Appellate Briefing Strategies: Framing the Issue and Drafting the Statement of Facts

Author of Federal Appellate Practice: Ninth Circuit (2015-2016 ed.), a 1,500-page treatise published annually, Mr. Cooper is respected as a leading practitioner before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In addition, he has represented parties and amici curiae in the U.S. Supreme Court and the Second, Third, Fifth, Tenth, Eleventh, D.C. and Federal Circuits, as well as various state appellate courts. Mr. Cooper is a past chair of the ABA’s Council of Appellate Lawyers and began his legal career as a law clerk to Ninth Circuit Judge (and later Chief Judge) Alex Kozinski.

Mr. Rhodes' practice focuses on Supreme Court and appellate litigation, as well trial court and bankruptcy court matters involving appellate issues. He has achieved success for his clients in numerous cases at all levels of the federal judicial system and in state courts across the country, including high-stakes appeals with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line. Mr. Rhodes is an accomplished oral advocate, with a record of winning arguments in front of multiple federal appellate and trial courts, and has written successful briefs in countless Supreme Court and federal circuit court cases. His experience has earned him recognition by Legal 500 U.S. as an “up-and-coming name” in appellate practice, as well as multiple awards for his pro bono work. Mr. Rhodes' appellate matters have involved both civil and criminal cases, and have addressed a wide range of subjects, including constitutional litigation, administrative law, antitrust, bankruptcy, CERCLA, corporate veil-piercing, criminal procedure, ERISA, federal preemption, labor law, personal jurisdiction, sovereign immunity, and white-collar crime. He also has experience advising clients in out-of-court mediation proceedings, and counseling clients faced with significant litigation or regulatory risks.  In addition, Mr. Rhodes maintains an active pro bono practice, where he has obtained success in multiple appeals on behalf of indigent and incarcerated clients.