Roberta Goodman Mandel

At Mandel Law Group, I understand how much is at stake when a verdict or ruling undergoes appeal. The appeal may be your last chance to overturn an unfavorable lower court outcome or to make sure that a lower court victory stands. Regardless of which side of the appeal you are on, I can offer my trial advocacy skills and experience to represent you before state and federal appellate courts. I serve clients throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Before taking a case up on appeal, your attorney needs to exhaust all available options for changing the result at the trial level. I assist litigants in bringing these forms of applications for relief:

• Motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict — This motion asserts that the jury in a civil case did not follow proper instructions or decided the case based on legally insufficient evidence and asks the court to enter a judgment as a matter of law.
• Motion for new trial or rehearing in civil cases — After a civil jury verdict, the losing party may argue that the judge made a significant legal error or that there was insufficient evidence to support the jury’s verdict. A motion for rehearing is filed to seek such relief in a case not decided by a jury.
• Motion for relief from judgment — Florida’s Rules of Civil Procedure allow a party to move for relief within a year or a final civil judgment, decree or order on several grounds, including mistake, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence or fraud or other misconduct by an adverse party.
• Motion for new trial in criminal cases – In Florida, a criminal court may grant a new trial where the verdict is contrary to law or against the weight of the evidence or where new and material evidence is discovered after trial.
• Motion for judgment of acquittal — During or after trial, a defendant can challenge the legal sufficiency of the evidence presented by the prosecution.

Whether seeking a new trial or some other type of post-judgment relief, I look for every way possible to attain a positive outcome prior to resorting to appeal.

As your appeals counsel, I give your case a fresh and open-minded review to isolate all potential grounds for reversal and then raise these grounds in a persuasive, comprehensive appellate brief.

The Mandel Law Group is an appellate law firm that has over 600 reported appellate decisions from every Florida District Court of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals and has appeared before the United States Supreme Court, in cases arising from all areas of civil and criminal practice.

In addition, the Mandel Law Group has provided litigation trial support in over 1,500 jury trials, including the preparation of major substantive trial court motions and memoranda.

The Mandel Law Group also provides expert testimony as to both appellate and trial attorneys’ fees.