Illinois State and Federal Appeals Lawyer

The Law Office of Douglas B. Harper represents people and businesses in state and federal appeals anywhere in Illinois. Appeals are brought by parties who lost in the trial court (the appellant), and they ask the appellate court to reverse or modify the judgment. Appeals are opposed by parties who won in the trial court (the appellee), and they ask the appellate court to affirm the judgment and leave it in place. Parties usually have the right to appeal, but the Illinois Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States require parties to request permission to appeal, either in a petition for leave to appeal or a petition for writ of certiorari.

Mr. Harper has handled appeals, petitions for leave to appeal, and petitions for writ of certiorari, in all of the following courts.

  • The Illinois Appellate Courts
  • The Illinois Supreme Court
  • The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • The Supreme Court of the United States

When we accept an appeal, we usually represent the appellant who lost in the trial court, and the appeal falls into one of these categories: (1) business litigation appeals for plaintiffs or defendants, (2) civil rights appeals for plaintiffs, (3) employment litigation appeals for plaintiffs, and (4) criminal appeals for state and federal prisoners who were wrongly convicted or lost a post-conviction petition or lost a petition for writ of habeas corpus.

Sometimes, we also represent the appellee who won in the trial court and who is defending against an appeal that threatens their victory.

If you came to this webpage thinking you needed to find a lawyer to handle an appeal, but what you really need is a lawyer to handle a post-conviction/habeas proceeding, please refer to our post-conviction/habeas practice.

Read About Our Best Appellate Litigation Results

The Law Office of Douglas B. Harper has handled many different state and federal appeals in Chicago. These are some of the best results we have won for our clients.

Successful Appeal Reinstates Plaintiff's Civil Rights and Employment Discrimination Lawsuit

From 2006 to 2012, Roberto Alamo was a Chicago Firefighter. He identified himself as a Latino of Puerto Rican descent. As a firefighter, he suffered workplace discrimination that included derogatory racial names, excessive reassignments to different workplace locations, and physical violence. In 2015, he sued the City of Chicago and his supervisors in federal court for civil rights violations and employment discrimination. He litigated the case for three years, represented by two different Chicago law firms. In 2015, the court dismissed his lawsuit.

Mr. Alamo was convinced he had a good case, and he hired Mr. Harper to represent him on appeal.

In 2015, Mr. Harper appealed Mr. Alamo's case to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, seeking to have the lawsuit reinstated. The City opposed. After reading the appellate briefs and hearing oral argument, the Seventh Circuit issued a unanimous, published, opinion that agreed with Mr. Harper's arguments. The court reversed the dismissal and remanded the case back to the district court for reinstatement. The opinion is published at Roberto G. Alamo, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Charlie Bliss, et. al., Defendants-Appellees, 864 F.3d 541 (7th Cir. 2017) (read the opinion).

Other Internet Resources for Illinois Appellate Litigation

If you came to this website looking for information about appeals and appellate litigation, and you did not find what you were expecting, the following resources may be helpful.

This link to Illinois Appellate Court takes you to a State of Illinois website with contact information and other facts about the Illinois Appellate Courts.

This link to Illinois Supreme Court takes you to a State of Illinois website containing contact information and other facts about the Illinois Supreme Court.

This link to The Seventh Circuit takes you to a website maintained by the United States government containing contact information and other facts about the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, located in Chicago, Illinois.

This link to The Supreme Court takes you to a United States government website with information and other facts about the Supreme Court of the United States.

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New Contact Information

The Law Office of Douglas B. Harper Two Prudential Plaza 180 N. Stetson Avenue, Suite 3500 Chicago, Illinois 60601‑6769 New Cases: (312) 214-7040 Main: (312) 214-2454 Fax: (312) 212‑4102

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If you request a free consultation, please tell us: (1) your name and phone number, (2) the date and place where the event happened, (3) the names of the people and businesses involved, and (4) a a short description of what happened to you. Please do not send documents and do not provide confidential details unless you are asked to do so.