney licensed to practice law in New Jersey!   To get a quote to prepare your New Jersey Appeal paperwork, call Paul DePetris at 609-714-2020 or email him @ consumerlaw@newjerseylemon.com. 

CAN I HANDLE A APPEAL COURT CASE MYSELF?

Appeals are some of the most complex matters heard in New Jersey Courts and the failure to file the New Jersey Court Rules governing New Jersey Appeals could result in your New Jersey Appeal being dismissed or your being fined by the New Jersey Appellate Court.  While some people can and do successfully handle New Jersey Appeals, many other attorneys and non-attorneys make mistakes that lead to the dismissal of their cases or that result in the entry of fines against them.  The greater the money at stake, the greater the reason to consider using the services of a competent attorney licensed to practice law in New Jersey to handle part or all of the case.  The following are reasons to use an attorney to handle part or all of your case:

·         New Jersey Appeal Court fees often change

·         New Jersey Appeal Court rules often change

·         New Jersey Appeal Court employees cannot give you “free” legal advice and a judge may refuse to let you claim that you were right in taking an action (or in deciding not to take action) because you relied on advice from such employees

·         New Jersey Appeal Court forms available on websites may not cover every situation you may face in court

·         each New Jersey Appeal Court case has its own particular legal issues and therefore, its own challenges

·         it is very common for people to file inadequate or incorrect complaints that result in the complaints or answers to complaints being rejected by the New Jersey Appeal Court or being dismissed by the New Jersey Appeal Court after filing and before or after trial because of procedural deficiencies.  

·         it is not uncommon for judges to get very frustrated by an unrepresented party’s lack of preparation or ignorance of the facts or law of the case. 

·         a court has the power to punish unprepared parties, such as by throwing their case out of court or limiting what they can present at trial. 

·         New Jersey has many published cases, laws, regulations, court rules and rules of evidence that can be very tricky to understand and that can be used to prevent you from doing much of what you want to do at trial. 

·         it is very common for courts to refuse to allow a party to use or refer to documents or items at trial that the person themselves never prepared.  Often parties stumble into New Jersey Appeal Court with a video, photograph, bill or affidavit or other form of written statement, thinking they are going to use it as proof that they lost money or that they are not responsible for someone else’s damages, only to have a judge tell the parties that it is not going to even consider such items or documents. 

·         without the proper preparation, items and documents may never be considered by the New Jersey Appeal Court.  Also, if there are any legal issues to be dealt with at trial, you must be prepared to argue them, which may require you to refer to court rules, evidence rules, laws, regulations or published cases. 

·         you cannot show up at the New Jersey Appeal Court expecting the judge hearing your case to explain court rules, evidence rules, court procedure or the details of the law that applies to your case.  The judge hearing your case is not permitted to give you legal advice.

It is important to remember that even if you have an attorney, you could lose your case.  Hiring an attorney to handle part or all of your case does not guarantee your success.  However, it may provide what is needed to win your case or to avoid certain mistakes.

DOES THE LAW OFFICE OF PAUL DEPETRIS HAVE EXPERIENCE HANDLING APPEALS?

Yes.  Paul DePetris has performed the following tasks:

·         Prepared appellate briefs for appeals from municipal court decisions.

·         Prepared appellate briefs for appeals from superior court decisions.

·         Prepared appellate briefs that succeeded in defeating appeals.

·         Prepared appellate briefs that overturned the incorrect decision of trial judges.

·         Prepared an appellate brief that defeated an attempt to appeal a case before the trial court completed the trial of the case (interlocutory appeal motions).

·         Assisted other attorneys with the handling of appeals and interlocutory motions involving appeals.

Mr. DePetris has appeared before the Superior Court of New Jersey in the following counties:

Mr. DePetris has also appeared in federal courts - the District of New Jersey in Camden, Trenton and Newark and in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Mr. DePetris is also the author of the following publications:  New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act & Forms (New Jersey Law Journal Books, 2007); Learned Professionals, Licensed Semiprofessionals and the Consumer Fraud Act:  The Origins of the Licensed Professionals’ Doctrine (New Jersey Lawyer, Oct. 2008); and Liability For Consumer Fraud In Real Estate Transactions (New Jersey Law Journal, March 18, 2009).   Mr. DePetris also gives seminars on the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY TO HANDLE MY CASE FROM BEGINNING TO END?

In many situations, the Law Office of Paul DePetris offers alternatives to handling Appeal Court cases for an hourly fee, such as by offering to prepare the court paperwork for you or helping you handle your claim by yourself.  Such flexible methods may allow you to keep the amount legal fees you spend on your case to a fixed sum, while providing you the help you need to handle your case.  For a no cost phone consultation about what the Firm might be able to do for you, call Paul DePetris at 609-714-2020 or email him @ consumerlaw@newjerseylemon.com.