Statewide Appellate Support Center
The ILS Statewide Appellate Support Center (“Center”) has been established to provide support to trial, appellate, and post-conviction counsel providing mandated representation. The Center advances our agency’s statutory mission and mandate “to make efforts to improve the quality of services provided pursuant to article eighteen-B of the county law.” We realize the challenges and demands of providing effective mandated representation and we know that you may sometimes need support to do that work, whether you serve at a defender office or on an 18-B panel. Please note, ILS does not provide legal representation. The support services provided by Center staff do not establish an attorney-client relationship with attorneys or their clients. Contact us at SASC@ils.ny.gov with your questions, and we will try to provide helpful resources and information.
Statewide Appellate Support Center's First Year of Operations Report
How We Can Support You
Do you need assistance with a brief or motion? We can offer templates, statements of law on many frequently encountered issues, and guidance on how to use these materials.
Do you need advice on whether to use an investigator and if so, how? The Center can consult with you on when and how to effectively use investigators in appellate and post-conviction matters.
Do you seek to advocate for a favorable disposition? We can consult with you on how to use a social worker, case manager, or mitigation specialist; strategies for using these resources to connect clients to appropriate treatment services; and how these services can assist you in discovering and highlighting mitigating history.
Is there a critical issue you wish to present and preserve for appellate review? The Center can consult with you about how to do so effectively.
What are your duties to a client who has been convicted and sentenced? We can explain the issues that survive a guilty plea and a valid waiver of the right to appeal, and your ethical duties to inform clients about their appellate rights, to file a notice of appeal, and to seek assignment of appellate counsel.
Would you like to brainstorm about issues to argue on appeal? The Center can provide ideas on how to identify issues regarding a guilty plea, trial verdict, or sentence.
Are you exploring whether to make a CPL 440.10 or 440.20 motion? We can share resources and insights regarding how to spot viable 440 claims; when to bring a motion; how to put together an effective motion; how to prepare for a 440 hearing; when and how to work with conviction integrity units; and more.
Are you struggling with how to organize your brief? The Center can consult with you to develop an effective organizational structure.
Did your client lose in the intermediate appellate court? We can walk you through the procedural steps to file a motion for leave in the Court of Appeals and discuss how to frame the issues.
Want to be mooted for your next appellate argument? Send us the briefs, and we will put together a panel for a virtual moot court session.
Have you been assigned to a DVSJA resentencing case? We can brainstorm with you and, where appropriate, explore your issues with the DVSJA Statewide Defender Task Force.