Lamb McErlane PC partner James ‘Jim’ Sargent was a course planner for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s (PBI) program ‘Complex Commercial Cases Pose Unique Challenges When Presented on Appeal’.

Jim, along with the panel, Supreme Court Justice David N. Wecht, Commonwealth Court President Judge P. Kevin Brobson, Superior Court Judge Carolyn H. Nichols and with fellow course planners Robert L Byer of Duane Morris and Kim M. Watterson of Reed Smith discussed the process of appealing a case to a higher court.

Other details discussed:

The View from the Well of the Court — Experienced Litigators and Corporate Counsel Help You Get Started:

• Differing perspectives: trial lawyer vs. appellate lawyer
• Preservation of issues, early involvement of appellate viewpoint
• Preparing the record
• Briefing a commercial case on appeal

Best practices tips for appealing to one of the higher courts:

• Commonwealth Court
• Superior Court
• Supreme Court

The View from the PA Appellate Courts:

• Workload of the Court & how this impacts complex commercial cases
• The time between acceptance and final decision
• Commercial vs. criminal vs. personal injury vs. domestic vs. estates and other cases
• How to most effectively present a commercial appeal
• Specialization among jurists – criminal/ personal injury/domestic/ estates/ commercial
• Pennsylvania’s place in business law—the Bench’s versus practitioners’ perspectives

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At Lamb McErlane Jim is Co-Chair of Lamb McErlane’s Appellate Advocacy Group and Litigation Department. He has represented major national and multinational manufacturers in litigation and appeals involving class action, product liability, taxation, warranty, fraud, employment and consumer protection law claims.

Jim, a certified mediator, is one of six attorneys at Lamb McErlane who provide mediation services. Mediation draws on Jim’s forty years of legal experience and expertise in commercial, construction and business ownership disputes.