What is the difference between a trial lawyer and an appellate lawyer?

A trial lawyer is focused on winning the case happening in front of them right now: examining witnesses, introducing evidence, arguing motions, and persuading a judge or jury. An appellate lawyer works with a different set of tools entirely, the trial record and the applicable law, and asks a different question: if this ruling is challenged later, what will an appellate court actually be able to review, and why should it rule a particular way? Appellate practice is also writing-intensive in a way trial work often isn't, since the appellate brief carries most of the argument's weight.