About the firm

A focused practice for the moments that decide a case.

Gelb Law APC is a California civil firm built around appellate and motion work. That focus is deliberate: appellate practice has its own rhythm, its own writing, and its own relationship to deadlines. Treating it as a sideline doesn't work.

What we do

A small firm, a narrow practice.

Civil appeals, writs, and high-stakes motions in California state and federal court. Brief-only co-counsel for trial firms. Discrete-scope engagements for clients who need one motion done right.

We chose this practice area for a simple reason: the work rewards careful reading and clean writing. Briefs are not pleadings — they're arguments, and the best ones change the way the reader thinks about the case in the first two pages.

We also chose it because most trial firms — even very good ones — don't have the bandwidth to do appellate work well alongside everything else. The work falls between the cracks: notices of appeal filed late, opening briefs drafted in two weeks at the end of a heavy trial schedule, oral arguments prepared on the plane. Bringing us in solves that.

Alongside civil appellate and motion work, the firm handles criminal appeals and post-conviction matters — direct appeals, state and federal habeas petitions, and resentencing motions under California's newer recall-and-resentence laws. We also represent clients in civil, business, and criminal trial-court matters across Southern California. The common thread is the same: clear writing, deadline discipline, and treating every motion or hearing as something that could end up in front of an appellate court.

The attorney

Yisrael Gelb — founder, Gelb Law APC

Yisrael is the founder of Gelb Law APC and a member of the California State Bar. He is a litigation and appellate lawyer focused on helping regular Main Street folks achieve justice.

Based in Beverly Hills, Yisrael represents clients throughout Southern California. His clients are small business owners and regular folks in need of legal help. Practice areas include civil, business, and criminal law, with a particular emphasis on appellate work and high-stakes motion practice.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Yisrael was a recognized nonprofit leader. His work included governmental advocacy, major-gifts fundraising, and community service. Yisrael continues to actively volunteer in both the broader and legal communities.

How we work

Plain commitments, written down in every engagement letter.

Defined scope, always

Every engagement letter spells out exactly what we're doing — opening brief, opposition, oral argument, writ petition — and what we're not. Scope changes are renegotiated in writing, not absorbed.

Honest case assessment

We will tell you if your appeal has a serious viability problem before you sign an engagement letter. We would rather lose the engagement than take fees for a case we don't believe in.

Drafts circulate early

You see the brief weeks before it's filed, not the night before. Comments back, revisions, then filing. No "we'll send it tomorrow."

Predictable fees

Flat or capped fees on most matters. Hourly only when the scope genuinely can't be fixed at intake. No surprises, no padded bills.

Conflict-checked within 24 hours

Most intake responses go out the next business day. If we have a conflict, you'll hear that quickly enough to call someone else.

One firm voice

The lawyer you meet at intake is the lawyer drafting your brief and arguing your case. We don't hand off to associates we haven't introduced you to.

Who we work with

Three kinds of clients account for most of our work:

  • Individuals and small businesses coming off a trial-court loss (or win) who need appellate counsel. Sometimes their trial lawyer recommends us; sometimes they find us cold.
  • Trial firms that handle their own cases but want a brief specialist for an MSJ, demurrer, anti-SLAPP, or appeal. We can stay behind the scenes or appear of counsel.
  • Criminal appellants and their families after a felony or misdemeanor conviction — direct appeals on sentencing, instructional, sufficiency, and prosecutorial-misconduct issues, plus state and federal habeas and resentencing under PC § 1172.6, § 1170.91, and § 745. The 60-day clock (30 for misdemeanors) is short; the consequences are not.

The view on writing

Three short rules govern almost every brief we file:

  1. The argument should be obvious by page two. If the judge has to read past the introduction to figure out what you want, the brief is too long.
  2. Citations support propositions; they don't substitute for them. A string of cases after a vague sentence is not an argument.
  3. The Table of Contents is the brief. Headings tell the story. If the headings make sense in sequence, the brief usually works.

The disclaimers, plain

Visiting this website, sending a message, or completing the intake form does not create an attorney-client relationship. We become your lawyers only when we sign a written engagement letter together. Past results do not guarantee a similar result in any other matter. Nothing on this site is legal advice for your case — it is general information about how California civil procedure works.

Ready to start the conversation?

The intake form below is the fastest path. If your matter is genuinely time-critical — a deadline within 7 days — call (323) 632-6864 in addition.

Start an intake