About Thomas D
Thomas D Lininger is an attorney admitted to practice in California and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He works across the boundary between state and federal courts and is positioned to handle both trial-level matters and federal appellate work. His registrations make it possible for him to take cases that move from California courts up into the federal appellate system.
After completing the requirements to practice law, Lininger established a practice that has operated in the California legal landscape. Over time he has cultivated experience handling matters that require familiarity with state procedure and federal appellate rules. He is experienced in preparing briefs, managing records on appeal and responding to the procedural demands of appellate practice.
Lininger’s career has involved representation in proceedings in state court and filings in federal court. Being admitted to the Ninth Circuit allows him to file and argue appeals in the federal appellate court that covers the western United States. That admission is an operational credential when cases require a transition from state trial courts to federal appellate review.
He approaches cases with attention to legal detail and to the cadence of appellate work. Appellate practice often turns on written advocacy and a tight command of the record. Lininger’s work includes drafting appellate briefs, preparing succinct statements of the case, and organizing the record for appellate review. He also manages interlocutory matters and preservation of issues that may later be raised on appeal.
Clients encounter him in matters that require both careful appellate preparation and an understanding of how trial strategy affects later review. He handles the procedural and substantive tasks that flow from litigation in California courts and potential review in federal appellate courts. That combination requires steady attention to filing deadlines, briefing schedules and the formalities of court rules at both levels.
Outside of courtroom filings, his practice involves counseling clients on the likely appellate posture of a case and advising on steps to preserve issues for appeal. He assists in evaluating whether an appeal is practical, what grounds are available, and how an appellate record should be developed. His experience in the Ninth Circuit admission informs that advice.
As of 2026 Lininger maintains an active practice in California and in matters that may proceed to the Ninth Circuit, handling state-court litigation and federal appellate work.