Right to Counsel

There is a right to counsel on appeal in all criminal, juvenile, and civil commitment cases. If you have an appeal in one of these cases and the Court of Appeal determines you cannot afford an attorney, the Court will send your case to CAP-LA to coordinate the appointment of a panel or staff attorney to represent you. When the Court of Appeal processes the order appointing the attorney, you will receive their name and contact information.

A Notice of Appeal Must be Filed

The first step in starting an appeal is filing the notice of appeal in the superior court where your case was heard.  The notice of appeal must be received by the superior court within 60 days of sentencing, disposition hearing or order being appealed.

If the 60-day deadline for filing a notice of appeal has passed, and you have a good reason for not filing or if your attorney did not file one for you, in a very limited number of circumstances, we may still be able to help you initiate an appeal. Please contact our office or email Attorney Ann Krausz (ann@lacap.com) for further information.

How to File a Notice of Appeal

  1. Ask your attorney to file a notice of appeal for you.
  2. Mail or deliver a completed notice of appeal form to the superior court using the appropriate form which can be found on the Second District Court of Appeal’s website:

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