--- name: mi-statewide-format description: > Use when formatting a Michigan pleading or court document. Triggers include "Michigan caption", "MCR 1.109", "MCR 2.113", "MiFILE", "proof of service Michigan", "P-number", "how do I format a Michigan complaint". Covers MCR 1.109 (document format, legibility, paper, caption, the MCR 1.109(E) signature requirement and sanctions, verification), MCR 2.113 (form of pleadings, caption, numbered paragraphs), the Michigan caption structure, the attorney's State Bar "P-number", proof of service under MCR 2.107, line-numbered pleading-paper conventions, the running footer, and Michigan citation format per the Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual. Canonical home for marketplace layout conventions for Michigan filings. version: 0.2.0 --- # Michigan Statewide Court Document Formatting > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** This skill assists with drafting and > formatting only. Verify against the current Michigan Court > Rules and the local administrative orders of the filing court > before submitting any document. Use these conventions whenever drafting a paper to be filed in a Michigan state trial court. The form of a Michigan court document is governed primarily by **MCR 1.109** (form, signing, and electronic filing of court documents) and **MCR 2.113** (form of pleadings), supplemented by **MCR 2.107** (service and proof of service of subsequent papers). ## Governing rules Michigan publishes statewide formatting requirements directly in the Michigan Court Rules — there is no per-county format code that displaces them: - **MCR 1.109(D)** — form of court documents: legibility, paper size and quality, captioning, and the requirement that each document be filed on letter-size paper. - **MCR 1.109(D)(3)** — when a document must be **verified**, and the permitted forms of verification. - **MCR 1.109(E)** — the **signature requirement and sanctions** provision. Every document of a party represented by an attorney must be signed by at least one attorney of record; a self-represented party signs personally. The signature is the certification that the document is well grounded in fact and warranted by law, the Michigan analog of the federal Rule 11 certification, with sanctions for violations. - **MCR 2.113** — form of pleadings: the caption, numbered paragraphs, adoption by reference, and attachment of written instruments. - **MCR 2.107** — service of subsequent papers and the proof of service that must accompany a filed document. Pull the verbatim rule text from the `mi-law-references` corpus at `../mi-law-references/references/court-rules/` before relying on any specific paper, margin, or font figure — those values live in the rule text, not in this skill, so they never drift here. ## Paper and legibility (MCR 1.109(D)(1)) MCR 1.109(D)(1) requires every filed document to be **legible** and on **letter-size (8½ × 11 inch) paper** of standard quality, with the form requirements (margins, font legibility, captioning) prescribed in the subrule. Confirm the current margin, font, and spacing figures against the verbatim rule in the corpus — this skill defers those values to MCR 1.109(D) rather than embedding numbers that may change. Customary practice, consistent with the rule: | Item | Practice | |------|----------| | Paper size | US Letter, 8½ × 11 inches | | Body font | A legible serif at no smaller than the rule's minimum (commonly 12 point) | | Ink | Black on white | | Page numbers | Each page numbered; `Page X of Y` in the footer | `scripts/format-check.py` validates a generated `.docx` against the MCR 1.109(D) baseline and flags departures. ## Line numbering (pleading paper) — applied BY DEFAULT Apply continuous line numbering down the left margin of every generated Michigan pleading. Line numbers count every body line and **restart on each page**. MCR 1.109 and MCR 2.113 do **not** themselves require line numbering, and a Michigan document filed without line numbers is rule-compliant. But line-numbered pleading paper is the universal convention across the `claude-legal` marketplace: it lets the court and opposing counsel cite an exact location ("page 4, lines 12–15") and never harms a Michigan filing. Apply it **by default** to every motion, brief, declaration, affidavit, notice, and proposed order. Exhibits and attachments are exempt. For programmatically generated `.docx` documents, apply line numbering through the section's `lineNumbers` property: ```javascript import { LineNumberRestartFormat } from "docx"; sections: [{ properties: { page: { /* size + margins */ }, lineNumbers: { countBy: 1, // number every line restart: LineNumberRestartFormat.NEW_PAGE, // restart 1.. each page }, }, // ... }] ``` This emits `` into the section's ``. The numbers render in the left margin and do not shift the text margin. **Do NOT set `start` explicitly.