Leading Appeals Experts

Elizabeth Franklin-Best is the principal attorney of Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C., a federal criminal defense and appellate firm, and one of the country’s most experienced federal post-conviction lawyers. Over more than two decades, she has appeared in over 330 federal proceedings — more than 100 of them appeals — and is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States and all U.S. Courts of Appeals. Chambers USA ranks her in its 2026 guide for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, and Best Lawyers in America 2026 lists her in Appellate Practice. She was named South Carolina Public Defender of the Year in 2010. She has served as counsel of record in sixteen published decisions. She argued United States v. Slager, 912 F.3d 224 (4th Cir. 2019), the sentencing appeal in a widely reported federal civil rights prosecution, and was counsel in United States v. Frias (2d Cir. 2024) and United States v. Joseph (10th Cir. 2024). Her collateral-review work includes capital habeas matters Wood v. Stirling (4th Cir. 2022) and Morva v. Zook (4th Cir. 2016), and Bennett v. Stirling (D.S.C. 2016), where a federal court granted habeas relief in a capital case after finding racial bias infected the sentencing. She was also counsel in Aiken v. Byars (S.C. 2014), the landmark ruling applying Miller v. Alabama to require new sentencing hearings for juvenile offenders. Her practice is devoted to the federal system: direct appeals, 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motions, § 2254 and capital habeas petitions, ineffective assistance claims, compassionate release, and federal sentencing. She is the author of Reversing Your Criminal Conviction: Develop Your Winning Strategy (2023) and writes expert analysis for Law360, most recently on how the Supreme Court’s habeas rulings limit compassionate release. She serves as Co-Vice Chair of the NACDL Amicus Curiae Committee for the Fourth Circuit, Board Chair of Justice 360, and is a charter member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association. J.D. and M.A. in Philosophy, University of Wyoming. Admitted in South Carolina and New York. Available to comment on federal appeals and post-conviction practice, Supreme Court criminal rulings and their downstream effects, capital habeas, white-collar defense, and federal sentencing. Contact: (843) 620-1100 · https://federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/about-us/our-team/elizabeth-franklin-best/

I'm the founder of AppealRx, an AI-powered platform that helps patients fight insurance denials. I've helped thousands of patients navigate the insurance appeal process, from "not medically necessary" denials to prior authorization rejections. I specialize in health insurance appeals, patient rights, and the U.S. healthcare system. AppealRx has processed appeals across all 50 states and maintains a 54% appeal win rate — matching the national average for properly filed appeals.

Mr. Lewarchik specializes in civil and criminal appeals in state and federal court, habeas corpus petitions, and post-conviction relief in Illinois and throughout the country. Attorney Lewarchik is committed to providing excellent representation to clients across the country. After graduating from law school, Mr. Lewarchik worked as a staff attorney for the Illinois First District Court of Appeals. Thereafter, the Honorable Denise O’Malley, Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, appointed him as her judicial appellate clerk. In his capacity as a staff attorney and then judicial appellate clerk, Mr. Lewarchik participated in the drafting of over eighty published opinions and unpublished orders on a wide array of issues relating to criminal law, civil procedure, statutory construction, tort liability, employment law, corporate law, and insurance coverage, among others. A representative sample of these dispositions include: People v. Hill, 2025 IL App (1st) 230604-U; People v. Beachem, 2024 IL App (5th) 210344-U; Cuevas v. Barron-Esparza, 2024 IL App (1st) 231244-U; People v. Troy Brown, 506 Mich. 440 (Mich.2020); Jezewski v. Jaworski, IL App (1st) 170100 (2019); and Bell v. Hutsell, 238 Ill. 2d 647 (2010). After finishing his clerkship, a large Chicago law firm, Cassiday Schade LLP, considered one of the best litigation firms in Chicago, hired Mr. Lewarchik. While there, Mr. Lewarchik worked for the firm as an appellate lawyer, specializing in Medical Malpractice, Insurance Coverage, and Personal Injury law. Numerous cases Mr. Lewarchik worked on in private practice as an appeal lawyer have resulted in published opinions. In one such instance, his advocacy resulted in the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously overturning the appellate court in Bell v. Hutsell, 402 Ill. 2d 654 (2011). More recently, the Michigan Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in People v. Troy Brown, 506 Mich. 440 (Mich.2020) in favor of Mr. Lewarchik's client concluding prosecutorial misconduct warranted a new trial. Prior to becoming an appeal lawyer, Mr. Lewarchik attained his law degree from the Washington University School of Law — which is consistently ranked in the top five percent law schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. While at Washington University, he worked as a research assistant to Professor Lee Epstein and, in this role, performed research on the United States Supreme Court. He also worked for the Civil Rights Clinic while at Washington University. Mr. Lewarchik attained his Bachelor of Science degree from Taylor University. While in college, Mr. Lewarchik was inducted into the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society. Mr. Lewarchik also attained a Master of Studies degree from Vermont Law School. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association and was inducted into the Appellate Lawyers Association. On a personal note, Mr. Lewarchik enjoys spending time with his son, reading, kayaking, going to wine tastings, and rooting for the Chicago Cubs.

