“She told me on the first call that my appeal had one good issue and two weak ones, and she only briefed the good one. That's the one the court wrote about.”
Darnell K.Civil appeal client
Theodora Wakefield
Appellate lawyer
I read records and write briefs for a living, and I do it alone, so the lawyer who reads your case is the one who argues it.
I came to appeals by way of an appellate court, where I worked as a staff attorney reading briefs from the other side of the bench. It taught me what judges look for: a clear question, an honest account of the record, and an answer to the other side's best point, not its worst.
I opened this practice in Tallahassee to take a small number of appeals at a time and read each record myself. I tell clients early what I think their chances are, and I put it in writing. Many of my cases come from trial lawyers, and I try to be the colleague I'd want on the other end of the phone.
What I handle
- Civil appeals
- Criminal appeals
- Post-conviction motions
- Help for trial lawyers
Credentials
Bars, courts and schooling
Bar admissions
Florida
Admitted 2010
Georgia
Admitted 2014
Courts
Florida Supreme Court and District Courts of Appeal
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Education
J.D., Florida State University College of Law
2010
B.A. in English, University of Georgia
2007
Languages
English
Portuguese
Conversational
Memberships
Appellate Practice Section, The Florida Bar
The office
Under the live oaks, near the courts
The office is on North Gadsden Street, a short walk from the state's appellate courts and the federal courthouse. Clients and trial lawyers are welcome to meet there; most of the work happens on the phone and on paper, and that works just as well from anywhere in the state.
From clients and colleagues
What people said after the decision
“My brother's case was eight years old. Theodora read every page of it and found the plea offer nobody had told him about.”
Priscilla M.Sister of a client
“I called her the night before the charge conference. The instruction she helped me write is why we had an appeal at all.”
Avery S.Trial lawyer
Sample quotes for this template. Each client's case is different, and these don't promise a similar result.
Ask Theodora about your case
The first call is free. Have the date on the judgment and the case number ready.
A first call doesn't make Theodora your lawyer; a signed engagement letter does.