AFTER YOUR JUDGEMENT AND SENTENCE
🔄 TRANSITIONING INTO THE APPEAL DIVISION
If things don’t go as planned in your case, we can transition you into our Appeal Division seamlessly. Many clients choose to begin this process while their direct appeal is still pending — and that’s often the smartest approach.
Before diving into what we do in our Appeal Division, here’s what to expect after your judgment and sentence:
After you’re convicted-whether through trial or a plea deal-the court will assign you a direct appeal attorney at no cost. But many people don’t realize how limited this process is. Your direct appeal attorney will not have access to your discovery or police reports and cannot raise issues like:
- Ineffective assistance of counsel
• Newly discovered evidence or witnesses
• Chain of custody problems
• Police misconduct or flawed investigations
• Questions of innocence or faulty evidence
They will only review your court transcripts to see if there were legal errors during your court process. This narrow review often takes months to over a year—burning your most valuable time for deeper appeal options.
⚠️ You only get one year from the date of sentencing to raise broader issues through a Personal Restraint Petition (PRP).
Waiting too long can limit or even block this critical opportunity. If you retain us during this window, we’ll start investigating while your direct appeal is running. We’ll also offer helpful records or evidence to your assigned attorney, which many of them appreciate. Working together, we can increase your overall chances of success.
And if your Judgment and Sentence paperwork says you waived your right to appeal—that does not include newly discovered evidence or claims of actual innocence. These can still be raised separately with the appellate courts.