** An explicit `start: 1` renders off by one in LibreOffice (the first body line shows "2"). Omit `start` — it defaults to 1 in OOXML. If the first page uses a different top margin from later pages (to seat the caption block), use a **two-section** layout — and set `lineNumbers` on **both** sections, or numbering stops at the section break. As an alternative to two sections, push page-1 content down with a leading paragraph's `spacing: { before: ... }`. ## Required footer (mandatory on every generated document) Every generated document MUST carry a running footer on every page: - **Left**: a short document identifier — typically `[Document title] — Case No. [case number]` (e.g., `Motion for Summary Disposition — Case No. 25-123456-CZ`). Keep it to a single line so it never wraps. - **Right**: `Page X of Y`, where `X` is the current page number and `Y` is the total page count. Use Word's `PAGE` and `NUMPAGES` fields — never a static number. - **Font**: 10 pt; matches body font family. - **Alignment**: a right-aligned tab stop at 9,360 DXA (6.5") places the page counter flush right while the title stays flush left. The footer runs continuously from page 1 through the last exhibit page — do not restart or suppress pagination anywhere. ## Caption structure (MCR 1.109(D) + MCR 2.113(C)) MCR 1.109(D) sets the caption form and MCR 2.113(C) requires the first page of every pleading to contain a caption stating the **name of the court**, the **case number** (with the case-type code), the **parties**, and the **identity** of the document. The Michigan caption stacks four elements: ``` STATE OF MICHIGAN IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF WAYNE VELOCITY INVESTMENTS, LLC, Case No. ____________-CZ Plaintiff, Hon. ____________________ v. JOHN DOE, Defendant. _________________________________________/ MOTION FOR SUMMARY DISPOSITION ``` ### The four caption elements in order 1. **Court identifier block** (centered, ALL CAPS). Name the sovereign and the court: - Circuit Court: `STATE OF MICHIGAN` / `IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF [COUNTY]` - District Court: `STATE OF MICHIGAN` / `IN THE [NN]TH DISTRICT COURT` (district courts are numbered) - Probate Court: `STATE OF MICHIGAN` / `IN THE PROBATE COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF [COUNTY]` 2. **Party block.** On the left, the parties stacked with their designations, separated by a centered `v.`: - **Plaintiff / Defendant** for civil actions; - **Petitioner / Respondent** in many domestic-relations and probate proceedings; `In re [name/estate]` for in-rem captions. The party block is closed off on the right by the **case-number and judge lines** and underscored by the traditional Michigan caption rule — a horizontal line ending in a forward slash (`____/`) that separates the caption from the body. 3. **Case-number / judge line.** `Case No. ____________-[code]` carrying the two-letter **case-type code** (e.g., `CZ` general civil, `NZ`/`CB` business, `DM` domestic, `DC` paternity/support, `CK` divorce with children) and the assigned judge: `Hon. ____________________`. On an initial filing the case number is blank — the clerk assigns and stamps it — and it is populated on every subsequent paper. 4. **Document title** (centered, ALL CAPS) immediately below the caption rule: e.g., `COMPLAINT`, `ANSWER AND AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES`, `MOTION FOR SUMMARY DISPOSITION`. For the venue-specific case-type codes and local caption custom, see `mi-wayne`, `mi-oakland`, and `mi-circuit-courts`. ## Numbered paragraphs (MCR 2.113(C)) Under MCR 2.113(C), the allegations of a pleading are made in **numbered paragraphs**, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances; later paragraphs may **adopt by reference** earlier ones. Number with an Arabic numeral, a period, and a tab: `1.\tDefendant is a resident of Wayne County, Michigan.` State claims founded on separate transactions in separate counts where separation aids clarity. ## Attaching written instruments (MCR 2.113(C)(2)) When a claim or defense is founded on a **written instrument** (a contract, note, lease, or assignment), MCR 2.113(C)(2) requires a copy be **attached** to the pleading as an exhibit (or its absence excused), and the instrument is part of the pleading for all purposes. Reference each exhibit by letter in the body ("a true copy of the [instrument] is attached as **Exhibit A**") and attach the copies after the signature block and proof of service. ## Signature block (MCR 1.109(E)) Under MCR 1.109(E), every document must be **signed by at least one attorney of record** in the attorney's own name, or, if the party is self-represented, **by the party**. The signature certifies the MCR 1.109(E)(5) representations — the document is well grounded in fact, warranted by existing law or a good-faith argument for its extension, and not interposed for an improper purpose — and the rule carries **sanctions** for a violation. An attorney's signature block