On the Desirability of Appellate Courts

In this paper we analyze the necessity of an appeals process in private-civil litigation from the point of view of potential litigants. Our main concern is the question of whether the existence of an appeals system is to the benefit of potential litigants or if they would be better off in a system in which appeals are not possible. Our main observation is that it is unnecessary to enable appeals in all civil litigation. Indeed, a judicial system with a built-in appeals process is in many cases less desirable for the parties involved.