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name: notice-of-appeal language: en description: Drafts a Notice of Appeal to initiate appellate review of a trial court judgment or order in US federal and state courts. Use when filing a notice of appeal, commencing appellate review, or preserving appellate jurisdiction after an adverse ruling.

Notice of Appeal

Drafts a jurisdictional Notice of Appeal that invokes appellate review and preserves the appellant's right to challenge a trial court ruling. The notice contains no substantive arguments — it invokes jurisdiction only.

Quick Start

Gather before drafting:

1. Appealable judgment/order — final judgment, FRCP 54(b) partial judgment, 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) interlocutory order, or collateral order
2. Exact docket entry date — date entered on docket (not signed or received)
3. Party names — full legal names with trial designations and appellate designations (appellant/appellee)
4. Case numbers — trial court number; appellate number if assigned
5. Court names — trial court and appellate court
6. Filing deadline — confirmed per deadline table below
7. Attorney info — name, bar number, firm, address, phone, email

Filing Deadlines

Context	Deadline	Authority
Federal civil	30 days from entry	FRAP 4(a)(1)(A)
Federal civil (US party)	60 days from entry	FRAP 4(a)(1)(B)
Federal criminal	14 days from entry	FRAP 4(b)(1)(A)
Post-judgment motion pending	30 or 60 days from disposition, matching party-status deadline	FRAP 4(a)(4)(A), 4(a)(1)(A)-(B)
State courts	Varies — confirm rule	[VERIFY] jurisdiction-specific

Warning: Deadlines are jurisdictional and non-waivable. Confirm before drafting.

Document Template

[APPELLATE COURT NAME]

[PARTY NAME(S)],
    Appellant(s) / [Trial Designation],

  v.                                    Case No. [Trial Court No.]
                                        Appellate Case No. [if assigned]
[PARTY NAME(S)],
    Appellee(s) / [Trial Designation].

                    NOTICE OF APPEAL

[Appellant name], by and through [undersigned counsel / pro se],
hereby appeals to the [Appellate Court Name] from the
[judgment/order — describe with specificity] entered on
[exact entry date] by the [Trial Court Name] in the
above-captioned matter.

[If multiple orders, list each separately:]
1. [Description of order/judgment] entered [date]
2. [Description of order/judgment] entered [date]

Respectfully submitted,

_______________________________
[Attorney Name] (Bar No. [#])
[Firm Name]
[Address]
[Phone]
[Email]
Counsel for Appellant [Party Name]

Date: [Date]

              CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that on [date], a copy of this Notice of Appeal was
served on the following by [method of service]:

[Name, Address of each party/counsel served]

                        _______________________________
                        [Attorney Name]

Completion Checklist

• Dual caption (trial court + appellate court)
• All party names with trial and appellate designations
• Trial court case number (and appellate number if assigned)
• Specific identification of judgment/order appealed
• Exact docket entry date for each order appealed
• Signature block with bar number and full contact info
• Certificate of service with date, method, and recipients
• Jurisdiction-required attachments (cover sheet, docketing statement)

Common Pitfalls

• Wrong date — use docket entry date, never the signing or receipt date
• Substantive arguments — never include reasons for appeal or assignments of error
• Interlocutory appeals — describe the order specifically enough to distinguish from other rulings
• Service gaps — serve all parties and trial court clerk per local rule
• Format noncompliance — check local rules for margins, font, spacing, e-filing requirements, and cover sheets
• Pro se appellants — include appellant's own address and contact info in signature block
• Multiple appellants — name each; a single notice may cover all if local rule permits