Founded in 2000, the Council of Appellate Lawyer's (CAL) mission is to foster a dialogue among federal and state appellate lawyers and judges that will improve appellate advocacy and strengthen ties among the numerous federal, state, and local appellate bar associations. Often working with the Appellate Judge’s Education Institute (AJEI), CAL sponsors and develops continuing legal education programs taught by the country’s most celebrated appellate judges and practitioners.
The Council of Appellate Lawyers is devoted to the professional development of lawyers who practice appellate law and the fostering of creative dialogue between those lawyers and appellate judges, both federal and state, with the purpose of improving appellate practice. The Council sponsors and develops continuing legal education programs and publications designed for the needs of appellate lawyers, promotes recognition of the practice of appellate law as a specialty, and examines and fosters discussions and proposals for the improvement of the appellate courts.
The Council is committed to insuring the highest quality possible in all sponsored programs and publications, to extending services and opportunities for involvement to appellate lawyers throughout the country, and to enhancing the quality and integrity of the appellate process.
The Council meets monthly to conduct its work and carry out its mission.
CAL is governed by its Bylaws, last amended in November 2020 and adheres to the governance of the ABA, Judicial Division and Appellate Judges Conference. CAL Bylaws include the role of the executive board, committees, elections and much more.
The Council of Appellate Lawyers Executive Board consist of the Officers, the Immediate Past Chair, and up to fifteen (15) Members-at-Large.
2023-2024 Executive Board
Jill M. Wheaton, 2023-2024 Chair, Ann Arbor, MI
Gretchen Harris Sperry, 2023-2024 Chair-Elect, Chicago, IL
Karen Precella, 2023-2024 Secretary, Fort Worth, TX
Kirsten Castañeda, 2023-2024 Immediate Past Chair, Dallas, TX
Jay Breakstone, 2024 Member-at-Large, Port Washington, NY
Scott Dixler, 2025 Member-at-Large, Burbank, CA
Devin Dolive, 2024 Member-at-Large, Birmingham, AL
Kelly Dove, 2025 Member-at-Large, Las Vegas, NV
Lucy Inman, 2025 Member-at-Large, Knoxville, TN
Courtney Koger, 2024 Member-at-Large, Kansas City, MO
Mark Magyar, 2025 Member-at-Large, Lansing, MI
Emily Musgrave, 2024 Member-at-Large, Boston, MA
Linda Morkan, 2024 Member-at-Large, Hartford, CT
Karl Myers, 2025 Member-at-Large, Philadelphia, PA
Kip Nelson, 2024 Member-at-Large, Greensboro, NC
Jonathan Potter, 2024 Member-at-Large, Charlottesville, VA
Savannah Potter-Miller, 2025 Member-at-Large, Atlanta, GA
Carol Rooney, 2025 Member-at-Large, Tampa, FL
Stephen van Stempvoort, 2025 Member-at-Large, Grand Rapids, MI
Amy Dasgupta
Program Specialist
321 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60654
312.988.5419
[email protected]