CA Appellate Specialist case studies
CA Appellate Specialist · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The California Appellate Specialist credential is a legal specialization certification administered through The State Bar of California's Legal Specialization program, and the Appellate Law specialty exam is the assessment candidates sit for to earn it. It is intended for California-licensed attorneys who already practice appellate law and want their expertise formally certified, not for law students or general practitioners exploring the field. Because the official specialty-field page for Appellate Law could not be retrieved - the URL returned a "Page not found" error - this page cannot yet state the exam's question count, duration, passing score, fee, format, retake policy, or certification validity period; those details must be confirmed against the State Bar's current specialty-field materials before you register. The exam is expected to test appellate practice and procedure, standards of review and preservation of issues, briefing, oral argument and persuasive writing, and jurisdiction, writs and extraordinary relief, but even that domain breakdown is unverified and should be treated as provisional. The CA Appellate Specialist case studies are 5 cases and about 2,119 words.
1The Late Notice of Appeal
A plaintiff sued a former business partner for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. After a bench trial, the court entered judgment for the defendant on March 1.
483 words, about 2 min2The Anti-SLAPP Appeal and the Automatic Stay
A homeowner sued a neighbor for defamation based on statements the neighbor made at a city council meeting about the homeowner's proposed construction project. The neighbor filed a special motion to strike under the anti-SLAPP statute (Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16).
446 words, about 2 min3The Inadequate Record on a Substantial Evidence Challenge
After a jury trial, the plaintiff won a $500,000 verdict for personal injuries. The defendant appeals, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury's finding of causation.
395 words, about 2 min4The Overlong Brief and the Motion to Strike
An appellant filed a 15,000-word opening brief in a California Court of Appeal case. The applicable rule limits the opening brief to 14,000 words.
396 words, about 2 min5The Writ Petition and the Adequate Remedy
A criminal defendant was convicted of assault. Before sentencing, the trial court denied the defendant's motion to withdraw his guilty plea.
399 words, about 2 min