Appellate briefs contain the written legal arguments supporting a party's position. While appellate briefs don't carry precedential authority, they can be a good source for locating binding or persuasive legal authorities that you could cite in your own brief. In addition, you may find briefs containing similar issues or facts that can help you formulate your arguments and inform your legal research. In addition, the briefs may help you prepare for arguments your opponent might raise. Below are some research tips for locating appellate briefs.
If you have found a decision relevant to your issue on appeal and you would like to review the underlying appellate briefs, from Westlaw you can try accessing the Filings tab at the top of the case to quickly identify any briefs available on Westlaw.
When you are in the full text of a court decision for which you would like to read or review the appellate briefs, you can access the tab labeled Filings to view available briefs.