California Civil Appeals
Appellate representation may involve final judgments, appealable orders, complex records, questions of law, standards of review, and other issues arising from California civil litigation.
California · Courts of Appeal
California Appellate Attorney
California Appeals, Writs and Appellate Strategy
Thomas Ogden is a California attorney who has practiced law for over 20 years and is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a Specialist in Appellate Law.
He has represented and advised hundreds of clients in connection with civil and criminal appellate matters throughout California, before numerous United States Courts of Appeals, and in international and Commonwealth-related proceedings. His experience includes matters reaching the California Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Thomas Ogden · Certified Specialist in Appellate Law and Taxation Law
Independent State Bar Information
Certified Specialist
Appellate Law · Taxation Law
Statewide appellate pathway
Appeals From California Superior Courts
California has 58 superior courts, one for each county, and their judgments are reviewed by a single statewide system: six Courts of Appeal districts, sitting in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Ventura, Sacramento, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Ana, Fresno, and San Jose, with discretionary review above them in the Supreme Court of California.
Which district hears an appeal depends on the county in which the case was tried; within the First, Second, and Fourth Districts, the case is also assigned to a division. Limited civil, misdemeanor, and infraction appeals follow a different path, to the appellate division of the superior court itself. Cases litigated in one of California's four federal district courts are reviewed instead by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The appellate process, however, begins in the trial court. The notice of appeal, preparation of the appellate record, availability of transcripts, preservation of issues, and the rulings and evidence contained in the trial-court record can all affect what occurs later in the reviewing court.
This site maps that system for the whole state, from any superior court into the correct reviewing court.
California Superior Courts
58 county courts · notice of appeal · record
Superior Court Appellate Divisions
Limited civil · misdemeanor · infraction
Practice
Appellate Services
The Law Offices of Thomas Ogden represents and advises clients in connection with California and federal appellate matters, writ proceedings, and related complex litigation issues.
California Writ Petitions
Certain trial-court rulings may warrant consideration of extraordinary writ relief rather than waiting for review following final judgment.
White-Collar Criminal Appeals
Mr. Ogden is available to advise and represent clients concerning white-collar criminal appellate matters in California and federal courts.
Federal Appeals and Writs
Mr. Ogden has substantial experience with appellate matters before numerous United States Courts of Appeals and is available to advise and represent clients concerning federal appellate proceedings.
California and United States Supreme Court Matters
Mr. Ogden is available to consult concerning matters before the California Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Before judgment
Appellate Strategy Can Begin Before Judgment
Appellate planning does not necessarily begin after a notice of appeal has been filed.
In civil litigation, the summary judgment and other dispositive-motion stages can be particularly important. Arguments made, objections preserved, evidence placed in the record, and rulings obtained in the trial court may later determine what an appellate court can review.
In appropriate cases, considering appellate issues while the trial-court proceedings are still underway can help preserve issues and develop the record for possible later review.
Attorney
About Thomas Ogden
Thomas Ogden has practiced law for over 20 years and is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in both Appellate Law and Taxation Law.
In addition to his California practice, Mr. Ogden qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales and obtained Civil Higher Rights of Audience, permitting him to exercise rights of audience as a solicitor advocate in the higher civil courts of England and Wales. He has also been admitted as a solicitor in Ireland.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Ogden was an associate in KPMG's International Corporate Services group and later practiced in the private sector as an associate to a former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and a former Chief of the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice.
Statewide resources
California Appellate Resources
Wherever in California a case was tried, it passes through the same statewide appellate structure — but the district, the division, the local rules, and the record practices differ from place to place.
This site includes resources concerning:
- Appeals from California superior courts and the six appellate districts
- Filing a notice of appeal anywhere in California
- Preparing the appellate record
- Clerk's and reporter's transcripts
- The California Courts of Appeal, district by district
- Superior Court Appellate Divisions
- Appellate forms, rules of court, and research resources
- The Ninth Circuit and federal appeals from California
Start With a Conflict Check
Before the Law Offices of Thomas Ogden can review the substance of a matter, the first step is a brief conflict-of-interest check.
Only basic contact and case-identifying information is requested at this stage. Detailed confidential information about the case is not necessary.
After the conflict-check form is submitted, the firm will reach out by text and/or email regarding whether it is feasible to continue with the intake process.
Using this website, submitting a conflict check, or otherwise communicating through the intake process does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not extend, suspend, stay, or otherwise affect any legal, trial-court, appellate, or other deadline or proceeding. Unless and until Law Offices of Thomas Ogden expressly agrees in writing to represent you, you remain responsible for protecting your rights and complying with all applicable deadlines.
Thomas Ogden, Esq.
Certified Specialist in Appellate Law
Certified Specialist in Taxation Law
State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
Law Offices of Thomas Ogden