must include the attorney's Michigan State Bar **"P-number"** (the bar-membership number, formatted `P#####`): ``` Respectfully submitted, ____________________________ [Name] (P#####) [Firm name] [Street address] [City, MI ZIP] Phone: (###) ###-#### Email: name@example.com Attorney for [Party] ``` **Self-represented filers omit the P-number** and identify as self-represented: ``` ____________________________ [Name] [Street address] [City, MI ZIP] Phone: (###) ###-#### Email: name@example.com In Pro Per / Self-Represented ``` See `mi-pro-se` for the full self-represented drafting framework. ## Verification (MCR 1.109(D)(3)) MCR 1.109(D)(3) governs when a document must be **verified** and how. A verified document is confirmed either by oath/affirmation before a notary or other authorized officer, or by an unsworn declaration in the form the rule permits. Close a declaration with: ``` I declare under the penalties of perjury that this [document] has been examined by me and that its contents are true to the best of my information, knowledge, and belief. Executed on [date]. ____________________________ [Declarant name] ``` For a sworn affidavit, use a jurat ("Subscribed and sworn to before me this ___ day of ____, 20__") with the notary block. Confirm whether the particular filing must be sworn (notarized) versus declared, and that MCR 1.109(D)(3) authorizes the unsworn form for that use. ## Proof of service (MCR 2.107) Every paper required to be served on the other parties must be accompanied by a **proof of service** under MCR 2.107. Place it at the foot of the document: ``` PROOF OF SERVICE I certify that on [date] I served a copy of the foregoing [Document Title] on: [Opposing party / counsel name] [Address] by [the court's electronic-filing system / first-class mail, postage prepaid / personal delivery / email as permitted by MCR 2.107(C)]. ____________________________ [Signer name] ``` MCR 2.107(C) prescribes the permitted methods of serving subsequent papers (mail, delivery, and — where authorized — electronic service through the court's e-filing system). Initial process (summons and complaint) is served under **MCR 2.105**, not MCR 2.107. ## Exhibits Attach exhibits after the signature block and proof of service: 1. An **Exhibit List** page, centered title, each entry like `Exhibit A: [one-line description]`. 2. One **cover page per exhibit**: `EXHIBIT A` centered and bold, then the exhibit content. 3. Footer pagination continues through the exhibits — do not restart the page counter. A written instrument attached under MCR 2.113(C)(2) is itself an exhibit and part of the pleading for all purposes. ## Citation format Michigan citation follows the **Michigan Appellate Opinion Manual (MAOM)** for filings before Michigan courts: - Michigan Supreme Court: `Smith v Jones, 500 Mich 1; 890 NW2d 100 (2017)` — note MAOM omits periods in `v`, `Mich`, and `NW2d` and uses a semicolon between the official and regional reporters. - Michigan Court of Appeals: `Smith v Jones, 320 Mich App 1; 900 NW2d 200 (2017)` - Statutes: `MCL 600.5807` (or `Mich Comp Laws § 600.5807`) - Court rules: `MCR 2.116(C)(10)`; evidence rules: `MRE 803(6)` See `mi-fact-check` for citation verification against the MAOM conventions. ## Producing documents programmatically For `.docx` generation, use the `docx` npm package. Key points: - Set page size explicitly to US Letter (12,240 × 15,840 DXA) — `docx-js` defaults to A4. - Use a legible serif at the MCR 1.109(D) minimum size. - Build the footer with a right-aligned tab stop at 9,360 DXA and use `PageNumber.CURRENT` / `PageNumber.TOTAL_PAGES` for "Page X of Y". - Apply the `lineNumbers` section property above (omit `start`); set it on every section if you use a two-section page-1 layout. Run `scripts/format-check.py` on the generated `.docx` to validate the MCR 1.109(D) baseline. ## Filing mechanics: MiFILE / MiCOURT (TrueFiling) Michigan's statewide e-filing system is **MiFILE**, the e-filing front end to the **MiCOURT / TrueFiling** platform. E-filing is **mandatory** in many circuit and district courts and is being rolled out statewide; MCR 1.109(D) and the e-filing subrules govern the form and signature of electronically filed documents. Confirm whether the venue mandates e-filing and which document types it accepts before assembling a packet. See the venue skills and `mi-file-packet`. ## Composition - For Wayne County (Detroit): `mi-wayne` - For Oakland County (Pontiac): `mi-oakland` - For other counties: `mi-circuit-courts` - For drafting specific document types: `mi-draft-motion`, `mi-draft-declaration`, `mi-draft-note`, `mi-draft-order` - For pro se conventions: `mi-pro-se` - For pre-filing QC: `mi-quality-check` - For citation verification: `mi-fact-check` ## References - `mi-law-references` — canonical MCR, MRE, MCL, and local-rules corpus at `../mi-law-references/references/court-rules/` - `scripts/format-check.py` — MCR 1.109(D) format validation