Court of Common Pleas of Berks County, Pennsylvania Document Format Requirements

CRITICALCivil cases

Format

PDF

Legal papers filed electronically must be in PDF or another format established for electronic filing; the Prothonotary converts hard-copy or nonconforming submissions to the required format.

(b)(1) Authorized Electronic Format of Legal Papers Electronically Filed. All legal papers shall be filed in a portable document format (“pdf”) or other format as may from time to time be established for electronic filing. A paper presented for filing in hard copy or in a format other than the required format shall be converted to the required format and maintained by the Prothonotary in that format pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. No. 205.4(b)(1).

CRITICAL

An oversized documentary exhibit must have a copy reduced to 8-1/2 x 11 inches or smaller entered into the record, though the oversized item may be used for illustration.

If a proponent offers into evidence an exhibit such as a letter, report, drawing, map, photograph, or other document that is larger in size than 8-1/2 x 11 inches, the proponent shall ensure that a copy of the document reduced to 8-1/2 x 11 inches (or smaller) is entered into the record. Items larger than 8-1/2 x 11 inches may be used for illustration during court proceedings.

CRITICALCivil cases

Pleadings and other legal papers must meet the stated paper, size, text, spacing, and policy requirements, but the Prothonotary must accept them despite noncompliance if sufficient information identifies the case.

All pleadings, motions, affidavits and other legal papers presented to the Prothonotary for filing shall conform to the following: (1) The paper shall be white, opaque, unglazed and of good quality. (2) The size of the paper shall be eight and one-half (8½) inches in width and eleven (11) inches in length. (3) All text shall be typewritten or printed. All printed text shall be legible. All typewritten text shall be in ten (10) or twelve (12) pitch and of letter quality. (4) Captions, titles, citations to legal authority, footnotes and blocked quotations may be single-spaced, but the main body of the text shall be double-spaced. (5) All filings shall comply with the Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania; Case Records of the Appellate and Trial Courts which can be found at the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts website www.pacourts.us as well as on the Berks County Court website www.co.berks.pa.us and with Berks County Rule of Judicial Administration 510. The Prothonotary shall accept a party’s pleadings, motions, affidavits and other legal papers for filing without regard to that party’s failure to comply with any of the above requirements, as long as sufficient information is provided for the Prothonotary to identify the case to which the pleadings, motions, affidavits and other legal papers apply.

CRITICALCivil cases

Margins

top 1 in, bottom 1 in, left 1 in, right 1 in

Briefs must use 8½-by-11-inch paper, double-spaced text, and margins of at least one inch, subject to the stated spacing exceptions; no text may appear in the margins.

(b) Paper Size, Line Spacing and Margins. The brief must be on eight and one-half (8½) by eleven (11) inch paper. The text must be double-spaced, but quotations more than two lines may be indented and single-spaced. Headings and footnotes may be single-spaced. Margins must be at least one inch on all four sides. Page numbers may be placed in the margins, but no text may appear there.

CRITICAL

Required notices must be written and properly served, unless the court permits oral notice at bar and the notice is recorded as directed.

Every required notice shall be in writing and shall be effective only upon proper service being made thereof, except for oral notice permitted by the court to be given at bar and a minute thereof made by the prothonotary or clerk of courts, or noted by a court stenographer in notes of the proceeding as may be directed by the court.

CRITICALCriminal cases

Except for motions made orally during a trial or hearing, motions, petitions, and applications must be written and include the specified caption, presenter’s name, and a Commonwealth address for service.

Except for motions made orally during a trial or hearing, all motions, petitions and applications shall be written, shall contain a caption setting forth the name of the court, the number of the action, nature of the proceeding and names of the parties, and the motion, petition or application shall contain the name of counsel presenting the motion, petition or application, and if there is no counsel of record, the name of the party making the pro se motion, petition or application, with the name of such counsel or party without counsel endorsed thereon together with an address within the Commonwealth at which papers may be served.

CRITICALCivil cases

Brief text must be typewritten or printed; printed text must be legible, and typewritten text must be 10- or 12-pitch and letter quality.

(c) Text Size and Format. All text shall be typewritten or printed. All printed text shall be legible. All typewritten text shall be in ten (10) or twelve (12) pitch and of letter quality.

