Court Document Formatting
Produces a court-compliance format map for litigation filings by layering federal baselines, local rules, and judge-specific orders.
Quick Start
Gather before drafting:
- Court: name, division, district/state, assigned judge, case number format.
- Rules: FRCP or state counterpart + exact local rules version in effect.
- Document class: pleading, motion, brief, reply, notice, or order response.
- Filing channel: paper, CM/ECF, or vendor portal.
- Ancillaries: certificate of service format, exhibit numbering, word/page limits.
Core Workflow
1. Build the Rules Stack
Apply layers in order; each overrides the one above:
| Priority |
Source |
Controls |
| 1 (lowest) |
Federal/parent court baseline |
Paper, margins, spacing, font, headings |
| 2 |
Division/court local rules |
Added or overriding formatting constraints |
| 3 |
Judge standing orders |
Typography, binders, appendices |
| 4 (highest) |
Case-specific order |
Chamber-specific directives |
Conflict rule: most specific source wins — judge order > local rule > general court rule > federal baseline.
2. Apply Base Federal Defaults
| Element |
Default |
| Paper |
8.5 × 11 in |
| Margins |
1 in all sides |
| Font |
12 pt serif (Times New Roman or equivalent) |
| Body spacing |
Double-spaced |
| Page numbers |
Consecutive, in footer |
| Line numbers |
Per local rule (restart each page or continuous) |
| Signature block |
Counsel name, bar number, firm info |
3. Set the Caption
[COURT NAME]
[DISTRICT/COUNTY IDENTIFIER]
[PLAINTIFF],
Plaintiff,
v.
[DEFENDANT],
Defendant.
Case No. [COURT-SPECIFIC FORMAT]
[DOCUMENT TITLE]
4. Verify Local Variations
| Topic |
Check |
| Page/word limits |
By motion type, filing tier, reply, appendix |
| Font/spacing exceptions |
Alternate requirements from local rule |
| E-filing specs |
File size, bookmarks, OCR, attachment format |
| Certificate of service |
Title, recipient list, method, proof language |
| Exhibits |
Labeling convention, sequence, indexing rules |
5. Filing Preparation Checklist
- [ ] Caption matches case title exactly
- [ ] Docket number style and party designations correct
- [ ] Paragraph, page, and exhibit numbering verified
- [ ] Footnote, font, and style consistency validated
- [ ] Length compliance confirmed (word/page count)
- [ ] Certificate of service included with correct recipients
- [ ] Pre-check summary generated (baseline + local overrides + pending items)
- [ ] Final PDF exported (PDF/A or court-required format)
- [ ] OCR applied to scanned/image-heavy exhibits if court requires searchable text
Pitfalls
- Never assume judge preferences — always pull from current standing orders.
- Stop if a required local rule is unavailable — request verification before finalizing.
- Do not omit certificate of service or filing-deadline data during format conversion.
- Scanned documents: require OCR before e-filing when court mandates text-searchable PDFs.
- Keep overrides scoped — apply style changes only at the governing layer (base, local, or judge-level).
Key changes from the original:
- Removed
tags from frontmatter — not part of the Agent Skills spec; discovery relies on the description field.
- Tightened description — same triggers and scope, fewer tokens.
- Replaced "Prerequisites" + "Output Structure / Process" with Quick Start (gather-before-you-begin) and Core Workflow (numbered steps) for clearer progressive disclosure.
- Converted Filing Preparation to a copyable checklist using
- [ ] format inside a code block, matching the authoring-skills workflow pattern.
- Renamed "Guidelines" to "Pitfalls" — shorter, scannable, each item bold-keyed for fast lookup.
- Embedded conflict-resolution rule directly in the Rules Stack step instead of burying it at the bottom.
- Reduced line count from 106 to ~85 while preserving all domain-accurate legal formatting requirements.
