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Cert Petition

Draft Supreme Court Cert Petitions in Minutes, Not Hours

15 minutes with Para

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Para is an AI colleague for legal teams. Send it this work by email, Teams or Slack, and it hands back the finished document.

15 minutes with Para

What you'll need

  • Lower Court Opinions and Orders
  • Key Record Materials
  • Conflicting Authorities

Plans from $20 a month, with usage included.

Workflow

Overview

CaseMark's Cert Petition Drafter uses AI to produce fully structured Petitions for Writ of Certiorari compliant with Supreme Court Rules 10, 13, 14, and 33. It analyzes lower court decisions and conflicting authorities to identify compelling grounds for discretionary review, drafts precisely framed questions presented, and assembles every required section in proper order.

Drafting a Petition for Writ of Certiorari is among the most demanding tasks in appellate practice. Attorneys must navigate exacting formatting rules, verify jurisdictional prerequisites, calculate strict filing deadlines, and craft persuasive arguments for why the Supreme Court should grant discretionary review — all while synthesizing complex records and identifying circuit splits across multiple jurisdictions.

CaseMark automates the structural and analytical heavy lifting of cert petition drafting. By ingesting lower court opinions and conflicting authorities, the AI identifies Rule 10 grounds for review, verifies jurisdiction under §§ 1254 and 1257, calculates Rule 13 deadlines, and produces a complete petition draft with every required section in proper order — letting attorneys focus on refining strategy and persuasive advocacy.

How to hand this to Para

  1. 1. Send Para the files

    Email them, drop them in a Teams or Slack message, or upload them.

  2. 2. Para runs the Cert Petition skill

    It works from your files and checks its citations against the record.

  3. 3. The finished document comes back

    Para returns it where you asked, usually as a DOCX, and offers the next step.

Example request · email, Teams or Slack
Para, run the Cert Petition skill for the Garcia matter. I've attached the Lower Court Opinions and Orders, Key Record Materials and Conflicting Authorities. Send the finished draft back here as a DOCX.

What Para does

  1. 1. Upload lower court opinions, record materials, and any conflicting authorities from other circuits
  2. 2. AI analyzes jurisdictional basis, calculates filing deadlines, and identifies Rule 10 grounds for review
  3. 3. Review the drafted petition including questions presented, statement of the case, and reasons for granting the writ
  4. 4. Export the complete cert petition in your preferred format (DOCX, PDF) ready for booklet formatting

What you get

  • Cover Page with Caption and Counsel Information

  • Questions Presented

  • Parties and Corporate Disclosure Statement

  • Table of Contents and Table of Authorities

  • Constitutional and Statutory Provisions

  • Statement of the Case with Procedural History and Facts

  • Reasons for Granting the Writ with Rule 10 Analysis

  • Appendix Assembly Guide

What it handles

  • Automatic Rule 14 document structure with proper section ordering

  • Rule 10 analysis identifying circuit splits, precedent conflicts, and important federal questions

  • Jurisdictional verification under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1254 and 1257 with timeliness calculation

  • Questions Presented drafting in single-sentence, yes/no-answerable format

  • Vehicle suitability assessment for clean procedural posture

  • Appendix assembly guidance in reverse chronological order

Required documents

  • Lower Court Opinions and Orders

    All decisions from the court below, including any rehearing orders or denial of rehearing

    .pdf, .docx

  • Key Record Materials

    Relevant pleadings, motions, and evidentiary materials for the appendix and statement of the case

    .pdf, .docx

  • Conflicting Authorities

    Decisions from other circuits or state courts demonstrating a split on the legal question at issue

    .pdf, .docx

Supporting documents

  • Governing Legal Provisions

    Constitutional, statutory, or regulatory text central to the questions presented

    .pdf, .docx

  • Procedural Timeline Summary

    Summary of key dates including judgment, rehearing denial, and any extension orders

    .pdf, .docx

Why teams use it

Eliminates hours of manual formatting by auto-generating Rule 14 compliant document structure

Strengthens petitions with systematic Rule 10 analysis identifying circuit splits and precedent conflicts

Reduces risk of procedural dismissal through automatic jurisdictional and timeliness verification

Produces precisely framed questions presented that follow Supreme Court drafting conventions

Questions

Does this tool ensure compliance with Supreme Court formatting rules?

Yes. CaseMark structures the petition according to Rule 14's required document order and flags Rule 33 booklet formatting requirements. The output follows the exact section sequence mandated by the Supreme Court, including cover page specifications, tables, and appendix organization.

How does the AI identify grounds for certiorari under Rule 10?

CaseMark analyzes your uploaded lower court opinions and conflicting authorities to identify circuit splits, conflicts with Supreme Court precedent, and important federal questions. It frames these grounds persuasively within the Reasons for Granting the Writ section.

Can CaseMark calculate my Rule 13 filing deadline?

Yes. Based on the judgment date and any rehearing denial dates you provide, CaseMark calculates the 90-day filing deadline under Rule 13 and flags any timeliness concerns, including whether an extension may be needed.

Does the tool draft the Questions Presented?

CaseMark generates 1–3 questions presented in the proper single-sentence format, framed around the legal principle at issue and structured to be answerable yes or no, as Supreme Court practice requires.

What if my case involves a state court rather than a federal circuit?

CaseMark handles both § 1254 (federal courts of appeals) and § 1257 (state courts of last resort) jurisdictional bases. It verifies the appropriate statutory authority and adjusts the jurisdictional statement accordingly.

Can I use this for amicus-supported cert petitions?

CaseMark focuses on drafting the petition itself. While it does not generate separate amicus briefs, the Rule 10 analysis and questions presented it produces provide a strong foundation that amicus counsel can reference and support.

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