Appellate Litigation: Recommended Classes, Valuable Skills & Career Paths
Published: Apr 13, 2024
Appellate attorneys litigate cases in the appellate courts, whether federal or state, and focus on legal research and writing around the specific issues on appeal. Read Q&As from attorneys at top-ranked appellate litigation practices on the Vault Law Resource Center for Appellate Litigation to learn more about the kinds of cases appellate attorneys encounter, what a “typical day” is like as an appellate attorney, and more. Those attorneys also share recommended classes to take during law school, valuable skills and experiences to gain before graduating law school, and potential career paths for appellate attorneys, which we’ve listed out below.
Recommended Classes
- Constitutional Law
- Legal Research & Writing
- Civil Procedure
- Appellate Advocacy/Appellate Seminars
- Evidence
Valuable Skills & Experiences
- Strong writing skills
- Legal research skills
- Oral advocacy skills
- Analytical skills
- Appellate Clerkship
Career Paths
- Law firm practice
- Judge
- Judicial Clerk
- Law Professor
- State or federal solicitor general’s office
For more firms with appellate litigation practices, check out the Appellate Litigation Resource Center and Vault’s top-ranked firms for antitrust.