The first cohort of online JD students to take the Appellate Practice Clinic prevailed on their first case before the Eighth District Court of Appeals. JDO students Taylor Bush, Madeline Clark, and Meghan Norcross all worked on the case, under the supervision of Professor Doron Kalir.

The facts of the case were as follows: In a Small Claims Court , Mr. H sued Mr. D for a faulty repair job on his car. Both parties received 40-day notice prior to the hearing. On the eve of the hearing, just hours before it was set to begin, Mr. D sent a short, hand-written request to the Court asking to delay the hearing by more than 100 days. The Magistrate denied the motion, and proceeded with the hearing the next day. Mr. D did not appear, so, Mr. H. – who appeared pro-se – prevailed on the merits and won some $5,000 judgment in his favor.

Mr. D then “lawyered up,” and timely filed objections to the magistrate’s decision with the common pleas court judge. The judge rejected those objections and affirmed the magistrate’s decision. Mr. H — through his lawyer — timely appealed to the Eighth District Court of Appeals. 

That’s where the Appellate Clinic sprung into action. The Clinic contacted Mr. D, who until then appeared pro-se, and offered to help him on his appeal. He happily agreed. 

The three students began by carefully reviewing the record below. They then focused on the issues at hand – which included the law of motions for continuance, the relevant standard of review, and the special nature of a small-claims proceedings – and conducted thorough legal research on each. Then each student was tasked with writing a separate section of the Brief. 

Later in the Semester, each student practiced conducting Oral Argument on that case. (The actual case was decided without oral argument.) 

On April 23, 2026, the Eighth District Court of Appeals released its Opinion, affirming the decision below. In essence, the Court accepted nearly all of the Clinic’s arguments in favor of its client and denied all claims to the contrary.

The client was truly satisfied. In his brief “Thank You” note, he thanked the students “so much for all the hard work” they completed. He further noted that “what you guys do is amazing and I’m sure there are many others who really appreciate your hard work.”

Professor Doron Kalir, the Appellate Practice Clinic Director, supervised the work and served as Counsel of Record.