Compared to the federal appellate process, state court practice is different. This could be a little, or it might be very different, depending on the state where the appeal is being heard. Because I'm licensed in New York, this post is limited to appellate practice in New York State.

Anyone expecting to be involved with US courts, whether in filing or defending against a lawsuit, should be aware of the federal nature of the court system.

To pick up where my last post, describing my experience as an extra on the set of a German TV production, left off, the first difference between my expectations and actual work as an extra was how easy it was to find the role.

Over the summer, on the set of one of Germany's most lavish (and expensive) shows currently in production, I got to identify legal issues which might arise when background actors from Germany seek out similar work in the US, by working as an extra myself.

The last post gave a broad overview of the American appellate process. But how does this process differ from a proceeding in the court of first instance, the trial court?

The function of an appeal in the American system, in plain language, is to ask a higher court to review a lower court's action.

More on American Appeals: The Process and the Outcome.