CRITICAL

A reduced copy of an oversized exhibit must be clear and capable of further reproduction or transfer to digital media in a Court-acceptable format.

A proponent who provides a reduced copy of an oversized exhibit shall ensure that the reproduced document is clear and capable of further reproduction or transfer to digital media in a format acceptable to the Court.

CRITICAL

A deposition offered via digital media must use a Court-acceptable format, be marked as an exhibit, and be accompanied by a transcript also marked as an exhibit.

If a proponent offers into evidence a deposition of a witness via digital media, the digital media shall be a format acceptable to the Court and shall be marked as an exhibit. The submission of the same must be accompanied by a transcript of the deposition which shall also be marked as an exhibit.

CRITICAL

When offering a non-documentary exhibit, the proponent must enter a photograph no larger than 8-1/2 x 11 inches into the record instead of the exhibit.

If a proponent offers into evidence a non-documentary exhibit, the proponent shall ensure that a photograph (no larger in size than 8-1/2 x 11 inches) of the exhibit is entered into the record in lieu of the non-documentary exhibit.

WARNINGCivil cases

The Divorce Master’s report papers must be submitted in the stated top-to-bottom order, with relevant papers ordered chronologically and the most current on top.

The papers shall be submitted in the following order from top to bottom: (1) Decree Recommended (2) Index (3) Divorce Master’s Report (4) Copy of Docket Entries (5) Consents and other relevant papers in chronological order according to filing date with the most current on top (including non-military affidavit where required).

WARNING

Each paper filed in a legal proceeding must be written in ink, typewritten, or printed.

(1) be written in ink, typewritten or printed;

WARNING

Format

PDF

Electronic transcripts must follow the specified paper-transcript standards and be PDFs with content changes disabled and search, select, copy, paste, and print enabled.

(B) Electronic transcripts shall comply with the format standards set forth in Rule 4010(A)(3) through (10) for paper transcripts and, in addition, shall be in PDF format with the following settings: (1) functions disabled: content changes; and (2) functions enabled: search, select, copy, paste, and print.

WARNING

Paper transcripts, except orders dictated from the bench, must follow the stated page, line, margin, and transcript-layout requirements.

(A) All paper transcripts except orders dictated from the bench are prepared as follows: (1) No fewer than 25 typed lines on standard 8½” x 11” paper; (2) No fewer than nine or ten characters to the typed inch; (3) Left-hand margin to be set at no more than 1¾”; (4) Right-hand margin to be set at no more than 3/8”’ (5) Each question and answer to begin on a separate line; (6) Each question and answer to begin no more than five spaces from the left-hand margin with no more than five spaces from the Q and A to the text; (7) Carry-over Q and A lines to begin at the left-hand margin; (8) Colloquy material to begin no more than 15 spaces from the left-hand margin, with carry-over colloquy to the left-hand margin; (9) Quoted material to begin no more than 15 spaces from the left-hand margin, with carry-over lines to begin no more than 10 spaces from the left-hand margin; (10) Parentheticals and exhibit markings to begin no more than 15 spaces from the left- hand margin, with carry-over lines to begin no more than 15 spaces from the left-hand margin.

WARNINGCivil cases

The appendixes must be substantially in the form provided on the Court's website.

The appendixes shall be substantially in the form provided on the Court’s website www.co.berks.pa.us .

WARNINGCivil cases

An order for alimony payments through the DRS must be substantially in the form available through the DRS.

The order for alimony payments through the DRS shall be in substantially the same form as is available through the DRS.

WARNINGCivil cases

Attorney signatures should follow the listed format, including the attorney’s name, Supreme Court ID, representation, firm, and contact details.

The correct format for an attorney signature is as follows: /s/ ATTORNEY NAME PA Supreme Court ID # Attorney for (Plaintiff/Defendant) XYZ Corporation ABC Law Firm ADDRESS TELEPHONE NUMBER E-MAIL ADDRESS FAX NUMBER

INFOCivil cases

Applications for approval of sureties are preferably submitted on forms provided by the Clerk.

applications for the approval of sureties, preferably on forms provided by the Clerk