Introduction
Welcome to the Massachusetts Appeals Court. This Clerk’s Guide to Electronic Briefs is part of our continuing mission to provide the public with assistance regarding appeals and electronic filing. This guide is intended to demonstrate processes you may use when creating a portable document format (PDF) version of your brief and record appendix for submission through the eFileMA system.
This guide demonstrates:
- How to convert your brief and addendum to PDF.
- How to combine PDF documents in your brief, addendum, and appendix.
- How to make scanned materials OCR searchable.
- How to quickly edit small mistakes in a PDF.
- How to add or edit pagination, headers, and footers in a PDF.
- How to bookmark and create internal links in a PDF.
Please keep in mind the methods presented in this guide do not constitute endorsement of any particular products, but merely suggestions based on common programs. The concept and content of this guide were inspired by the Supreme Court of Texas’s Guide to Creating Electronic Appellate Briefs. For further assistance, please review the Appeals Court Guide to Appellate Briefs and Record Appendix, the Appeals Court Guide to Electronic Filing, and other Appeals Court resources.
Electronic filing at the Appeals Court
The Appeals Court’s e-filing program is governed by Massachusetts Appeals Court (M.A.C.) Rule 13.0. Although self-represented parties are allowed but not required to e-file, we encourage all parties to e-file all relevant documents to the court.
To e-file, you must register at eFileMA.com, an e-file platform maintained by Tyler Technologies, Inc., the judicial branch’s third-party vendor. If you need guidance on registering or setting up a payment account, the vendor provides training videos and self-service help.
As required by M.A.C. Rule 13.0, all attorneys with cases pending in the Appeals Court must register for an account with eFileMA.com, maintain their name and address on the eFileMA.com Public List, and use eFileMA.com to electronically file the following documents:
- All filings in criminal panel cases that are public or partially impounded.
- Briefs and appendices in civil panel cases that are public or partially impounded.
- All docketing statements in civil or criminal cases that are public or partially impounded.
- All motions and letters filed after panel assignment in civil or criminal cases that are public or partially impounded.
- All filings on the Single Justice docket in public or partially impounded cases.
Attorneys may e-file any documents not identified in the list above.
For more information on e-filing, creating an e-file account, requirements for filing into new and existing cases, and paying or waiving filing fees, please visit the Electronic Filing at the Appeals Court guide. You can also visit the eFileMA system at odysseyfileandserve.
Helpful resources
- eFileMA.com Appeals Court Electronic Filing Platform
- Appeals Court Guide to Electronic Filing
- Appellate Electronic Filing Tips for the 2020s (Boston Bar Journal, Feb. 2020)
- Appeals Court Guide to Appellate Briefs and Record Appendix
- Appeals Court Checklist for Preparing a Brief and Record Appendix
- Appeals Court Guide to Creating PDFs with Bookmarks and Internal Links
- Appeals Court Guide to Creating Bates Numbering in PDFs Using Adobe
- Appeals Court Rule 13.0 (Electronic Filing)
- Massachusetts Appeals Court Rules
- Massachusetts Rules of Appellate Procedure
- Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:25 (Massachusetts Rules of Electronic Filing)
Frequently used forms
- Appeals Court forms
- Certificate of Service
- Certificate of Compliance
- Civil Appeal Entry Form
- Civil Docketing Statement
- Criminal Docketing Statement
Tools and basic steps to create electronic briefs
Necessary tools
Word processor system
Create your brief in a word-processing system, such as Microsoft Word, where you can draft, edit, finalize, and save your brief as a PDF.
Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro
Your brief must be Optical Character Recognition (OCR) searchable as required by the Appeals Court Rules. You can use Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro to create, combine, and convert PDFs to OCR searchable. Please note that you will need Adobe Acrobat Pro to make scanned documents OCR searchable, add internal links, or redact information in a PDF.
Scanner
You may not scan your brief. You shall prepare the addendum and record appendix in an electronic format wherever possible. You may, however, scan certain required documents available only in hard copies for submission. When applicable, please set your scanner in black and white at 200 dpi to minimize file size. Only relevant images, such as color photographs used as an exhibit, may be scanned in color. See S.J.C. Rule 1:25, Rule 10 (c) and 10 (d).
Basic steps
- Convert your brief from a Word document to a PDF.
- Convert your addendum to a PDF.
- Combine your brief and addendum into one PDF.
- Convert your record appendix to a PDF separate from your brief and addendum.
- Make scanned materials OCR searchable using software such as Adobe Acrobat.
