Civil Appeals: The Basics (Presented by the Federal Bar Association Professional Development Committee, Younger Lawyers Division)

Amanda Rice, Partner | Jones Day

Amanda Rice is a partner in Jones Day’s Issues & Appeals practice. She has argued in the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in most of the federal courts of appeals and a number of state appellate courts. Her practice covers a broad range of substantive areas. Recent matters have run the gamut from due process questions, to arbitration issues, to administrative procedure. As the Detroit Office’s pro bono partner, Amanda coordinates the office’s pro bono efforts and maintains her own active pro bono caseload, with a focus on civil rights, LGBTQ issues, and immigration.

Amanda has taught legal writing at the University of Michigan Law School and firearms law at Wayne State Law School. She also worked in the appellate practice of another national law firm. Before all of that, she graduated from Harvard Law School and then served as a judicial clerk at all three levels of the federal judiciary, clerking first for Judge Boasberg on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, then for Judge Tatel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and finally for Justice Kagan on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Melissa Patterson, Assistant Director | Justice Department

Ms. Patterson is an Assistant Director at the Appellate Staff of the Civil Division at the Justice Department. She has represented the federal government as lead counsel in dozens of appeals in a wide range of civil litigation matters, with a special focus on intellectual property, administrative law, and constitutional separation-of-powers issues, as well as representing the United States in the Supreme Court while on detail as an Assistant to the Solicitor General. Ms. Patterson is a member of the Federal Circuit Advisory Council, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she teaches the Appellate Practice Seminar. She served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Raymond C. Fisher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Patterson received her law degree from Harvard Law School, and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a B.A. in English from the University of Southern California.

Edward Guedes | American Academy of Appellate Lawyers

A Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and ranked by Chambers USA in appellate law, Ed Guedes is widely known for his representation of business and government clients in high-stakes appeals. His in-depth knowledge and experience were further recognized when he was nominated in 2008 to fill a vacancy on the Florida Supreme Court.

Ed is also Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar. He has litigated dozens of appeals before the Florida Supreme Court, Florida’s district courts of appeal and the U.S. Courts of Appeals in a wide variety of matters, including medical malpractice, premises liability, insurance liability, First Amendment and constitutional litigation, family law, state and federal administrative rule-making and regulation, home rule authority and preemption, election law, civil rights, land use and zoning, intellectual property and labor and employment issues.

Ed’s clients span a diverse range of industries, from a national supermarket chain to local governments. He works with each client to develop cost-effective litigation strategies that clarify and shape the law, ultimately advancing their broader business goals.

Ed represented more than 40 city and county governments in defending a $200 million federal class action lawsuit involving red-light camera programs across Florida. His successful strategy in numerous state court proceedings, which culminated in a unanimous Florida Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of the programs, led to a decisive dismissal of the class action. In another appellate victory, Ed represented the manufacturer of the breath-alcohol testing instrument used in Florida in a legal battle over the company’s source code. Ed’s strategic approach to trial court and appellate proceedings led to a change in existing case law in Florida and establishing new precedent, when the Florida Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in his client’s favor. In another precedent-setting decision from the Florida Supreme Court, Ed represented a national insurance carrier in establishing the carrier’s right through subrogation to pursue a malpractice claim against its insured’s retained counsel.

Ed is regularly quoted in the media on his high-profile cases. As a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, he belongs to an exclusive group of only 350 attorneys who practice at the highest standards of appellate advocacy in the country.

Moderator, Jean Phillip Shami, Associate | Jones Day

Jean Phillip (J.P.) Shami is an Associate in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice group at Jones Day. J.P. represents and advises health care entities in a broad range of litigation and regulatory matters. J.P. also regularly appears in state and federal court in complex commercial litigation matters. J.P. maintains an active pro bono case load, assisting asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking. Prior to joining Jones Day in 2022, J.P. served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Darrin P. Gayles of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where he worked on a wide array of civil matters. Additionally, J.P. served as a Teach For America corps member in the Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas prior to attending law school.

I. Substantive considerations of appellate litigation | 2:00pm – 2:15pm

II. Procedural considerations of appellate litigation | 2:15pm – 2:30pm

III. Practical tips for practitioners practicing appellate litigation | 2:30pm – 2:45pm

IV. Private practice and government perspectives of civil appellate litigation | 2:45pm – 3:00pm

V. Q&A * Please be advised that this 15-minute session does not qualify for CLE credits * | 3:00pm – 3:15pm