I lifted roughly a page and a half from a recent appellate brief. Statutory citations: How many words is a cite to “§123.23(A)(1)(i)(a)”? Is it just one long word, or is it five very short words? Record citations: Is a record citation like “4.RR.124-25” one word or two or three or four?
Numerals: Does a pinpoint cite to a span of pages (e.g., “123-25”) count as one word or two? Legal citations: Is “S.W.3d” one word or two? Phrasal adjectives: Is “summary-judgment motion” two words or three?.Word processors disagree about the mathĪlthough your favorite word processor will give you a “word count,” do you know what it is counting? This post explains my thinking - and may make you reconsider your word-processor allegiances. The comment I left suggested that your certificate specify the word processor that you used to generate the document (and thus the count). You’ve no doubt noticed the new word-count limits applicable in Texas appellate courts.Īt his blog, Todd Smith has collected some examples from practitioners about how to phrase the word-count certificate of compliance.