Step 1: Convert your brief from a Word document to a PDF
Do not print your brief and scan the printed copy. Convert your brief to a PDF directly from your word-processing software or using Adobe Acrobat. Below are different methods of converting your brief from a Word document to a PDF.
Option I: Microsoft 365 (Word)
- Select File at the top left corner.
- Choose Save As Adobe PDF.
- Select Save. Make sure to save a copy in Word as well.
Adobe Acrobat ribbon in Word
If you have already installed Adobe Acrobat, the Acrobat button will appear either next to View or Help, depending on the Word version. Follow the steps below to convert a Word document to a PDF using the Adobe PDFMaker ribbon.
- Choose Acrobat in the ribbon at the top of the page.
- Choose Create PDF in the Acrobat menu.
- Select Save.
Option II: Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro
Method A: From the File menu
- Choose File, select Create, and then select PDF from File.
- Locate and choose the document you wish to convert and then select Open.
Method B: From the Tools pane
- Choose Tools and select Create PDF.
- Select a file from the side bar where you can choose from Single File, Multiple Files, Scanner, Web Page, Clipboard, or Blank Page.
- Select Create and save the PDF by choosing File and then selecting Save As.
Step 2: Convert your addendum to a PDF
Your brief must include an addendum containing certain required items. See Mass. R. A. P. 16 (a) (13) and 16 (b) (3). Please do not scan addendum materials unless no electronic versions are available to you. If you scan both your brief and addendum, the scanned file size may be too large for the Appeals Court’s e-filing system. In addition, electronic documents tend to be more legible compared with scanned copies. If you must scan a document, please ensure your scanned document is OCR searchable (as described in Step 5).
Obtain electronic copies of legal authorities online
Many Massachusetts legal authorities can be located online. Please visit Mass.gov for Massachusetts General Laws and recent court decisions. You can save webpages as PDFs instead of printing and scanning them.
Online resources
- Massachusetts General Laws
- Massachusetts General Laws, Session Laws, and Bills
- Massachusetts Laws by Subject
- Massachusetts Court Cases
- M.A.C. Rule 23.0 Summary Dispositions (formerly Rule 1:28) — archive of decisions at 128archive.com.
- Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries
- Social Law Library at the John Adams Courthouse
Law libraries
Converting web pages to PDFs
Google Chrome
- Navigate to the web page you wish to convert to PDF.
- Select More Options (the three dots in the top right corner of the browser) and then select Print.
- In the Destination section, choose Save As PDF and then select Save.
Microsoft Edge
- Navigate to the web page you want to save as a PDF document.
- Select Settings and More (the three dots in the top right corner of the browser).
- Choose Print, change the Printer setting to Adobe PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF, select Print, and then select Save.
Firefox
- Navigate to the web page you want to save as a PDF document.
- Select the three-bar symbol at the top right corner of the browser.
- Select the Print icon in the dropdown menu.
- When the Print Preview appears, select Print at the upper left corner of the screen.
- Under the Name dropdown, select Adobe PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF.
Use online resources to download legal authorities and resources as PDFs
Per Mass. R. A. P. 16 (a) (13), a brief must include an addendum which contains:
- A table of contents listing each item contained therein and the page on which it begins;
- Any appealed judgment or order;
- Copies of constitutional provisions, statutes, rules, regulations, or relevant parts thereof, as in effect at the relevant time, consideration of which is required for determination of the issues presented;
- A copy of any unpublished decisions cited in the brief; and
- Outline plans in cases where geographical facts are important, unless appropriate plans are reproduced in the printed record or record appendix. The outline plan should be capable of reproduction on a single page of the printed law reports.
PDF versions of statutes and other court rules are available for download from the Massachusetts Legislature webpage, from mass.gov, and from common legal-research databases such as Westlaw, Lexis, HeinOnline, or Fastcase. Follow the instructions below to download legal resources as PDFs from these sources. Depending on the source, you can choose Print and Print to PDF, or Save to PDF.
If you need assistance accessing or using these resources, consider visiting a Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library near you.
Saving to PDF with Westlaw
On a public computer:
- Select the envelope icon in the top right corner of the document you wish to download.
- Select Email to bring up the dialog box that allows you to email a copy of the case to yourself. Make sure the Format dropdown is set to PDF.
- Under the Layout and Limits tab, uncheck the Dual column layout for Case so that the document is easier to read.
- Select Email; a PDF copy of the document will be sent to the email entered in the Recipient tab.
On a private computer:
- Navigate to the envelope icon and select Download.
- Ensure Format is set to PDF, then select Download.
- Select Download when the Ready for Download dialog box appears.
Saving to PDF with Lexis
On a public computer:
- Select the envelope icon at the top left corner of the document you wish to download.
