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ARTICLE · 13 APRIL 2013

Significant Pennsylvania Rules Change Requires Bigger Type And Much Shorter Briefs

On March 27, 2013, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania promulgated a set of significant rule changes that will affect everyone who practices in a Pennsylvania appellate court.

United StatesLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration

On March 27, 2013, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania promulgated a set of significant rule changes that will affect everyone who practices in a Pennsylvania appellate court. The new amendments require that briefs and some similar documents be much shorter than the rules now allow, and they mandate changes in the appearance of all appellate documents. They apply to all cases filed in an appellate court on or after May 26, 2013, but lawyers may begin complying with them now.

The Appearance Changes

The amendments change the size of the type that must be used in appellate documents. Under present Appellate Rule 124(a)(4), lettering in a document filed in an appellate court must be "no smaller than point 12." Under the amendments, lettering must be "no smaller than 14 point in the text and 12 point in footnotes." The change is intended to make documents more readable by making the type larger:

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