California appeal brief requirements

Format, length, required sections and appendix rules — and a brief formatted to them for $299.

In California, most appeals are decided by the Court of Appeal of the State of California, and the Supreme Court of California is the court of last resort. Each court has its own rules for how a brief must look and what it must contain.

At a glance

Court	Type	Margins	Opening brief	Reply	Appendix
Court of Appeal of the State of California	Century Schoolbook 13 pt, 1.5-spaced	Margins: top 1", right 1.5", bottom 1", left 1.5"	14,000 words	14,000 words	Appellant's Appendix · 1 AA 12
Supreme Court of California	Century Schoolbook 13 pt, 1.5-spaced	Margins: top 1", right 1.5", bottom 1", left 1.5"	14,000 words	8,400 words	None (record from Court of Appeal) · 1 AA 12

Rules profiles reviewed September 2026. Court rules change — confirm the current rules with the clerk.

Required parts of the brief, court by court

Court of Appeal of the State of California

Intermediate appellate court — hears appeals from superior Court civil and criminal (non-death) judgments and appealable orders

CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED ENTITIES OR PERSONS · TABLE OF CONTENTS · TABLE OF AUTHORITIES · INTRODUCTION · STATEMENT OF THE CASE · STATEMENT OF APPEALABILITY · STATEMENT OF FACTS · ARGUMENT · CONCLUSION · CERTIFICATE OF WORD COUNT · PROOF OF SERVICE

Full rules Format my brief for this court

Supreme Court of California

Court of last resort — hears appeals from review of Court of Appeal decisions (petition for review); automatic death-penalty appeals

TABLE OF CONTENTS · TABLE OF AUTHORITIES · ISSUE(S) PRESENTED · INTRODUCTION · STATEMENT OF THE CASE · ARGUMENT · CONCLUSION · CERTIFICATE OF WORD COUNT · PROOF OF SERVICE

Full rules Format my brief for this court

Questions

What are the brief format requirements in the Court of Appeal of the State of California?

Century Schoolbook 13 pt, 1.5-spaced; margins: top 1", right 1.5", bottom 1", left 1.5"; opening brief limit 14,000 words.

Does the Court of Appeal of the State of California require an appendix?

Appellant's Appendix: optional.

How long can a brief be in the Supreme Court of California?

Opening brief: 14,000 words; reply brief: 8,400 words.

Can AppealDraft format my California appeal brief?

Yes. Upload your draft and record documents, choose the court, and pay once ($299). You get the brief and appendix in Word and PDF, formatted to that court’s rules.

Have a draft for a California appeal?

Upload it with your record documents. We put it in the court’s required form and build the appendix — Word and PDF, $299.

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