Attorneys who practice in the Pennsylvania state appellate courts have recently had to adjust to a considerable reduction in the maximum permissible length of appellate briefs. Under the old rules, the maximum length of a party’s principal brief was 70 pages of 12-point type, which translated to approximately 17,500 words, assuming an average of 250 words of text per page. Under the new rules, which are now in effect, a party’s principal brief is limited to only 14,000 words in 14-point type. The reduction in size of principal briefs from the old rule to the new was 20 percent.
Perhaps the reduction in appellate brief length is becoming something of a trend. Last month, the federal court system announced a series of proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that, if approved, would take effect Dec. 1, 2016. Although that date may seem far off in the future, time surely does fly while you are writing appellate briefs and arguing appeals.
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