Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Appellate Practice Co-Chair Gretchen Harris Sperry has completed her term as Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Council of Appellate Lawyers (CAL) and moved into her new role as Immediate Past Chair for the 2025-2026 term, as announced at the Appellate Judges Education Institute (AJEI) Summit in November 2025. At the same meeting, Senior Counsel Caitlin Mitchell also transitioned into a new role after being elected to a two-year term as a Member-at-Large on CAL’s Executive Board.
As Chair, Sperry worked to advance CAL’s mission of promoting appellate lawyers’ professional development and fostering dialogue with appellate judges to improve practice. The CAL Chair leads the Executive Board, which includes the Council’s officers, Immediate Past Chair, and Members-at-Large, guiding the Council’s affairs, overseeing activities, and ensuring the execution of strategic plans.
As part of the ABA’s Judicial Division (JD) and the Appellate Judges Conference (AJC), CAL is the only national appellate bench-bar organization that brings together lawyers and judges from state and federal reviewing courts across the country to engage in meaningful dialogue about appellate practice and foster camaraderie. Through initiatives such as continuing legal education programs, specialized publications, and the annual AJEI Summit, CAL aims to promote appellate practice as a discipline and supports efforts to enhance the quality and integrity of appellate practice in courts of review.
Sperry is Co-Chair of GRSM’s Appellate practice and a Partner in the firm’s Chicago office. She has represented clients in numerous state and federal courts of review, including the United States Supreme Court. As a former appellate court clerk, Sperry is highly skilled in drafting and arguing critical motions and appeals. She has also developed particular proficiency as embedded appellate counsel at trial, preparing pre-trial motions, monitoring trial proceedings, and developing appellate strategy in complex commercial litigation, high-exposure catastrophic injury cases, mass torts, constitutional litigation, and labor and employment matters.
Mitchell is a Senior Counsel in the firm’s Raleigh office. She is a skilled and detail-oriented appellate attorney with extensive judicial clerkship and internship experience. She has worked for judges at every type of court in North Carolina, including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Business Court, and a federal district court. Mitchell focuses her appellate and litigation practice on defending businesses in complex employment, contract, professional liability, and premises liability disputes. Her extensive appellate experience ensures issues are properly preserved at the trial level and effectively argued on appeal if needed.
Learn more about the CAL Executive Board.