[Posted July 21, 2009]  Appellate geeks rejoice!  There are two new URLs you should check out, and maybe add to your favorites.

Appeals Granted is a new web site by Midlothian attorney Ron Gore, a former appellate law clerk.  Ron’s site fills a very important void, something I have seldom had the time to do:  He tracks cases in which the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Court of Appeals of Virginia have granted writs.  In this way, he gives us a peek into the crystal ball, letting us know what issues the appellate courts will be tackling in the near future.  I don’t need to preach to anyone on the value of that kind of analysis, and I applaud Ron for taking on this worthwhile project.

Roanoke attorney Jay O’Keeffe has launched De Novo:  A Virginia Appellate Law Blog.  Jay appears to be covering all things appellate, with a list of useful topics including standards of review and preservation of error.  (Preservation is actually a trial skill, not an appellate skill, but it’s so important for appeals that I often write about it, too.)  From the title, Jay’s undertaking is a blog, not a traditional web site like this one, so you might find occasional interesting posts about things other than appellate law.