5 Myths and Misconceptions About Federal Appeals: Explained by Dallas Federal Appellate Attorney Mick Mickelsen

Attorney Mick Mickelsen

Dec 2021 · Broden & Mickelsen Federal Appeals Lawyer

About this ebook

As Texas Board of Legal Specialization-certified attorneys in the areas of Criminal Appellate Law and Criminal Defense Law, at Broden & Mickelsen, we have worked on over 100 federal criminal appeals cases. Throughout our decades of combined experience as federal criminal appellate lawyers, we repeatedly come across some of the same myths about federal criminal appeals. In this article, we explain and debunk five of those myths and misconceptions. 

About the author

Defense Attorney Mick Mickelsen

Mick Mickelsen graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1990. He began his career as an associate for Michael Fawer who at the time represented Danny Faulkner in the I-30 condominium fraud trial. From 1992—1998, Mr. Mickelsen worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Dallas. During that time, he defended people charged in Federal court with crimes ranging from a bank robbery, drug conspiracies, and white-collar fraud. He also handled numerous Federal criminal appeals.

In 1998, Mickelsen formed the law firm of Broden & Mickelsen with Clint Broden. Although much of their practice continued to be focused in Federal court, the two partners began to represent defendants in Texas courts around the state. These cases involved charges ranging from DWIs to murder.

Mr. Mickelsen also became involved in numerous capital cases on the trial level and on the appellate level. He had the good fortune of having several of his clients’ death sentences overturned in post-conviction litigation. On each of the death penalty cases on which he represented the defendant at trial he was able to negotiate a non-death sentence for his client.

In Federal court some of Mr. Mickelsen’s notable wins was an eight-week trial in which his client was charged with environmental laboratory fraud, winning a two-week computer-hacking trial, and winning a two-week theft of trade secret trial.

In criminal appeals, he has had murder cases and sexual assault cases reversed for new trials, among others, and argued a case before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that established important precedent pertaining to the insanity defense.

While in private practice with Clint Broden, Mr. Mickelsen has been designated Texas Super Lawyer by Thomas Reuters every year since 2004; has been an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at SMU Law School; and has been a speaker at several continuing legal education events.

Mick Mickelsen has lived in Dallas, Texas for most of his life and is married to Dr. Jolie Bailey.