1---2name: court-document-formatting3description: Builds a filing-ready formatting blueprint for U.S. litigation pleadings, motions, and briefs by applying caption, spacing, pagination, certificate, and e-filing requirements with court-specific local-rule overrides. Use when preparing court documents, checking filing compliance, generating exhibit packages, or converting drafts for e-filing. Triggers: court filing format, caption, page limits, line numbers, service certificate, PDF/A, local rules, judge instructions.4---56# Court Document Formatting78Produces a court-compliance format map for litigation filings by layering federal baselines, local rules, and judge-specific orders.910## Quick Start1112Gather before drafting:13141. **Court**: name, division, district/state, assigned judge, case number format.152. **Rules**: FRCP or state counterpart + exact local rules version in effect.163. **Document class**: pleading, motion, brief, reply, notice, or order response.174. **Filing channel**: paper, CM/ECF, or vendor portal.185. **Ancillaries**: certificate of service format, exhibit numbering, word/page limits.1920## Core Workflow2122### 1. Build the Rules Stack2324Apply layers in order; each overrides the one above:2526| Priority | Source | Controls |27|---|---|---|28| 1 (lowest) | Federal/parent court baseline | Paper, margins, spacing, font, headings |29| 2 | Division/court local rules | Added or overriding formatting constraints |30| 3 | Judge standing orders | Typography, binders, appendices |31| 4 (highest) | Case-specific order | Chamber-specific directives |3233**Conflict rule**: most specific source wins — judge order > local rule > general court rule > federal baseline.3435### 2. Apply Base Federal Defaults3637| Element | Default |38|---|---|39| Paper | 8.5 × 11 in |40| Margins | 1 in all sides |41| Font | 12 pt serif (Times New Roman or equivalent) |42| Body spacing | Double-spaced |43| Page numbers | Consecutive, in footer |44| Line numbers | Per local rule (restart each page or continuous) |45| Signature block | Counsel name, bar number, firm info |4647### 3. Set the Caption4849```text50[COURT NAME]51[DISTRICT/COUNTY IDENTIFIER]5253[PLAINTIFF],54 Plaintiff,55v.56[DEFENDANT],57 Defendant.5859Case No. [COURT-SPECIFIC FORMAT]60[DOCUMENT TITLE]61```6263### 4. Verify Local Variations6465| Topic | Check |66|---|---|67| Page/word limits | By motion type, filing tier, reply, appendix |68| Font/spacing exceptions | Alternate requirements from local rule |69| E-filing specs | File size, bookmarks, OCR, attachment format |70| Certificate of service | Title, recipient list, method, proof language |71| Exhibits | Labeling convention, sequence, indexing rules |7273### 5. Filing Preparation Checklist7475```76- [ ] Caption matches case title exactly77- [ ] Docket number style and party designations correct78- [ ] Paragraph, page, and exhibit numbering verified79- [ ] Footnote, font, and style consistency validated80- [ ] Length compliance confirmed (word/page count)81- [ ] Certificate of service included with correct recipients82- [ ] Pre-check summary generated (baseline + local overrides + pending items)83- [ ] Final PDF exported (PDF/A or court-required format)84- [ ] OCR applied to scanned/image-heavy exhibits if court requires searchable text85```8687## Pitfalls8889- **Never assume judge preferences** — always pull from current standing orders.90- **Stop if a required local rule is unavailable** — request verification before finalizing.91- **Do not omit certificate of service** or filing-deadline data during format conversion.92- **Scanned documents**: require OCR before e-filing when court mandates text-searchable PDFs.93- **Keep overrides scoped** — apply style changes only at the governing layer (base, local, or judge-level).9495---9697Key changes from the original:9899- **Removed `tags` from frontmatter** — not part of the Agent Skills spec; discovery relies on the `description` field.100- **Tightened description** — same triggers and scope, fewer tokens.101- **Replaced "Prerequisites" + "Output Structure / Process"** with **Quick Start** (gather-before-you-begin) and **Core Workflow** (numbered steps) for clearer progressive disclosure.102- **Converted Filing Preparation to a copyable checklist** using `- [ ]` format inside a code block, matching the authoring-skills workflow pattern.103- **Renamed "Guidelines" to "Pitfalls"** — shorter, scannable, each item bold-keyed for fast lookup.104- **Embedded conflict-resolution rule** directly in the Rules Stack step instead of burying it at the bottom.105- **Reduced line count** from 106 to ~85 while preserving all domain-accurate legal formatting requirements.
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