July 19, 2023 – To give your client the best chance to win on appeal, attorneys must work to ensure that the court record is clear, says Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Mary Lazar.

“You have to make the record clear because when it goes up to the court of appeals, it’s black and white, it’s just the words. There’s nothing else,” says Lazar.​

That means, for example, attorneys should make sure all of their exhibits introduced during the trial are admitted into evidence.

Lazar presented at the State Bar of Wisconsin's 2023 Annual Meeting & Conference. Her session was “Making the Record: Tips for Winning at the Trial and Appellate Courts.”

For more tips, see "​5 Tips to Make a Record for Success in Litigation,"​ by Nicholas Watt, in the July 19, 2023, issue of InsideTrack.