Most general counsel and in-house lawyers do not pay close attention to proposals to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.

And who could blame them. Unlike the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence, the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure rarely have a direct impact on the course or outcome of a case. The rules are concerned primarily with the logistics of filing and presenting appeals. For example, the rules address the form of a notice of appeal (Rule 3), the time for filing that notice (Rule 4), the contents of the record on appeal (Rule 10), the process for compiling the appendix to the briefs (Rule 30), and the form of briefs, appendices and other papers (Rules 28, 30, 31 and 32).

Some of the rules are straightforward. Others are convoluted and arcane. But most general counsel and in-house lawyers understandably rely on their appellate specialists, who work with the rules every day, to stay on top of the rules and any proposed changes to them.