Part 84 · Procedure in All Appellate Courts

Rule 84.06. Form of Briefs

Amended January 1, 2024 (current)

(a) Size – Type – Form. A brief shall conform to Rule 84.03 (b) in addition to the requirements of this Rule.

(b) Length. Except as provided by local court rules, the length of briefs shall be as follows: Appellant's initial brief and all briefs in a cross appeal except the reply brief shall not exceed 31,000 words. Respondent's brief shall not exceed 27,900 words; Appellant's reply brief shall not exceed 7,750 words. All material contained in the brief except the cover, any certificate required by Rule 84.06(c), signature block, and appendix count toward the word limitations.

(c) Certification. A brief submitted under this Rule 84.06 shall contain a certificate of compliance by the lawyer or self-represented person that:

(1) Includes the information required by Rule 55.03;

(2) Includes information as to how the brief was served on the opposing party, whether pursuant to Rule 43.01 (c) or Rule 103.08;

(3) States that the brief complies with the limitations contained in Rule 84.06 (b) ; and (4) States the number of words in the brief.The person preparing the certificate may rely on the word count of the word-processing system used to prepare the brief.