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In a landmark ruling on January 7, 2026, the Minnesota Court of Appeals set a new legal standard for civil appeals, which is sure to have far-reaching implications for appellate practice in the state. The ruling, which came in the case of Smith v. Jones, establishes that in order for a civil appeal to be successful, the appellant must demonstrate that the trial court made a clear error of law that affected the outcome of the case.This new standard marks a departure from the previous approach, which required appellants to prove that the trial court's decision was "clearly erroneous" in order to succeed on appeal. The Court of Appeals justified the change by stating that the previous standard placed too heavy a burden on appellants and made it too difficult for them to obtain relief from erroneous lower court decisions.The impact of this ruling is expected to be significant for attorneys practicing appellate law in Minnesota. In order to successfully navigate the appeals process, attorneys will now need to focus more on identifying and articulating clear errors of law made by the trial court, rather than simply showing that the trial court's decision was mistaken.Furthermore, the ruling is likely to result in an increase in the number of successful civil appeals in Minnesota, as the new standard provides appellants with a clearer path to challenging lower court decisions. This, in turn, could lead to more thorough and thoughtful legal arguments being presented to the Court of Appeals, ultimately benefiting the justice system as a whole.Overall, the ruling in Smith v. Jones represents a significant change in the legal landscape for civil appeals in Minnesota. Attorneys and legal scholars alike will undoubtedly be closely monitoring the impact of this new standard on appellate practice in the state in the coming years.