Always have the client sign a Fee Agreement setting forth exactly what your services cost and what those services encompass. If the appeal is unsuccessful and further appellate review can be sought, make it clear in the Fee Agreement that additional fees will be required for any work performed after a final judgment has entered in the present appeal. The Fee Agreement should state that all reasonable expenses are the responsibility of the client. The Fee Agreement should state, in the event that the representation is being provided for a flat fee, the amount of that fee. You and the client should agree that you are entitled to a reasonable, clearly stated hourly fee for work performed if a flat-fee client discharges you for any reason before the case has concluded.
Issues Carefully study the trial transcript and the record on appeal.
It is often helpful to first read the transcript without taking notes, as if you were reading a novel, and then go back over it again, taking careful notes. Study the case file of trial counsel, if you were not the client's lawyer at trial. Sometimes a memo or research note will lead you to a valuable issue which was not clear from your reading of the transcript. Talk with trial counsel. They often will recall things which may cause you to go back to the transcript and reevaluate the viability of an issue.