GRAND RAPIDS — Warner Norcross & Judd LLP has launched an Appellate Practice Academy to prepare attorneys for the experience of arguing cases at the appellate level.
The academy allows attorneys to practice arguments and receive feedback as they prepare to present cases to the Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Court of Appeals, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and other appellate courts. The Academy provides a renowned panel of experienced Warner Norcross appellate litigators, law professors, and former judges and justices from the Michigan Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.
“The skills the Academy offers will prove invaluable to attorneys, who will be able to practice anticipating difficult questions, remaining flexible with points of emphasis and packing persuasive force into rapid-fire answers,” says John J. Bursch, appellate practice group co-chair. “Appellate work is substantially different from other types of litigation, and we feel the Appellate Practice Academy fulfills a need in our region.
Bursch has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court eight times and nearly 20 times before the Michigan Supreme Court. He will serve as an Appellate Practice Academy moot panelist, as will Matthew T. Nelson, who also co-chairs the firm’s appellate practice group. Nelson has argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court and has represented clients in several federal courts, the Michigan Supreme Court, the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Warner Norcross is a corporate law firm with 230 attorneys practicing in eight offices throughout Michigan, including, Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Macomb County, Midland, Muskegon, and Southfield.