- Select Full Document under Email and make sure the File Type is set to PDF.
- Under the Content-specific Options tab, select Single under Number of Columns so that the document is easier to read.
- Enter your email and select Submit.
On a private computer:
- At the top left corner of the document, select the arrow icon to Download.
- Select your desired document settings and select Download.
Saving to PDF with HeinOnline
On a public computer:
- Select the envelope icon at the top left corner of the document you wish to download.
- Enter your information in the relevant fields, then select Email.
On a private computer:
Select the Adobe Acrobat icon at the top left corner, which will download the document to your computer as a PDF.
Saving to PDF with Fastcase
- Select Email at the top of the document you wish to download.
- Enter your information in the relevant fields, then select Email.
Scanning a PDF using Adobe Acrobat Pro
If your scanner is connected to a computer with Adobe Acrobat Pro, you may be able to scan a document using Adobe to make it OCR searchable. This feature is not available for Adobe Acrobat Standard.
- Choose Create in Adobe, select PDF from Scanner, and then My Custom Settings.
- Under Color Mode, select Black and White.
- Under Resolution, select 200 dpi.
- Under Output, select Recognize Text (OCR), and then scan your document.
- Be sure to select Save Settings at the top right corner of the screen to maintain these settings as your default.
Step 3: Combine the brief and addendum into one PDF
The brief and addendum must be submitted as a single document. See Mass. R. A. P. 16 (a) (13). Page numbers shall appear in the margin, with the cover paginated as page 1 and pages thereafter numbered consecutively through the last page, including any addendum. See Mass. R. A. P. 20 (a) (4) (A).
Adobe Acrobat Standard and Pro
Choose File, choose Create, and select Combine Files into a Single PDF. Alternatively, choose Tools and select Combine Files.
- Select Add Files to select files from your computer. If the documents you wish to combine are currently open, you can select Add Open Files.
- In the dialog box, highlight all the files you wish to combine and select Open. The files can be a mix of formats (for example, Word, Excel, PDF).
- To arrange the files in your desired order, use the Move Up or Move Down buttons in Thumbnail View, or drag and drop the file names in List View.
- Use Add Files to add additional files if needed.
- Select Combine in the dialog box and save the combined file.
Step 4: Convert the appendix into a separate PDF
The contents of the record appendix are governed by Mass. R. A. P. 18 and the format by Mass. R. A. P. 20 (a) (5)–(6). You must submit your appendix as a separate PDF from your brief. Do not attach your appendix to your brief or any motion. An appendix will be rejected if it is nonconforming, and you will be required to refile your brief and appendix.
Creation and size of appendix volumes
Documents larger than 50 megabytes cannot be e-filed and must be divided into separate volumes, each smaller than 50 megabytes. If you have more than one volume of appendix, you must indicate that the volume is one of multiple volumes (for example, “Volume I of II”) on the cover of each volume and under the Document Description field in eFileMA.com if you choose to e-file. You should verify your appendix’s file size prior to applying page numbers, finalizing your appendix’s table of contents, and starting your brief citations.
- Each volume of the appendix shall be designated by a Roman numeral on the cover and must be separately paginated, beginning with the cover as page 1.
- All subsequent pages within each volume, including the table of contents, must be numbered consecutively.
- The first volume of the appendix shall include a complete table of contents referencing all volumes of the appendix, and each individual volume shall include a table of contents for that volume.
- Do not continue page numbers across multiple volumes. Start each volume at page 1. Remove any blank pages in your appendix before numbering, if possible.
- Any remaining blank pages must be marked as “Intentionally Blank,” and must have a page number consecutive with the previous page number to maintain the consecutive numbering.
- For appendices filed electronically, the page numbers on each volume must match the page numbers displayed in the PDF reader software.
- When your brief cites to a specific document in your appendix, your citation must include both the volume number and page number of the document (for example, “App. I at 155” or “R.A. II at 49”).
- You may need to submit multiple envelopes to e-file all of your appendices if the overall PDF file size is too large. To minimize file size, configure your scanners to scan text documents at 200 dpi and in black and white rather than in color.
- Verify the legibility and orientation of all pages in PDF documents before e-filing them.
- Any reproduction of an exhibit in an appendix should be of sufficient resolution and of original color if relevant, to ensure an accurate representation of the exhibit. For example, you must reproduce a colored photograph marked or admitted as an exhibit in the trial court in color. However, you do not need to reproduce trial-court color-coded forms in color.
Scanning documents in the appendix
If you need to scan certain materials — such as a copy of the notice of appeal or a copy of the judgment — to include in your appendix, please make sure the text of the scanned document is OCR searchable.
