Appellate lawyers are thought to be just brief writers, oral advocates, those people that only get involved once you have absolutely lost a case or won it at the trial level. It may even be common belief that they are more likely to be hired and brought in after the case has been lost. Most appellate lawyers operate differently than general litigators, as they don’t work in primarily developing a persuasive case, they focus on the legal issues involved in the case and how they can convince the court to side with them on a matter of the law itself. This means they have to have a good understanding of the law, and be able to research because they must think outside the box.