If you have received an unfavorable decision from a trial court in the Bronx, you may have the right to ask a higher court to review it. The Law Offices of Albert Goodwin, PLLC, located in Midtown Manhattan, handles appeals arising from the Bronx trial courts for both appellants (the party challenging a decision) and respondents (the party defending it). An appeal is not a new trial; there are no new witnesses and no new evidence. The appellate court reviews the existing record and the parties’ written arguments to decide whether the lower court committed a legal or factual error that affected the outcome.
Because appellate practice is governed by short, unforgiving deadlines and specialized procedural rules, it is a discipline distinct from the litigation that produced the original judgment. If you are weighing an appeal from a Bronx County case, the most important thing to understand first is where your appeal goes and how little time you have to start it. For a broader overview of how appellate review works, see our explanation of the appeals process in New York.
Where Bronx Appeals Are Heard
The Bronx is geographically part of New York’s First Judicial Department, which it shares with Manhattan. Which court hears your appeal depends on which trial court issued the decision you want to challenge.
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Appeals to the Appellate Division, First Department
Most appeals from the higher trial courts in the Bronx are taken to the Appellate Division, First Department, which covers New York County (Manhattan) and Bronx County. The First Department hears appeals from:
- The Supreme Court, Bronx County: the trial court of general jurisdiction that handles major civil litigation, including money judgments, personal injury verdicts, contract disputes, and real property matters.
- The Bronx County Surrogate’s Court: which decides probate, estate administration, will contests, accounting disputes, and related fiduciary matters.
- The Family Court of the State of New York, Bronx County: which decides custody, visitation, child support, paternity, guardianship, and related family matters.
Appellate practice statewide is governed by a uniform set of rules at 22 NYCRR Part 1250, supplemented by the First Department’s own local rules, which together dictate how the record on appeal is assembled, how briefs are formatted, and the deadlines that apply at each stage.
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Appeals to the Appellate Term, First Department
Not every Bronx appeal goes to the Appellate Division. Appeals from the lower courts (the New York City Civil Court and Criminal Court sitting in the Bronx) are generally heard by the Appellate Term, First Department, which reviews certain civil and other matters from those courts. Identifying the correct appellate court at the outset matters, because filing in the wrong court can waste time you cannot afford to lose.
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Federal Cases Arising in the Bronx
Civil cases filed in federal court in the Bronx are heard in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), which covers Manhattan, the Bronx, and several counties to the north. Appeals from the SDNY are decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan. Federal appeals follow their own deadlines and the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, which differ from the state rules described above.
The Kinds of Bronx Appeals We Handle
The firm represents clients in the categories of appeals that most often arise out of the Bronx trial courts:
- Civil appeals: appeals from money judgments, personal injury verdicts, contract and business disputes between individuals, real property and title disputes decided in the Supreme Court, Bronx County.
- Surrogate’s Court appeals: appeals from decisions of the Bronx County Surrogate’s Court involving wills, estates, trusts, and fiduciary accountings.
- Family Court appeals: appeals from custody, support, visitation, and related determinations of the Bronx Family Court.
Whether you lost below and want to challenge the result, or you prevailed and need to defend your judgment on appeal, we evaluate the record, identify the issues that have a realistic chance of success, and advise you honestly about your prospects. Most appeals end in affirmance and reversal rates are generally low, so a candid assessment at the start protects you from pursuing an appeal that is unlikely to succeed.
The 30-Day Notice of Appeal Deadline
An appeal is started by filing and serving a notice of appeal, and this is where many potential appeals are lost before they begin. In most civil cases, the notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days after service of the order or judgment with written notice of its entry. This 30-day deadline is jurisdictional, which means the courts have no power to extend it once it has passed, even a single day late will ordinarily defeat the appeal entirely.
Because the clock typically starts running from service of the notice of entry, you should not wait. If you have just received an adverse decision from a Bronx court, contact an appellate attorney immediately so the notice of appeal can be filed in time and your right to appeal is preserved.
A Direct-Attorney Approach
When you retain our firm, you work directly with Albert Goodwin, Esq., the attorney who reviews your record, frames the issues, and writes the briefs that decide most appeals. Your matter is not handed off to a rotating cast of associates or paralegals. Because the written brief, suited to the correct standard of review, is the single most important factor in the outcome of most appeals, that direct involvement is where the value of skilled appellate representation is realized.
