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Appellate Formatting

Format Appellate Briefs for Filing in Minutes

10 minutes with CaseMark

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Upload your documents and get a finished work product in minutes. New accounts get $5 free to run their first skill.

10 minutes with CaseMark

What you'll need

  • Appellate Brief

SOC 2 Type II · HIPAA compliant · $5 free credit

Workflow

Overview

CaseMark's Appellate Formatting skill automates the most tedious and error-prone parts of preparing an appellate brief for filing. It generates accurate Tables of Contents, Tables of Authorities, and Certificates of Compliance under FRAP 32(g) and equivalent state and Supreme Court rules. Built-in anti-hallucination safeguards ensure that every page number and citation is either verified from your document or clearly marked for manual review.

Building Tables of Contents, Tables of Authorities, and Certificates of Compliance by hand is one of the most time-consuming and error-prone tasks in appellate practice. A single mismatched page number or incorrect word count can delay filing or undermine credibility with the court. Associates and paralegals often spend hours cross-referencing headings, cataloging citations, and manually calculating exclusions under complex type-volume rules.

CaseMark automates the entire appellate formatting workflow — from heading extraction and authority cataloging to compliant certificate generation — in minutes instead of hours. Its anti-hallucination design uses transparent placeholders wherever verification is needed, so you can trust the output while retaining full control over the final product. The result is faster, more accurate filings across any federal circuit, state appellate court, or the U.S. Supreme Court.

How it works

  1. 1. Upload your final or near-final appellate brief along with case metadata

  2. 2. AI analyzes the brief structure, extracts headings, and catalogs all cited authorities

  3. 3. Review the generated TOC, TOA, and Certificate of Compliance with transparent placeholders

  4. 4. Export filing-ready documents in your preferred format (DOCX, PDF)

What you get

  • Table of Contents

  • Table of Authorities

  • Certificate of Compliance

  • Word Count Calculation with Exclusions

  • Formatting Notes and Verification Checklist

What it handles

  • Auto-generated Tables of Contents with heading hierarchy and placeholder page numbers

  • Tables of Authorities organized by case law, statutes, rules, and secondary sources

  • FRAP 32(g) Certificates of Compliance with transparent word-count calculations

  • Support for federal circuits, state appellate courts, and U.S. Supreme Court rules

  • Anti-hallucination guardrails using clear placeholders for unverified page numbers and citations

  • Configurable formatting for font, spacing, margins, and filing method requirements

Required documents

  • Appellate Brief

    The final or near-final draft of the appellate brief to be formatted for filing

    .pdf, .docx

Supporting documents

  • Court Order on Modified Limits

    Any court order granting modified word or page limits for the brief

    .pdf, .docx

  • Local Rules Reference

    Applicable local rules specifying TOA format, hyperlinking, bookmark, or addendum requirements

    .pdf, .docx

Why teams use it

Eliminate hours of manual TOC and TOA assembly by auto-extracting headings and authorities from your brief

Reduce filing rejection risk with rule-specific Certificates of Compliance and transparent word-count breakdowns

Avoid the dangerous problem of hallucinated page numbers through aggressive placeholder guardrails

Support multi-jurisdictional practice with built-in awareness of federal, state, and Supreme Court formatting variations

Questions

Does this tool support courts beyond the federal circuits?

Yes. CaseMark supports FRAP rules for all federal circuits, U.S. Supreme Court Rules 33 and 34, and state appellate court formatting requirements. When state-specific rules differ from FRAP, CaseMark flags those differences rather than assuming federal defaults.

How does CaseMark handle page numbers it can't verify?

CaseMark uses transparent [__] placeholders for any page number or citation it cannot independently verify from the uploaded document. This anti-hallucination approach ensures you never file a brief with fabricated page references — you simply fill in the placeholders during your final review.

Can I trust the word count for my Certificate of Compliance?

CaseMark provides a detailed word-count calculation that shows exactly which sections are included and excluded under the applicable rules. The output clearly labels whether the count is based on your provided figure or an AI estimate, so you can cross-check against your word processor's count before filing.

What if my court has modified length limits or special local rules?

You can specify any court orders modifying standard length limits and any local rule requirements (such as hyperlinking, bookmarks, or addendum formatting) when you upload your brief. CaseMark will adjust the Certificate of Compliance and formatting output accordingly.

Does CaseMark format the Table of Authorities by category?

Yes. CaseMark automatically organizes your Table of Authorities into standard categories — cases, constitutional provisions, statutes, rules, and secondary sources — following the conventions expected by your target court.

Can I use this if my brief is still in draft form?

Absolutely. CaseMark will label all output as 'DRAFT' when working from a non-final brief. This lets you build your TOC, TOA, and compliance materials iteratively as your brief evolves, saving significant time during the final filing push.

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