Former New South Wales Labor minister Eddie Obeid has lost an appeal against his conviction for misconduct in public office.

Mr Obeid was jailed for lobbying a public servant over cafe leases at Circular Quay without disclosing his own family's financial interest in them.

He lodged a 13-point appeal against his conviction and sentence, which included criticism of a legal team he sacked.

He attempted to argue that there was a miscarriage of justice because the case should never have gone to trial.

The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal granted Mr Obeid leave to appeal, but then dismissed the appeal.

Mr Obeid’s lawyer Guy Reynolds SC argued that the original jury was incorrectly told Mr Obeid had a “legal duty” to act in a certain way as a public official.

Mr Reynolds argued Obeid had no “duty of law” to do so.

In his original sentencing, Justice Robert Beech-Jones described Mr Obeid’s crime as “the most serious instance of official corruption”.

“He intentionally abused the public trust reposed on him as a member of the legislative council of NSW,” he said.