A few years ago I wrote an article titled,” Five Tips for Handling an Appeal in the Alabama Supreme Court.”    Of course, these “tips” are not limited to appeals is that particular appellate court.  The first tip was: The Appellate Process Begins in the Trial Court Before an Appeal is Ever Filed. Lawyers with their cases in the trial court generally focus on making sure they present the legal arguments to support their claims.  That is certainly necessary.  However, I believe the first step in the appellate process is creating the lower court record that will later be available on appeal.  The best legal arguments and supporting case law are worthless on appeal unless the facts necessary to support them are present in…