Appellate practice refers to the legal steps that must be taken to appeal a court decision, such as a judge’s order or a jury verdict. Typically, appeals are filed when it is believed that the judge made some sort of mistake when reaching the final decision in a case. Appeals may not be filed simply because one of the parties does not like the court’s decision—there must be some mistake upon which to base the appeal.

There are specific rules that apply to appeals at the administrative, state, and federal level, and these rules must be carefully followed, or else the appeal may be dismissed. For example, some appellate courts provide specific rules as to the format of the appeal. Some courts have deadlines to appeal a decision set at thirty