Research, Writing, and Appeals Attorney

Marko Law; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Marko Law in Detroit, Michigan seeks an exceptional Research & Writing / Appellate Attorney to join our litigation team. This is not a traditional associate role; we want someone who loves the law, writing, and solving difficult legal problems.

You will work closely with the Head of Appellate and trial lawyers on high-stakes cases, handling research and persuasive writing for appeals and complex motions. The ideal candidate has superb legal research and writing skills, with strong appellate

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate is an attorney who is intellectually curious, meticulous, persuasive, and genuinely enjoys legal research and writing.
• Prior appellate experience or significant research-and-writing experience is strongly preferred.
• Excellent analytical judgment and the ability to develop winning arguments while preserving the record.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive legal research on appellate, procedural, evidentiary, constitutional, and substantive issues arising in the firm’s cases.
• Review trial records, transcripts, pleadings, exhibits, and orders to identify appealable issues and strongest arguments.
• Draft and revise appellate briefs, applications for leave to appeal, motions, and other complex filings.
• Assist with case strategy, issue preservation, jury instructions, evidentiary questions, and post-trial matters.
• Prepare for and present oral arguments before the Michigan Court of Appeals and trial courts.
• Collaborate with experienced trial lawyers to shape cases from early stages through verdict and appeal.

Skills

Legal research

Legal writing

Appellate practice

Oral argument

Job description

Marko Law is growing and looking for an exceptional Research & Writing / Appellate Attorney to join our litigation team.

This is not a traditional associate position. We are looking for an attorney who loves the law, loves to write, and excels at solving difficult legal problems.

Marko Law is one of Michigan’s premier plaintiff-side litigation firms. We handle high-stakes, complex cases involving personal injury, civil rights, employment discrimination, wrongful death, constitutional claims, and other significant litigation. Our cases frequently involve novel legal issues, substantial motion practice, major trials, and appeals.

The attorney in this position will work closely with the Head of our Appellate Department and our trial lawyers, helping develop the legal strategy behind some of the firm’s most important cases.

We are looking for an outstanding legal thinker and writer—someone who can take a complicated record, identify the issues that matter, master the governing law, and turn it into a clear and persuasive argument.

What You’ll Do

Research & Writing / Appellate Attorney

Marko Law – Detroit, Michigan

Marko Law is growing and looking for an exceptional Research & Writing / Appellate Attorney to join our litigation team.

This is not a traditional associate position. We are looking for an attorney who loves the law, loves to write, and excels at solving difficult legal problems.

Marko Law is one of Michigan’s premier plaintiff-side litigation firms. We handle high-stakes, complex cases involving personal injury, civil rights, employment discrimination, wrongful death, constitutional claims, and other significant litigation. Our cases frequently involve novel legal issues, substantial motion practice, major trials, and appeals.

The attorney in this position will work closely with the Head of our Appellate Department and our trial lawyers, helping develop the legal strategy behind some of the firm’s most important cases.

We are looking for an outstanding legal thinker and writer—someone who can take a complicated record, identify the issues that matter, master the governing law, and turn it into a clear and persuasive argument.

• Conduct comprehensive legal research on appellate, procedural, evidentiary, constitutional, and substantive issues arising in the firm’s cases.
• Review trial-court records, transcripts, pleadings, exhibits, and orders to identify appealable issues, preservation concerns, procedural problems, and the strongest potential arguments.
• Draft and revise appellate briefs, applications for leave to appeal, motions, responses, replies, post-trial motions, dispositive motions, and other complex trial- and appellate-court filings.
• Assist the Head of the Appellate Department and trial attorneys with case strategy, issue preservation, jury instructions, evidentiary questions, dispositive motions, post-trial matters, and other significant legal issues.
• Analyze opposing briefs and motions, identify weaknesses in the opposition’s legal and factual arguments, and develop persuasive responses grounded in the record and controlling authority.
• Help trial teams anticipate appellate issues before and during trial and ensure that important arguments are properly developed and preserved.
• Research developing areas of Michigan and federal law and help determine how changes in the law affect the firm’s existing and future cases.
• Prepare for and present oral arguments before the Michigan Court of Appeals and trial courts, including hearings involving dispositive motions, post-trial motions, and other significant matters.
• Work collaboratively with some of the firm’s most experienced trial attorneys on high-stakes litigation from the earliest stages of a case through verdict and appeal.

Who We’re Looking For

The ideal candidate is an attorney who is intellectually curious, meticulous, persuasive, and genuinely enjoys legal research and writing.

You should be someone who:

• Is an exceptional legal researcher and writer.
• Enjoys digging into difficult or unsettled questions of law.
• Can quickly understand a complicated factual and procedural record.
• Has excellent analytical judgment and can distinguish a technically available argument from a winning argument.
• Understands the importance of preservation, standards of review, burdens of proof, and appellate procedure.
• Writes clearly, directly, and persuasively.
• Has extraordinary attention to detail.
• Can manage sophisticated assignments and significant deadlines.
• Is comfortable challenging assumptions and defending a legal position.
• Wants to work in a collaborative environment where lawyers regularly discuss strategy and difficult legal issues.
• Takes pride in producing work that can withstand scrutiny from opposing counsel, trial judges, and appellate judges.

Prior appellate experience, judicial clerkship experience, or significant research-and-writing experience is strongly preferred.

Why Marko Law?

At Marko Law, our attorneys work on cases that matter.

We represent individuals against corporations, governmental entities, insurance companies, and other powerful institutions. Our lawyers have obtained numerous significant and record-setting verdicts for our clients, including the largest employment discrimination verdict in Michigan history and other nationally recognized results.

But this position is not simply about writing briefs after a case is over.

Our appellate and research attorneys are part of the litigation team. You will help shape cases before trial, during trial, after verdict, and on appeal. Your research and writing can directly influence how cases are tried and ultimately decided.

For the right lawyer, this is an opportunity to become an integral part of a sophisticated plaintiff-side trial practice, work on unusually challenging legal issues, and develop into an outstanding appellate advocate.

If you are the lawyer other attorneys turn to when the legal issue is complicated—and you would rather spend your day developing the argument that wins the case than handling a conventional litigation caseload we want to hear from you.

Join Marko Law and help us fight important cases, develop important law, and obtain extraordinary results for our clients.