Source: http://www.ehrlichfirm.com/articles-briefs/six-tips-effective-writ-practice.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 20:48:53+00:00

Document:
A “writ” is an order issued by the reviewing court to an inferior tribunal, typically the superior court, directing it to do something (mandate) or forbidding it from doing something (prohibition). Article 6, section 10 of the California Constitution defines the relief available by writs as “extraordinary.” Likewise, the cases refer to these writs as “extraordinary writs” and note that, “. . . writ relief is deemed ‘extraordinary.'” Science Applications International Corp. v. Superior Court, 39 Cal.App.4th 1095, 1100, 46 Cal.Rptr.2d 332, 334 (1995).
The United States Supreme Court has said, “The remedy of mandamus is a drastic one, to be invoked only in extraordinary situations . . . . only exceptional circumstances amounting to a judicial ‘usurpation of power’ will justify the invocation of this extraordinary remedy.” Kerr v. U. S. Dist. Court for Northern Dist. of California, 426 U.S. 394, 402, 96 S.Ct. 2119 (1976) (citations omitted).
Science Applications International Corp. v. Superior Court, 39 Cal.App.4th 1095, 1100, 46 Cal.Rptr.2d 332, 334 (1995), citing, Omaha Indemnity Co. v. Superior Court, 209 Cal.App.3d 1266, 1272-1273, 258 Cal.Rptr. 66 (1989).
Treatises on appellate practice warn that 90 percent of writ petitions are summarily denied. See e.g., Eisenberg, Horvitz & Weiner, California Practice Guide — Civil Appeals and Writs (Rutter Group 2000 (rev.) (“Civil Appeals and Writs”) ¶ 15.3.1, p. 15-1. The strict standards for granting review, and the daunting denial rate, might discourage most prudent lawyers from taking the trouble to draft and file a petition for an extraordinary writ.
The trial court’s order is clearly erroneous as a matter of law and substantially prejudices the petitioner’s case.
In addition to satisfying one or more of these criteria, the petitioner must overcome a further hurdle — that the typical remedy for error committed by the trial court, an appeal, would not provide an adequate remedy. Omaha Indemnity v. Superior Court, 209 Cal.App.3rd at 1274, 258 Cal.Rptr. at 70.
Appellate courts are inclined to grant writs to prevent an irreparable injury, but they are unlikely to be moved by an “irreparable inconvenience.” Ordway v. Superior Court, 198 Cal.App.3rd 98, 101 n. 1, 243 Cal.Rptr. 536 (1988). The lawyer who petitions for a writ must therefore be able to show the Court that the issue presented is (a) interesting, and (b) important. In other words, that it is a big deal.

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