Appeals & Issues

McGuireWoods’ Appeals & Issues Practice Group comprises more than 40 accomplished attorneys with appellate experience. The team includes a former assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General, two former associate White House counsel, a former state solicitor general, 11 former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, and dozens of former clerks from state and federal appellate courts.

We lead appeals and craft legal strategy in major constitutional, statutory, administrative and commercial disputes. Clients trust us to attack dangerous losses, defend multimillion-dollar wins and tackle thorny legal issues at every level of the judiciary. In 2024 alone, the team handled over 200 appeals and appeared in the U.S. Supreme Court, every federal circuit and 21 state appellate courts.

The group works seamlessly across all of McGuireWoods’ litigation departments to build tailored legal strategies while also pursuing long-term efforts to influence and clarify the law in ways that benefit our clients. Whether we are stepping in to lead a case after judgment or partnering with a client from the outset of a dispute, our goal is simple: to control the narrative by clearly explaining why our clients are correct in arguing their cases and why they should win.

How We Help

We help clients shape outcomes in their most critical legal battles — handling appeals, motions and high-level legal strategy with a focus on clarity, credibility and long-term impact.

Our practice covers a wide spectrum of appellate and litigation-support services, including:

issues analysis in all phases of litigation maters
jurisdictional issues and challenges
dispositive motions
class certification issues
Daubert motions
merits appeals
interlocutory appeals
jury instructions
trial and post-trial motions
amici briefs
Administrative Procedure Act (APA) litigation and appeals

Representative Experience

U.S. Supreme Court

Lackey v. Stinnie, 145 S. Ct. 659 (2025). Briefed and argued appeal about the scope of attorney’s fees recoverable by prevailing parties under civil rights statutes.
Ohio v. EPA, 144 S. Ct. 2040 (2024). Obtained an emergency stay of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Good Neighbor Plan on behalf of utilities and trade groups challenging ozone emission regulations in 23 states.
Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, No. 24-394 (2024). Authored merits-stage amicus brief concerning the constitutionality of state-sponsored religious charter schools.
Collins v. Virginia, 584 U.S. 586 (2018). Successfully obtained certiorari, briefed, argued and won appeal about the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement as applied to vehicles in the curtilage of a home.

Federal Courts of Appeals

United States ex rel. Holt v. Medicare Medicaid Advisors, Inc, No. 23-2564 (8th Cir. 2024). Secured a major win in the dismissal of a False Claims Act suit in a precedential opinion rejecting claims of marketing-related fraud.
Remy v. Fisher Auto Parts, 90 F.4th 217 (4th Cir. 2024). Defeated a $7 million damages claim and obtained a $2 million counterclaim judgment in a sophisticated contract and tort appeal between major auto parts companies.
North Carolina Coastal Fisheries v. Capt. Gaston LLC, 76 F.4th 291 (4th Cir. 2023). Successfully defended North Carolina commercial shrimpers in a bet-the-industry appeal concerning a Clean Water Act (CWA) challenge to their operations.
Adkins v. CSX Transportation, Inc., 70 F.4th 785 (4th Cir. 2023). Won major victory in a mass employment dispute for CSX Transportation Inc.
Allen v. Atlas Box & Crating Co., 59 F.4th 145 (4th Cir. 2023). Won a precedent-setting reversal on application of the timing requirement for a discrimination claim under Title VII.
Earl, et al v. The Boeing Company, et al, 53 F.4th 897 (5th Cir. 2022). Won a major victory on behalf of The Boeing Company resolving a class action involving nearly 200 million class members.

With a deep bench of U.S. Supreme Court, federal and state appellate law clerks, McGuireWoods’ Appeals & Issues Practice Group has a proven track record of crafting winning legal strategies in complex, high-stakes appellate matters nationwide.

Nationwide ranking for appellate law.

– Chambers USA
Metropolitan rankings for appellate law in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia.

– Best Law Firms