Sentence Reduction Centre

Appeals

The most important thing to know about appeals is that they don't happen automatically and are controlled by strict rules and time limits. You can't wait until you can hire a better lawyer, or if you have time to research issues yourself, to file your own appeal. In many states including Ohio, a notice of appeal in a felony case must be filed within 30 days of the judgment entry containing your conviction and sentence. That means that the notice is actually received by the clerk of courts, not just put in the mail. If you miss this deadline, you must ask permission to file a delayed appeal, and give the court a good reason for missing the deadline. The court is not required to accept your reason or to hear your appeal. Any issue that you could have raised in a direct appeal is waived, or given up forever, if you don't raise it in this first appeal; or if you fail to file an appeal in time. You can't wait to file, or save some issues to raise in later appeals.

Even after you file your notice of appeal, it will take time for the court reporter to type up the transcript. This gives you time before you or your lawyer has to file the document (appellate brief) that actually tells the court what mistakes were made, and why you should get a new trial or new sentencing. The brief should review the evidence or facts important to your arguments, explain why you think mistakes were made and how they affected your case, and show that other courts have ruled in your favor in similar cases.We are here to make it easy for you.