Lake County Court of Common Pleas, General Division Document Format Requirements

CRITICAL

Documents bearing third-party signatures, including unopposed motions, affidavits, and stipulations, may be filed electronically only as scanned images.

(c) THIRD-PARTY SIGNATURES. Documents containing signatures of third-parties (i.e., unopposed motions, affidavits, stipulations, etc.) shall be electronically filed only as a scanned image.

CRITICAL

Document text must use a noncondensed 12-point type style, such as Times New Roman, with no more than 80 characters per line.

Text shall be typed using a 12 point noncondensed type style such as Times New Roman or any type style that has no more than 80 characters to a line of text.

CRITICALCivil cases

Plaintiff exhibits must be marked with numbers, while defendant exhibits must be marked with letters.

The plaintiff shall mark exhibits using numbers and the defendant shall mark exhibits using letters.

CRITICAL

Format

PDF

Electronically filed documents, pleadings, and papers must be submitted to the clerk in PDF, except proposed orders.

All electronically filed documents, pleadings, and papers shall be filed with the clerk in portable document format (PDF) with the exception of proposed orders.

CRITICAL

Each electronically filed document is limited to 10MB, and a single transmission of combined PDF files may not exceed 30MB.

(4) SIZE OF FILING. Documents shall be limited to ten megabytes (10MB) in size. No combination of PDF files in one transmission may accumulate to more than thirty megabytes (30MB) in size.

CRITICAL

Filers must leave a top-left area at least 2.5 inches wide and 0.75 inches high on every page for date and time stamps.

Filers must leave a marginal location at the top left of each page for date and time stamps. This blank space must be no less that 2-1/2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high.

CRITICALCivil cases

All trial documents and exhibits must be marked for identification and accompanied by an index.

All documents and exhibits shall be marked for identification purposes, along with an index

CRITICAL

Format

PDF

Electronically filed pleadings must follow applicable paper-pleading formats to the extent practicable, may be subject to additional court-required formats, cannot be scanned images, must use searchable PDF, and cannot contain external links or unincorporated internal-system references.

All electronically filed pleadings shall, to the extent practicable, be formatted in accordance with the applicable rules governing formatting of paper pleadings, and in any other format as the court may require from time to time. A filed pleading shall not be filed as a scanned image document. Such pleadings shall be filed in a PDF format that permits word searches. A filed document shall not contain links to other documents or references in the court’s case management system, unless they are incorporated into the filed document. External links are prohibited.

CRITICAL

Margins

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

Pleadings, motions, and documents must have one-inch margins and 1.5 line spacing, although footnotes and quotations may be single-spaced.

All pleadings, motions, and documents shall be formatted with 1” margins on all sides, and 1.5 line spacing, except footnotes and quotations, which may be single spaced.

CRITICAL

Electronically filed documents must have a resolution of at least 300 DPI.

(5) RESOLUTION OF FILING. Documents shall be submitted in a resolution not less than 300 dots per inch (DPI).

CRITICAL

Format

DOCX

Proposed orders must be submitted in a supported word-processing format and identify the specific motion to which they apply.

Proposed orders must be submitted in Word [.doc or .docx] or WordPerfect [.wpd] and reference the specific motion to which it applies.

CRITICAL

Format

PAPER

Pleadings and motions must be legibly typewritten on white 8½-by-11-inch paper and bound or stapled at the top or upper-left corner, subject to Civil Rule 5(D).

All pleadings and motions shall be legibly typewritten on white paper, 8½” x 11”, bound or stapled at the top or left upper corner and filed in accordance with the provisions and exceptions set forth in Civil Rule 5(D).

WARNING

The e-filing portal must warn filers that removing document metadata is their responsibility and that remaining metadata may become part of the public record.

(3) The following warning shall be posted on the court’s e-filing portal: “WARNING: Removal of document metadata is the responsibility of the filer. Any document metadata remaining may become part of the public record.”

WARNING

Transcripts must use 8.5-by-11-inch pages, 25 numbered lines per page, specified margins, a 10-characters-per-inch or 12-point Courier typeface, and volumes of no more than 250 approximately equal pages.

(F) All transcripts shall conform to the following specifications: be on an 8.5 x 11 inch page; 25 numbered lines per page excluding a line devoted to the title and page number; with indentations of 1-3/4 inches from the left-hand edge of the page and the right-hand margin 3/4 inch from the right-hand edge; with 10-type characters per inch, or 12 point courier font; bound in volumes of up to 250 pages of approximately equal size.

WARNINGCivil cases

When multiple plaintiffs or defendants offer exhibits, each exhibit number or letter should be preceded by that party's abbreviated name or initials.

If more than one party plaintiff or defendant intends to proffer exhibits, the exhibit numbers or letters should be preceded by the party’s name, in abbreviated form or initials.

WARNINGCivil cases

When multiple plaintiffs or multiple defendants intend to present exhibits, the party’s abbreviated name or initials should precede each exhibit number or letter.

If more than one party plaintiff or defendant intends to proffer exhibits, the exhibit numbers or letters should be preceded by the party's name, in abbreviated form or initials.

WARNING

Pleadings, motions, and documents may not attach nonessential exhibits or appendages, and extraneous material may be stricken.

Pursuant to Lake Co.C.P.R. 3.04(C), pleadings, motions, and documents shall not have attached exhibits or appendages which are not absolutely necessary. Extraneous material will be stricken from the file.

WARNINGCivil cases

Plaintiffs must number their trial exhibits, while defendants must letter their trial exhibits.

The plaintiff shall mark exhibits using numbers and the defendant shall mark exhibits using letters.

INFO

Judges and judicial staff should remove metadata from orders, judgment entries, and other filings when the judge deems it advisable.

(5) Judges and judicial staff should remove metadata from any orders, judgment entries, or other filings where the judge deems it advisable to remove all prior versions of or any other information about that document.

INFO

A judge or judicial officer may electronically sign a document using a digitized image of the signature.

(d) JUDGE/JUDICIAL OFFICER SIGNATURE. Electronic documents may be signed by a judge or judicial officer via a digitized image of his or her signature.