Ga. Ct. App. R. 24

As amended through April 15, 2024
Rule 24 - Preparation
(a)Limitations.

The parties to the appeal are entitled as of right to file an initial appellant's brief, a responding appellee's brief, and an appellant's reply brief. Supplemental briefs and responses to amicus briefs are only accepted pursuant to the Court's grant of a motion under Rule 27. Amicus curiae briefs conforming to Rule 26 will also be accepted. All counsel are required to efile in accordance with Rule 46, Electronic Filing of Documents. Paper filers need only file the original brief for each docketed appeal.

(b) Signatures, Paper, Spacing, and Certificates of Service.

Briefs shall be filed in conformity with Rule 2(a) and (c), Requirement for Written and Signed Documents, and Rule 6, Copies and Certificate of Service.

(c) Margins.

Writing shall be on only one side of each sheet, with a margin of not less than one inch at the top, sides, and bottom of each page.

(d) Citations to Authority.

All citations to cases shall be by name of the case as well as by volume, page, and year of the Official Report. Cases not yet reported shall be cited by the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court case number and the date of decision.

(e) Pages to be Numbered.

The pages of each brief shall be sequentially numbered with an Arabic numeral at the bottom of each page.

(f) Limitation as to Length.
(1)Electronic Filers.

Except upon written motion filed with the Clerk and approved by the Court, briefs and responsive briefs shall be limited to 8,400 words in civil cases or 14,000 words in criminal cases. Supplemental briefs, emergency motions, motions for reconsideration, appellant's reply briefs, and responses to motions for reconsideration shall be limited to 4,200 words. Each submission must contain the following certification just above the signature block of the submitting attorney: "This submission does not exceed the word count limit imposed by Rule 24." The person signing the certificate may rely on the word count of the word-processing system used to prepare the brief.

(2) Pro Se Submissions or Attorneys Allowed to File Paper Copies.

Except upon written motion filed with the Clerk and approved by the Court, briefs and responsive briefs are limited to 30 pages in civil cases or 50 pages in criminal cases if prepared with a typewriter or hand-written. Supplemental briefs, motions for reconsideration, and appellant's reply briefs shall be limited to 15 pages if prepared with a typewriter or hand-written.

(3) Items Not Considered in Length Limitation.

Tables of contents, tables of citations, cover sheets and certificates of service and of compliance with the word count limit shall not be counted toward the applicable page or word count limit.

(g) Attachments and Exhibits.

Do not attach documents or exhibits to appellate briefs or motions for reconsideration.

(h) Address of Defendant.

Counsel for defendant shall include the address of the defendant in a criminal case on the face of the brief and shall notify the Court of any change of address. Efilers shall submit this information in the eFast system under the filing category "Other" and the filing type "Information."

Ga. Ct. App. 24

Amended effective December 1, 2009; amended November 1, 2012;January 21, 2015; amended effective January 1, 2017; amended February 23, 2017; amended Effective February 17, 2021.