Civil Appeal Attorneys
A civil appeal in Florida is governed by Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.110 for final orders and Rule 9.130 for the narrow list of non-final orders that are appealable before final judgment. Both rules run on a 30-day clock from the rendition of the order. Our appellate attorneys handle civil appeals — contract, business, personal injury, real estate, and insurance — in the Florida District Courts of Appeal and in federal court.
A civil appeal is a focused review of a trial-court ruling — final judgment or interlocutory order — by a Florida District Court of Appeal or, in federal cases, the Eleventh Circuit. The framework lives in two appellate rules that decide what is appealable and when: Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.110 for final orders, and Rule 9.130 for the narrow list of non-final orders that can be appealed before final judgment. Both rules open with a 30-day clock under Rule 9.110(b). Our appellate attorneys handle civil appeals across Florida. Call us at (386) 255-1400 24 hours a day to discuss whether your case is appealable.
Final vs. non-final — the threshold appellate question
Most civil appeals are taken from a final order — a final judgment, a final order on a motion for summary judgment, or a final dismissal. But Florida (and federal law) allow narrow categories of interlocutory appeals from non-final orders. Choosing the right vehicle is the threshold issue:
Rule 9.110 — appeals from final orders
The default appellate vehicle. Applies to any order that brings judicial labor on the case to an end — final judgments, final summary-judgment orders, dismissals with prejudice, orders denying postjudgment motions, and certain probate and guardianship orders. Notice of appeal due within 30 days of rendition; the order is suspended only if a proper rehearing motion was timely filed under the rules.
Rule 9.130 — non-final appeals
Allowed only for the categories Rule 9.130 specifically lists, including orders on venue, personal jurisdiction, possession of property, injunctions, arbitration compulsion, class certification, and immunity for governmental entities and individuals. Outside that list, an interlocutory order is not appealable; review (if any) is by petition for writ. The 30-day notice deadline still applies.
Picking the wrong vehicle is one of the more common ways a meritorious appellate argument never gets heard. Part of the appellate workup is confirming the order is actually appealable and identifying any companion writ remedies (certiorari, prohibition, mandamus) if it is not.
What civil cases we handle on appeal
Our appellate attorneys handle civil appeals in the matters our trial and litigation teams already work day to day:
- Contract and business disputes — final-judgment and summary-judgment appeals, including contract construction, enforcement, and damages issues.
- Commercial litigation — including partnership, dissociation, and shareholder-derivative claims.
- Personal injury and insurance — appeals from defense verdicts, comparative-fault apportionment, JNOV rulings, and bad-faith trial outcomes. (See also our PI appeals work on the front end.)
- Real estate and construction — title disputes, mechanics-lien priority, and construction-defect verdicts.
- Employment and workplace — wrongful-termination, harassment, and wage-and-hour appeals.
- Trust, probate, and guardianship orders — appealable under specific Rule 9.110(a)(2) provisions.
The appellate process from notice through opinion
Day 1–30: Notice + tolling motions
Notice of appeal due within 30 days of rendition (Rule 9.110(b)). Authorized rehearing, new-trial, or other tolling motions under Rule 9.020 suspend rendition until they are resolved. Federal civil appeals run on a 30-day clock under FRAP 4(a) (60 days when the United States is a party).
Months 1–4: Record on appeal
Designation of the record on appeal, preparation of the transcript by court reporters, indices, and any directions to the clerk. On non-final appeals, the appendix is the operative record and the appellant assembles it.
Months 3–7: Briefing
Initial brief, answer brief, reply brief, on the schedule in Rule 9.110/9.130 and Rule 9.210. Oral argument is held on cases the court selects. Most civil appeals are resolved on the briefs.
Months 8–18: Opinion + further review
The District Court of Appeal issues an opinion — affirming, reversing, or remanding. Further review in the Florida Supreme Court is discretionary and limited to specific bases (express conflict, certified questions of great public importance, constitutional grounds).
Appellate work is its own discipline. Treat it that way.
A trial record is a record; an appellate brief is an argument constructed from that record. The work — issue identification, standard of review, record citation, persuasive narrative — is its own discipline, separate from the trial work that produced the record. The 30-day rendition clock does not move for any court.
Considering a civil appeal in Volusia or Flagler? The clock is running.
Our appellate attorneys handle final-order and interlocutory civil appeals across Florida, including the Fifth District Court of Appeal and the Eleventh Circuit.