Florida Divorce & Child Custody | Importance of Appellate Briefs


divorce court appellate briefs


With appeals, almost everything is done in writing.  Lawyers argue nearly all aspects of their case through documents called “appellate briefs”.  The appeals court then reviews the briefs and makes their decision.  In some cases there are 20-60 minute oral arguments, where the appellate lawyers explain their briefs to the appellate court judges, but most all of what the appellate court is going to pay attention to is what is contained in the appellate briefs.  For this reason, is it crucial for the appellate brief to be well written.  

Further below are answers to commonly asked questions that lawyers for Florida Divorce Appeals and Florida Child Custody Appeals frequently receive about appellate briefs.  Clicking on each question below will open a separate web page with a detailed answer to the particular question or explanation of the particular topic.  

Below are explanations of some of the most commonly asked questions and topics that relate to Appellate Briefs:

What is an appellate brief?                                

How important are the briefs in an appeal?

What is an initial brief?

What is the deadline for filing the initial brief in a divorce or child custody appeal?

What is an answer brief?

What is the deadline for filing an answer brief in a Florida divorce or child custody Appeal?

What is a reply brief?

What happens if a brief filed is late?

Is it possible to get an extension on the time to file an appellate brief?

What is the statement of case or statement of facts?

What is the “argument” section in the brief?

How long can I make my brief and can I get permission to make it longer?

Is it appropriate to bring something up in a brief that was not part of the record on appeal?


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