A legal appeal is a process where a person or party who is dissatisfied with a court's decision asks a higher court to review and change that decision. This can happen in various types of cases, including criminal and civil matters. The appeal focuses on whether the law was applied correctly, rather than re-examining the facts of the case. During an appeal, the higher court, often called an appellate court, examines the records from the original trial and listens to arguments from both sides. The court may uphold the original decision, reverse it, or send the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.