David Pinkhasov is an Associate Attorney of Consumer Attorneys. David is admitted in Courts of the State of New York and Florida. David received his J.D. from Hofstra University Law School in 2021. While attending Hofstra, David interned at the Medical Legal Partnership Clinic, where he assisted in addressing clients’ legal needs impacting their health and well-being, such as income and housing. David also interned at the Nassau County Bar Association Mortgage Foreclosure Pro Bono Project, which was geared towards providing limited representation in court mandated conferences to any Nassau County resident facing foreclosure. In addition, David co-mediated custody and visitation disputes, divorce, and other family matters as a student mediator for Hofstra’s Family Law Mediation Clinic. After graduating law school, David served as an attorney for a Real Estate law firm where he guided clients through transactions ranging from intricate leasing agreements to large-scale property acquisitions. David brings a unique blend of legal experience and approachability to every case.

Jeff Howell is a licensed attorney and founder of Lex Wire Journal, a media and consulting platform that helps law firms navigate the rapidly changing landscape of AI, compliance, and digital visibility. With two decades of experience spanning corporate law, technology, and digital marketing, Jeff brings a unique perspective at the intersection of law and innovation. He regularly speaks on topics such as AI compliance, attorney–client privilege in the AI era, and how answer engines are reshaping legal search visibility. His insights have been featured in CLEs, bar association programs, and thought leadership platforms and is a certified faculty member for the National Academy of Continuing legal Education. Jeff’s expertise centers on: AI & Legal Compliance: Safeguarding law firms under evolving regulations and ethics rules. Digital Authority & Visibility: Building trust signals that AI-powered search engines cite and elevate. Future of Legal Practice: How emerging technologies, from AI assistants to answer engines, are transforming law firm operations and client acquisition. Journalists tap Jeff for clear, credible, and forward-looking commentary that makes complex tech shifts understandable for the legal community and the public.

I am a publicist, coder, music industry executive and TV Producer with a track record of securing premier media placements and managing high-stakes narratives. At Popularity PR, I help high-profile individuals and corporations across the entertainment, legal, and political sectors navigate the modern media landscape. With an entrepreneurial background that includes building AI-driven intellectual property tools and navigating complex civil litigation, I offer a multifaceted perspective on how business, law, and culture collide. Available for expert commentary on: Public Relations (crisis comms, brand strategy), Entertainment (industry, celebrity narratives), Law (litigation strategy, IP protection), and Entrepreneurship (tech development, startups). Personal Interests: Music, binge-watching Netflix, and diving into complex legal strategy.

Nisan Zaghi is an Associate Attorney at Consumer Attorneys whose practice is dedicated to protecting consumers from credit-reporting errors, unfair debt-collection practices, and background-check inaccuracies under statutes such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Before joining the firm, he sharpened his litigation skills at a boutique patent-litigation practice and later represented individuals in consumer-protection cases, gaining a valuable mix of technical insight and client-focused strategy. Nisan is motivated by the belief that businesses must be held accountable when they cut corners or defraud everyday people. Restoring a client’s reputation - and often their livelihood - gives him genuine professional satisfaction. To deliver the best possible client experience, he stays readily available, answers questions promptly, and keeps each client fully informed as their case unfolds. He earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law on a substantial scholarship and holds a B.S. in Biology from Brooklyn College, where research-heavy coursework honed the analytical mindset he brings to complex credit-report disputes. Admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey state courts and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, he is positioned to litigate most consumer-protection claims arising in the Northeast. Nisan is an active member of the New York State Bar Association, staying current on developments in consumer law and collaborating with advocates across the state. Outside the office, Nisan enjoys hiking, swimming, and spending quality time with his wife and children - pursuits that keep him grounded and energized for his clients’ battles.

Helping companies get mentioned in LLMs and gaining a deep understanding of why and where they need to be cited.

Steven M. Sweat is the founding attorney of Steven M. Sweat, Personal Injury Lawyers, APC, a plaintiff-side personal injury and wrongful death firm based in Los Angeles, California. With more than 30 years of experience exclusively representing injured individuals and the families of wrongful death victims, Steven has dedicated his entire legal career to fighting for those harmed by the negligence of others — never representing insurance companies or corporate defendants. Steven's firm handles a wide range of serious injury cases, including automobile and motorcycle collisions, truck accidents, traumatic brain injuries, catastrophic injuries, premises liability, pedestrian accidents, rideshare crashes, and wrongful death claims throughout California. All cases are handled on a contingency-fee basis, meaning clients pay nothing unless compensation is recovered. Recognized consistently as one of California's top personal injury attorneys, Steven holds an Avvo 10.0 "Superb" rating, has been named to the Super Lawyers list every year since 2012, and is a member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), and the American Association for Justice (AAJ). Beyond the courtroom, Steven is committed to educating the public about their legal rights. He publishes regularly on victimslawyer.com and the California Accident Attorneys Blog, produces legal educational content on his YouTube channel (@InjuryLawyerSteveSweat), and has contributed to national legal publications including the National Law Review.

Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA, is Managing Director of Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. and one of the country’s most-cited authorities on how federal prison sentences are actually served — where a defendant is designated, what the Bureau of Prisons controls, and how much time a person really does. He’s the go-to source when a high-profile defendant is sentenced and the question becomes where they go and what happens there. TIME turned to him on Elizabeth Holmes, CNN on Sean “Diddy” Combs and FCI Fort Dix, and Inc. on Sam Bankman-Fried. Zoukis knows the system from the inside. He served a federal sentence, writing College for Convicts (McFarland, 2014), Prison Education Guide, and the Federal Prison Handbook (2017) while incarcerated, and earned a 2012 PEN America Prison Writing Award. He later authored the Directory of Federal Prisons (2020) and earned his J.D. from UC Davis School of Law, where he was Articles Editor of the UC Davis Law Review. He holds an M.B.A. from Adams State University. His focus: BOP designation under 18 U.S.C. § 3621(b), sentence computation, First Step Act earned time credits and PATTERN scoring, RDAP, prison discipline and conditions of confinement, compassionate release, halfway house and home confinement placement, and reentry. He has advised hundreds of clients and families through federal incarceration. He is Chairman of the Board of the Human Rights Defense Center, publisher of Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News, and author of the forthcoming Federal Criminal Defendant’s Handbook and the third edition of The Habeas Citebook: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel. Zoukis is not an attorney; all legal work is handled by lead counsel Elizabeth Franklin-Best, ranked in Chambers USA 2026 for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, named a 2026 Best Lawyer in America for Appellate Practice, and admitted before the U.S. Supreme Court and all U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals. The firm assists with federal sentencing, direct appeals, habeas corpus petitions, and compassionate release. Quoted by TIME, CNN, Inc., Fox News, ABC News, the Associated Press, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Bloomberg Law, The Hill, UPI, and Vice News. Contributor to the Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Prison Legal News, and Criminal Legal News. Contact: Chris@ZoukisDefense.com · (843) 620-1100 · https://federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/about-us/our-team/christopher-zoukis/

Raised on a ranch, Meir cultivated a strong work ethic and compassion while tending to chickens, sheep, goats, cattle, and even donkeys. Meir's upbringing instilled values of integrity and protecting the vulnerable, shaping his approach to law. With a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Queens College and a Juris Doctorate from Maurice A. Dean School of Law, Meir's passion for justice led him to advocate for consumer rights. His diverse legal experiences, including working pro bono in Nassau County Matrimonial Court, assisting self-represented litigants navigate the complexities of divorce proceedings, and collaborating with a criminal defense attorney and in a civil litigation firm, broadened his understanding of consumer issues. As a dedicated consumer attorney, he fights against damaging and inaccurate consumer reporting and unfair and deceptive debt collection practices, drawing on his diverse background and principles of empathy and tenacity. Beyond the courtroom, Meir's interests in bodybuilding and swimming reflect his disciplined and competitive mindset, enriching his legal practice. Actively involved in community advocacy, Meir empowers others and raises awareness about their rights, driven by his commitment to positive change.

The Law Offices of Jeffrey I. Reisman is a full service criminal Defence practice. We serve our clients in Toronto and also the Greater Toronto Area. If you or a loved one has been arrested or is being questioned by law enforcement do not hesitate contacting Jeffrey I. Reisman for instant advice and aggressive Defence in protecting your rights!

