The current head of the NJOPD's Appellate Section is Deputy Public Defender Alison Perrone.  The NJOPD's Appellate Section (Criminal) provides representation in the appeals filed by adults and juvenile from rulings in their New Jersey trial court cases.  A direct appeal to the New Jersey Appellate Division of a trial court verdict is a right in New Jersey.

Most referrals to the NJOPD Appellate Section come from defendants who previously had been represented through the NJOPD trial regions.  However, direct applications for representation also are received and acted on from people not originally represented by the NJOPD at the trial level.

In both cases, appeals typically deal with the larger constitutional issues raised by how the trial was conducted rather than simply with the individual facts presented at trial.

After filing a Notice of Appeal, the appellate attorney prepares to handle a case by reviewing the transcript of the trial, interviewing the defendant in the case, and doing research to identify problems that occurred at trial which might become the subject matter of the appeal.  

Newark (Main) Office:
31 Clinton St.
P.O. Box 46003
Newark, NJ 07101
Phone: 973-877-1200
Fax: 973-877-1239
E-mail: Appellate_PD@opd.nj.gov