Tennessee appeal brief requirements

Format, length, required sections and appendix rules — and a brief formatted to them for $299.

In Tennessee, most appeals are decided by the Court of Appeals of Tennessee or the Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, and the Supreme Court of Tennessee is the court of last resort. Each court has its own rules for how a brief must look and what it must contain.

At a glance

Court	Type	Margins	Opening brief	Reply	Appendix
Court of Appeals of Tennessee	Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced	1-inch margins	15,000 words	5,000 words	Appendix · A12
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee	Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced	1-inch margins	15,000 words	5,000 words	Appendix · A12
Supreme Court of Tennessee	Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced	1-inch margins	15,000 words	5,000 words	Appendix · A12

Rules profiles reviewed September 2026. Court rules change — confirm the current rules with the clerk.

Required parts of the brief, court by court

Court of Appeals of Tennessee

Intermediate appellate court — hears appeals from trial courts in civil cases

TABLE OF CONTENTS · TABLE OF AUTHORITIES · STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES PRESENTED FOR REVIEW · STATEMENT OF THE CASE · STATEMENT OF FACTS · ARGUMENT · CONCLUSION · Signature block · CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE · CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

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Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee

Intermediate appellate court — hears appeals from trial courts in criminal and post-conviction cases

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Supreme Court of Tennessee

Court of last resort — hears appeals from court of Appeals / Court of Criminal Appeals by permission (Rule 11); direct appeals in death penalty and certain cases

TABLE OF CONTENTS · TABLE OF AUTHORITIES · STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION · STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES PRESENTED FOR REVIEW · STATEMENT OF THE CASE · STATEMENT OF FACTS · ARGUMENT · CONCLUSION · Signature block · CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE · CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

Full rules Format my brief for this court

Questions

What are the brief format requirements in the Court of Appeals of Tennessee?

Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced; 1-inch margins; opening brief limit 15,000 words.

Does the Court of Appeals of Tennessee require an appendix?

Appendix: optional.

How long can a brief be in the Supreme Court of Tennessee?

Opening brief: 15,000 words; reply brief: 5,000 words.

Can AppealDraft format my Tennessee appeal brief?

Yes. Upload your draft and record documents, choose the court, and pay once ($299). You get the brief and appendix in Word and PDF, formatted to that court’s rules.

Have a draft for a Tennessee appeal?

Upload it with your record documents. We put it in the court’s required form and build the appendix — Word and PDF, $299.

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