Court Filing Checklist

Lock in jurisdiction and division before drafting — federal district vs. state trial court vs. appellate, and the specific judge's chambers. Local rules and font/margin requirements diverge sharply across courts; getting this wrong cascades into reformatting at the deadline.

Pull the local rules and the judge's standing order. Common gotchas: 14-point Times in some federal districts vs. 12-point in others, double-spacing requirements, word-count vs. page-count limits, and footnote font-size restrictions. Word-count certifications are a frequent miss.

Run the brief through a Bluebook or ALWD citation pass. Verify pin cites, parallel citations where required, and short-form usage after the first full cite. A second reader catches what the drafter no longer sees.

Signature must show the attorney of record's name, bar number, firm address, phone, and email per local rule. Pro hac vice attorneys need their admission order referenced. /s/ electronic signatures only valid where the local rule permits.

Cross-check the case number against PACER or the state docket — not against an old draft. Caption must match the most recent court order; amended complaints often re-style the parties and old captions linger in the firm's templates.

Plaintiff/Defendant, Petitioner/Respondent, Appellant/Appellee — designations flip on appeal and in cross-motions. Verify entity names against the corporate filing (Inc. vs. LLC vs. Corp.) and individual spellings against the engagement letter.

Brief, proposed order, declaration, and exhibits must all carry the identical caption. Mismatches between the brief caption and the proposed order are a common clerk rejection.

Enter the deadline in CalendarRules or Court Drive plus the responsible attorney's Outlook plus a paper docket card. Many courts treat midnight local-court time as the cutoff — not midnight in the firm's time zone. Account for FRCP 6(a) day-counting rules.

Pull the current service list from the docket — counsel of record changes, and pro se parties require physical service. Confirm email addresses for ECF service still match the appearance.

Pro se parties typically don't receive ECF notifications. Print, package, and mail (certified or first-class per local rule) on the same day as filing. Save the certified-mail receipt for the certificate of service.

List every served party, the method of service (ECF, email, certified mail, hand delivery), and the date served. Attach to the back of the filing or file separately per the local rule.

Use the firm's exhibit convention (Exhibit A, B, C or 1, 2, 3) consistently with the brief's references. Stamp Bates numbers if the exhibits include produced documents — judges expect the production cite to be traceable.

Index lists each exhibit letter/number, a one-line description, and the page where it is first cited. Some districts require the index as the first page of the exhibit packet; others require a separate filing.

Redact SSNs, minor names, financial account numbers, and medical records per FRCP 5.2 and the local sealing order. Flatten redactions in Adobe — black highlights without flattening are still readable and have caused sanctionable disclosures.

If the filing contains material designated confidential under a protective order, file a motion to seal contemporaneously. Most districts require both a redacted public version and an unredacted sealed version uploaded to a separate ECF event.

Look up the current fee schedule for the specific court — federal civil filing fees, removal fees, notice of appeal fees, and pro hac vice fees all differ. Treat advance costs as a client cost: bill from operating, not trust, unless the engagement letter directs otherwise.

Federal CM/ECF takes pay.gov credit card; some state portals require ACH; in-person clerks may not accept credit cards over a threshold. Confirm before the deadline night.

For indigent clients, prepare the IFP application with the required affidavit of financial status. The court must rule on IFP before the filing is accepted; build in lead time so a denial doesn't push past the deadline.

Responsible attorney reviews the final PDF — brief, exhibits, proposed order, certificate of service — as the package the court will see. No further edits after this sign-off; any change requires a re-review.

Build a 4-hour buffer before the midnight cutoff. Portal outages, file-size rejections (PACER caps at 35MB per PDF), and bad ECF event selections all cost time. Select the correct ECF event — wrong event can require a clerk-corrected refile.

Download the NEF (federal) or stamped-filed copy (state) and save it to the matter's DMS folder under a clear naming convention. The NEF is the proof of timely filing — if the court later disputes the filing date, this is the only authoritative record.

Once filed, calendar the opposing party's response deadline and the firm's reply deadline. Apply local-rule day counting (FRCP 6(a) excludes the filing day; some state rules don't). Tickler the responsible attorney 7 and 3 days before the reply due date.