CIVIL APPEALS
Martin Siegel's practice focuses on briefing and arguing complex appeals in federal and state courts. He also handles key motions in trial courts and consults on legal analysis and strategy.
Siegel has won appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate courts around the country, and the Texas Supreme Court, and has repeatedly earned recognition from peers.
Broad Experience
After three decades in all facets of practice -- as a federal appellate law clerk, at a large national firm, in the Justice Department, on the staff of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, as a partner at a small plaintiffs' boutique, and in his own practice -- Siegel brings unique and wide-ranging perspective to each appeal. In addition, Siegel founded and directs the Appellate Civil Rights Clinic at the University of Houston Law Center, where he also teaches American Legal History.
Notable Cases
Siegel's civil appellate work cuts across several fields, including constitutional law, civil rights, commercial disputes, product liability, personal injury, consumer protection, and others. Many of his appeals have been recognized as precedent-setting. The best way to assess potential appellate counsel is to examine past cases and actually read their work.
Publications and Press
Appellate advocacy is mostly writing, and Siegel's writing experience is unusually diverse. Aside from briefs, he's written on legal topics for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Houston Chronicle. His biography of the federal judge he clerked for, Irving R. Kaufman, Judgment and Mercy, (Cornell U. Press) appeared in 2023. He has served as editor-in-chief of Litigation, the flagship journal of the American Bar Association's Litigation Section, and authored a regular column on appellate issues for Texas Lawyer. Siegel has also frequently been quoted in news stories on high profile appeals.