Los Angeles Appellate Resources
Appellate matters arising from Los Angeles County can involve California statewide appellate rules, Los Angeles Superior Court procedures and Local Rules, and the rules and practices of the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District.
This section focuses on those genuinely local features rather than repeating general California appellate law.
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Notice of appeal · record · transcripts
Superior Court Appellate Division
Limited civil · misdemeanor · infraction
The reviewing court depends upon the type of case. Unlimited civil and felony appeals generally proceed to the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, while limited civil, misdemeanor, and infraction appeals generally proceed to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.
A Court of Appeal matter ordinarily begins procedurally in the Superior Court. Los Angeles also has local filing and e-filing rules for matters proceeding through its Appellate Division.
Los Angeles Superior Court prepares and certifies appellate records, while the Second Appellate District maintains local requirements concerning record designation, augmentation, and correction.
Los Angeles uses different court-reporting and electronic-recording practices depending upon the case type. Those differences can directly affect what record of oral proceedings will be available on appeal.
Divisions One through Five, Seven, and Eight of the Second Appellate District handle matters arising from Los Angeles Superior Court. The court maintains its own local rules, forms, e-filing resources, formatting requirements, and practices and procedures.
The Appellate Division of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles is a separate reviewing court from the Second Appellate District. Los Angeles Local Rules contain a dedicated chapter addressing its jurisdiction, electronic filing, notices of appeal, stays, the record, briefs, oral argument, motions, and writ proceedings.
California appellate practice can require statewide Judicial Council forms, Second District local forms, Los Angeles Superior Court resources, or a combination of them.
The LA Law Library provides significant appellate-research resources, including California appellate briefs, legal-research databases, California practice materials, and reference-librarian assistance.
A repository of the Second Appellate District justices whose divisions hear Los Angeles appeals: official biographies and, as the section grows, links to published opinions in which each justice dissented.
Court rules, forms, filing systems, and court practices can change. Current official sources should be consulted for a particular filing or proceeding.
Using this website or submitting a conflict check does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not extend, suspend, stay, or otherwise affect any legal, trial-court, appellate, or other deadline or proceeding.
