This Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course has been approved for 1 hour of CLE credit in 2020. This course describes the first three steps in pursuing an appeal: 1) evaluating whether the order or judgment is one which can be appealed; 2) filing the notice of appeal; and 3) arranging for the delivery of the transcript. Much of the course is spent identifying mistakes that both attorneys and pro se litigants make during these early stages of an appeal. The course is therefore not only useful for learning to avoid these mistakes, but also for identifying errors made by an opposing party. The material presented is intended for appeals to the N.C. Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court, although Mr. Hayes also handles appeals at the 4th Cir. Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mark L. Hayes practices exclusively in appellate law and has handled literally hundreds of appeals. He has been an instructor at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina Law School, where he has taught future lawyers about the North Carolina court system. He graduated from UNC Law School in 2008 with honors, and he clerked with Chief Justice Sarah Parker of the N.C. Supreme Court. Mr. Hayes has been profiled or written articles in various legal periodicals, including North Carolina Lawyer, Carolina Law, N.C. Lawyer’s Weekly, and The Advocate.