US · rules
N.D. Cal. Civil L.R. 3-4
Papers Presented for Filing
(a) First Page Requirements. The first page of each paper presented for filing must set
forth:
(1) The name, address, telephone number, email address, and state bar number of
counsel (or, if pro se, the name, address, telephone number, and email address of
the party) presenting the paper for filing. This information must appear in the
upper left hand corner and must indicate the party represented by name as well as
that party’s status in the litigation (i.e., plaintiff, defendant, etc.). In multiparty
actions or proceedings, reference may be made to the signature page for the
complete list of parties represented;
(2) If not proceeding pro se and if proceeding pro hac vice in conformity with Civil
L.R. 11-3, following the information required in Civil L.R. 3-4(a)(1), the name,
address, telephone and state bar number of the member of the bar of the Court
who maintains an office within the State of California; and
(3) Commencing on the eighth line of the page (except where additional space is
required for counsel identification) there must appear:
(A) The title of this Court, including the appropriate division or location;
(B) The title of the action;
(C) The case number of the action followed by the initials of the assigned
District Judge or Magistrate Judge and, if applicable, the initials of the
Magistrate Judge to whom the action is referred for discovery or other
pretrial activity;
(D) A title describing the paper; and
(E) Any other matter required by Civil L.R. 3.
(4) Any complaint or Notice of Removal of Action seeking review of federal agency
determinations in immigration cases, Privacy Act cases, or Administrative
Procedure Act cases must include, under the title of the document, whichever of
the following is applicable: “Immigration Case,” “Privacy Act Case,” or
“Administrative Procedure Act Case.”
(5) Presentation of Class Action. If any complaint, counterclaim or cross-claim is
sought to be maintained as a class action, it must bear the legend “Class Action”
on its first page below the title describing the paper as a complaint, counterclaim
or cross-claim.
(b) Caption for Consolidated Cases. When filing papers in cases consolidated pursuant to
Fed. R. Civ. P. 42, the caption of each paper must denote the lead case number above
all consolidated case numbers. Duplicate originals, however, are not required for
associated cases.
(c) General Requirements
(1) Paper. Papers presented for manual filing must be on 8½ inch by 11 inch white
paper with numbered lines, and must be flat, unfolded (unless necessary for the
presentation of exhibits), without back or cover, and firmly bound.
(2) Written Text. Text must appear on one side only and must be double-spaced
with no more than 28 lines per page, except for the identification of counsel, title
of the case, footnotes, and quotations. Unless a Judge’s standing order or other
instruction from the court requires otherwise, text, including footnotes and
quotations, must be:
(A) in a standard, proportionally spaced font (e.g., Times New Roman or
Century Schoolbook);
(B) in 12 point type or larger; and
(C) spaced no more than 10 characters per horizontal inch.
(3) Identification of Paper. Except for exhibits, each paper filed with the Court
must bear a footer on the lower margin of each page stating the title of the paper
(e.g., “Complaint,” “Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment,” etc.) or some
clear and concise abbreviation. Once the Court assigns a case number to the
action, that case number must be included in the footer.
(d) Citation to Authorities. Unless otherwise directed by the assigned Judge, citation to
authorities in any paper must include:
(1) In any citation to an Act of Congress, a parallel citation to the United States Code
by title, section and date;
(2) In any citation to U.S. regulations, a citation to the Code of Federal Regulations
by title and section, and the date of promulgation of the regulation;
(3) In any citation to a U.S. Supreme Court Case, a citation to United States Reports,
Lawyers’ Edition, or Supreme Court Reporter. If the case is not yet available in
any of those formats but is available on electronic databases, citation must
indicate the database, year, and any screen or page numbers, if assigned;
(4) In any citation to other federal courts, unless an alternate reporting service is
widely available, a citation to the Federal Reporter, Federal Supplement, or
Federal Rules Decisions must be used. If the case is not yet available in those
formats but is available on electronic databases, citation must indicate the
database, year, and any screen or page numbers, if assigned; and
(5) In any citation to a state court, citations must include either the official reports or
any official regional reporting service (e.g., West Publishing). If the case is not
yet available in those formats but is available on electronic databases, citation
must indicate the database, year, and any screen or page numbers, if assigned.
History
Cross Reference See Civil L.R. 3-9 “Parties”; Civil L. R. 3-11 "Failure to Notify of Address Change;” and Civil L.R. 11-3(e) “Appearances and Service on Local Co-Counsel. Commentary When a case is first filed, the footer on each page of the complaint need only bear the title of the paper (e.g., “Complaint”), but after assignment of a case number on filing, that number must be included in footers on any subsequently prepared papers (e.g., “Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment – 21-cv-12345-ABC.”)
Provenance
- Source
- cand.uscourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-18
- Edition
- fed-district-2026-09-18
- Content hash
4f1d848a5237e0f86bbd3ee1579a3391ed7bf3f3f22cbfb6a5cd5ed9ab2fe7c8
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