Appeals require a different set of skills than trial work. The issues have been framed, the record is fixed, and success depends on identifying the legal arguments most likely to persuade appellate judges—and presenting them with precision, clarity, and an understanding that not every judge thinks the same way.
Maceira Zayas maintains a dedicated appellate practice handling appeals, certiorari petitions, and extraordinary writs before the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and other federal appellate courts.
Our appellate team includes a former Associate Justice of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, attorneys who served in the Office of the Solicitor General—the office responsible for representing the Commonwealth in its most important appellate matters—and former judicial clerks who understand how judges evaluate cases from the inside. This combination of judicial perspective and appellate advocacy experience is unmatched in Puerto Rico.
We handle appeals arising from commercial litigation, administrative proceedings, government contracts disputes, regulatory matters, constitutional challenges, and other complex civil cases. We also provide appellate consultation to trial counsel—helping shape the record, preserve issues, and develop appellate strategy from the outset of litigation.
Effective appellate advocacy begins with case assessment. Not every adverse ruling warrants an appeal, and not every appealable issue offers a realistic path to reversal. We provide clients with candid evaluation of appellate prospects, focusing resources on matters where appellate intervention can change outcomes.
The following are select highlights from our appellate practice:
