---

name: appellate-formatting-certification language: en description: Generates appellate-brief TOC, TOA, and Certificate of Compliance with defensible word-count methodology. Triggers on TOC/TOA rebuilds, certificate of compliance drafting, FRAP 32(g) compliance, word-count certification, or final brief formatting before filing. tags:

• analysis
• brief
• drafting
• litigation

---

Appellate TOC/TOA and Compliance Certificate

Produce filing-ready Table of Contents, Table of Authorities, and Certificate of Compliance tied to the final paginated brief and governing rules.

Quick Start

Gather before drafting:

Input	Required	If missing
Court and brief type	Yes	Ask before drafting
Final paginated PDF	Preferred	Use [__] placeholders; label DRAFT
Word processor word count	Yes	Insert placeholder; require attorney count
Excluded sections list	Yes	Require rule text; never assume
Local rules / standing orders	Yes	Request rule text or cite with [VERIFY]

Rule Anchors

Verify all cites against current rules before drafting.

Forum	Core anchors
Federal courts of appeals	FRAP 28, 32(a)(5)–(7), 32(f), 32(g) [VERIFY]
State appellate courts	State rule text only [VERIFY]
U.S. Supreme Court	Sup. Ct. R. 33, 34, 33.1(g), 33.2 [VERIFY]

Core Workflow

1. Confirm rules — Identify governing rules and any court order modifying limits.
2. Build heading map — Extract headings from brief; preserve exact text, capitalization, numbering.
3. Generate TOC — Map headings to final page numbers. If unpaginated, use [__] and label DRAFT - PAGE NUMBERS TBD. Include all forum-required sections (certificates, required statements). Use Roman/Arabic numbering only if the forum does so.
4. Generate TOA — Extract all citations from the brief (including footnotes) and sort by category:
   • Cases — alphabetical by first party name
   • Constitutional Provisions — jurisdiction then provision
   • Statutes — code then section
   • Rules — rule number
   • Other Authorities — alphabetical by author/title
5. Compute word count — Document total words, excluded sections (with rule cite), excluded words, and net count.
6. Draft certificate — Tie language to confirmed rules. Template:

Pursuant to [Rule cite] [VERIFY], I certify that this brief complies with the type-volume limitation of [Rule cite] [VERIFY] because it contains [____] words, excluding the parts exempted by [Rule cite] [VERIFY].

This brief complies with the typeface and type-style requirements of [Rule cite] [VERIFY] because it has been prepared in a proportionally spaced typeface using [Software] in [Font Size]-point [Font Name].

7. Final QC — Run the checklist below against the final PDF.

Final QC Checklist

• TOC headings match brief verbatim
• TOC page numbers match final PDF
• TOA entries match brief citations; page references correct
• Word count matches source document used for PDF
• Certificate cites correct rule, states actual method and software
• If within 2% of limit, flag for trimming or motion for leave

Pitfalls and Checks

• Never fabricate page numbers, word counts, or citations.
• Never certify compliance without a confirmed count and formatting specs.
• TOA integrity — Do not add or fix citations absent from the brief. Flag incomplete citations for attorney review. Avoid "passim" unless forum permits.
• "Rule 37 certificate" requests — Ask for the exact order or rule basis; FRAP 37 is substantive amicus interest relief, not a formatting certificate [VERIFY].
• State / Supreme Court filings — Require exact rule text or insert [VERIFY] placeholders.
• Attorney review required — All counts, citations, and certificates must be independently verified before filing.
• Confidentiality — Exclude sealed or sensitive data unless explicitly authorized.