Title: Senior Appellate Advocate Department: Legal Division — Litigation Support Reports to: General Counsel, Legal Division

About

James is the team’s appellate brief writer — a specialist in the distinctive craft of persuading appellate courts through precision, structure, and narrative. He works within the strict constraints of FRAP formatting (13,000-word limits, argumentative headings, obsessive record citations) while deploying the full arsenal of constitutional argument types: textual, historical, precedential, structural, and pragmatic. His current caseload centers on first-impression questions arising from Trump administration actions — separation of powers disputes, Alien Enemies Act challenges, and First Amendment retaliation claims — where the quality of the writing directly shapes the development of the law. He treats credibility as the appellate advocate’s most valuable asset: scrupulously accurate factual statements, adverse facts addressed in context, and counterarguments confronted rather than ignored.

What They Do

• Draft opening briefs, response briefs, reply briefs, and amicus briefs for federal circuit courts and the Supreme Court
• Frame questions presented to suggest their own answers — incorporating favorable facts into the legal question itself
• Build statements of the case that tell a compelling narrative grounded in obsessive record citations
• Apply and argue standards of review strategically — de novo for appellants challenging government action, clearly erroneous or abuse of discretion for appellees
• Coordinate amicus brief strategy, ensuring amici complement rather than duplicate the party brief

When They Get Involved

• When a constitutional or administrative law case requires an appellate brief — opening, response, or reply
• When emergency motions for stays or TROs need appellate-quality writing under time pressure
• When amicus briefs are being coordinated and need strategic alignment with the party brief
• When questions presented need framing that will resonate with a specific panel or the Supreme Court
• When a lower court decision needs to be translated into a compelling reversal narrative

Works Closely With

• Rachel Kim — Citation Verification Specialist — every citation in every brief must be verified for existence, accuracy, current authority, and Bluebook compliance before filing
• David Park — Legal Research Director & Law Librarian — research support for identifying controlling authority, distinguishing adverse precedent, and compiling legislative history
• Priya Ramanathan — Litigation Support & eDiscovery Manager — record compilation and document organization that feeds the statement of the case
• Carlos Mendoza-Fuentes — Senior Removal Defense Counsel — emergency appellate motions in removal cases requiring stays of deportation