I am the founder and CEO of LLM Authority Index and CiteWorks Studios, where I study how brands, experts, and companies are surfaced, cited, compared, recommended, or overlooked across AI systems, search engines, social platforms, and digital media. My current work focuses on AI search visibility, LLM-driven buyer behavior, digital authority, brand attribution, online reputation, consumer trust, and the sources that influence answers generated by platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, and Google AI Overviews. I develop research frameworks and datasets that examine AI recommendations, citation patterns, competitor inclusion, sentiment, source quality, prompt behavior, and the relationship between online evidence and buyer choice. For journalist requests, I can provide concise commentary, original data, cross-platform comparisons, trend analysis, and evidence-backed insights. Where useful, I compare responses across multiple AI systems and public datasets to identify areas of consensus, disagreement, bias, or emerging change. Before entering AI search and LLM visibility, I spent more than a decade building and leading digital marketing, publishing, affiliate, and content operations. I have managed strategy for more than 250 content creators across 30 geographic markets, overseen networks producing more than 2,000 articles per month, and helped scale affiliate and content businesses generating eight figures in commissions and more than $100 million in client-side revenue. I have also built and exited an affiliate business, developed seven-figure recurring revenue programs, and led growth initiatives across financial services, consumer products, online media, local services, and direct-response marketing. Earlier in my career, I practiced law and served as managing partner of a law firm focused on consumer protection and real estate litigation. My legal background continues to shape how I approach research: I evaluate competing claims, assess source quality, identify gaps in the evidence, and translate complex findings into clear, defensible commentary. I am especially useful for stories involving artificial intelligence, AI search, digital marketing, online reputation, consumer trust, search behavior, content strategy, affiliate marketing, online reviews, social proof, brand visibility, and the changing ways consumers discover and evaluate companies.

Helping clients succeed in all courts via the power of written words and succinct oral presentations. My 20+ years of experience as an appellate attorney enables me to put my clients' best foot forward and make compelling, relevant arguments before often-demanding and challenging judges.

Elliott H. Jung is a founding partner at HHJ Trial Attorneys, a leading personal injury and employment litigation firm in San Diego County. He is a highly regarded trial lawyer known for representing clients in complex cases involving catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injuries, sexual assault, and workplace retaliation. Recognized among the top 2.5% of attorneys nationwide by Super Lawyers and named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, Elliott has secured millions in verdicts and settlements for his clients. With experience in over 50 jury trials, Elliott is known for his strong courtroom presence and results-driven approach, often achieving maximum settlements without trial. He earned his law degree from Southwestern Law School, where he excelled in trial advocacy and won a regional American Bar Association competition. In addition to his legal practice, Elliott serves as an adjunct professor, mentors aspiring lawyers, and actively contributes to community and pro bono initiatives.

I have 31 years of combined legal and legal funding experience. Lawsuit Financial provides nationwide legal funding services with a common sense approach that levels the litigation playing field and assures that litigants have every opportunity to receive full case value with having to worry about pressing financial issues caused by their injuries or disabilities. Short Sale Legal Services provide common sense negotiation and mortgage resolution services by negotiating present value short sales with participating mortgage companies. This is a valuable service to those homeowners who are negatively effected by today's difficult economic climate. Specialties: 31 years legal and legal funding expertise.

Clinton Ford Billups Jr. is an entertainment expert consultant and witness who based on his 50-plus years of experience and specialized knowledge in the entertainment industry advises entertainment industry professionals and their attorneys by evaluating cases, providing expert affidavits, opinions, reports, and depositions, and testifying in administrative or arbitration hearings and in court on entertainment trade customs, usage and practices related to artists, personal managers, talent agents, and others engaged in entertainment, media and the performing arts. Mr. Billupswas elected in 1988 to membership in the National Conference of Personal Managers Inc. (NCOPM), the nation's oldest trade association committed to the advancement of personal managers and their clients. He has served as NCOPM National President since 2002.

Yaear Weintroub, an Associate Attorney at Consumer Attorneys, devotes his practice to safeguarding consumers from credit-reporting errors, unlawful debt-collection tactics, and other violations proscribed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. His current work builds on experience gained at a consumer-protection practice, where he handled FCRA cases and a broad docket of related matters, and on the litigation skills he first developed as a full-time Pro Bono Scholar at Disability Rights New York. Consumer-protection law appeals to him because it offers a direct way to confront businesses that cut corners or defraud ordinary people. Restoring a client’s good name - or the financial opportunities they lost when a report or creditor got it wrong - brings him genuine professional satisfaction. True to that mission, he keeps an open line of communication with every client, answers questions promptly, and explains each procedural step so that no one is left guessing how a case is unfolding. He earned his J.D. from Hofstra Law School on a full scholarship and was selected for the Pro Bono Scholars Program, which allowed him to sit for the bar exam early and accelerate his admission to practice. Before law school he completed a B.A. in Philosophy at Brooklyn College, augmenting his analytical training with a minor in computer science. Away from the office Yaear writes music, plays several instruments, follows a wide range of sports, and spends as much time as possible with his wife and their dog.

MBA Candidate at the Stanford Graduate School of Business experienced in capital market litigation, corporate law, securities law, appeals, and legal research.

Attorney Matthew Weidner has been a passionate consumer warrior for nearly 3 decades. He's been featured in press around the world on a wide range of consumer/legal related topics. He's been profiled in New York Times Best Selling Books, and has been regularly quoted in Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the like. He has an active social media presence and has one of the most popular legal YouTube Channels with nearly 500,000 viewer counts. He operates a professional grade studio and is available for immediate appearances.