Step 5: Make any scanned materials OCR searchable
According to the Massachusetts Rules of Electronic Filing, all e-filed documents must be filed in searchable PDF. See S.J.C. Rule 1:25, Mass. R. E. F. 9 (a). Documents should be submitted as electronically converted PDFs rather than scanned PDFs whenever possible. Scanned PDFs are usually not searchable and must be made searchable using optical-character-recognition (OCR) software, such as Adobe Acrobat. It is critical to make your brief, addendum, and appendix OCR searchable. The Appeals Court may reject your filings if they are not compliant with the rule.
The Appeals Court recognizes that OCR software may not detect every line of text in the PDF (for example, handwritten entries). Nevertheless, you should aim to make your entire document searchable whenever possible.
Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Choose Tools, select Scan & OCR, and select Open.
- Choose Select a File and select Start.
- In the Scan & OCR toolbar, choose Recognize Text, and select In This File.
- Select All Pages if the entire PDF needs to be converted, or select Page Range to choose the pages that need to be converted.
- If you choose Page Range, enter the page range you wish to convert under Pages and select OK. We recommend choosing 200 dpi in the Downsample To dropdown menu before converting your PDF.
- Select Recognize Text.
- An alert will appear if the page is already searchable. You can choose Ignore future errors in this document and select OK.
- Choose Save to save the searchable PDF.
Fixing mistakes, editing pagination, adding bookmarks and links, and redacting information
How to fix mistakes in a PDF
Edit PDF in Adobe Acrobat (Standard or Pro)
If you spot a small mistake or typo in your brief or appendix after you converted it to a PDF, you may be able to correct it using the Edit PDF tool in Adobe. Although useful for correcting small mistakes or typos, you cannot use this tool to edit large sections of text or correct unusual fonts.
- Choose Tools, select Edit PDF, and select Open. Alternatively, choose Tools, select Content, and select Edit Document Text.
- Place the cursor where the mistake appears to correct the small mistake or typo.
Edit PDF in a word processor
If you made a substantial mistake in your PDF brief or appendix — such as leaving out a significant portion of your brief or forgetting to add certain information — you should go back and edit your original Word document and re-save it as a new PDF.
Adding headers, footers, and page numbers
- In Adobe, choose Tools, select Edit PDF, select Header & Footer, and select Add.
- Add the page number, date, or any other desired text into the appropriate section (for example, Left Header Text, Center Header Text).
- Choose the location where you wish such text to appear and select Insert.
- Choose Page Range Options and select either All Pages or Pages From to set the desired page range on the header or footer.
Bookmarking a PDF
Bookmarks allow readers to quickly navigate and locate different sections of your PDF brief and appendix. Bookmarks are not required but are strongly encouraged, as they can be extremely helpful to the justices in navigating an electronic document such as a brief or appendix.
For more information about adding bookmarks and internal links to briefs, please visit the Appeals Court’s online Guide to Creating PDFs with Bookmarks and Internal Links.
Adobe Acrobat automatically generated bookmarks (Standard and Pro)
When using the Combine Documents feature, Adobe automatically creates bookmarks by merging file names. When naming your files, choose names that can be easily identified to avoid renaming bookmarks (for example, Appendix 1 — Notice of Appeal; Appendix 2 — Trial Court Judgment).
Manually adding bookmarks in Adobe Acrobat (Standard or Pro)
- Choose the page where you wish to add a bookmark.
- Choose Edit PDF, select More, and select Add Bookmark.
- Click the New Bookmark icon or press Ctrl + B on your keyboard to create a new bookmark.
- To add a new bookmark in relation to an existing bookmark, select the bookmark above the existing bookmark and add a new bookmark. The new bookmark will appear below the selected bookmark and above the existing bookmark.
Word automatically generated bookmarks
You can use the Styles feature to create headings in your Word document and then convert it to a PDF. The PDF will automatically include bookmarks based on its headings.
Editing bookmarks using Word
- To delete a bookmark, select the bookmark and press Delete.
- To edit the name of a bookmark, double-click the bookmark, type the new name, and press Enter or Return.
Moving bookmarks using Word
To move a bookmark’s location within the Navigation Pane, choose Headings, select the arrow on the left side of the bookmark, and drag the bookmark to the desired location.
Nesting bookmarks using Word
Nesting bookmarks creates a hierarchical structure between different headings. For example, you can create different heading levels by applying different heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on). Choose heading styles in the Home tab and apply Heading 1 for top-level headings, Heading 2 for subheadings, and so on. This nesting is displayed in the Navigation Pane when you choose View and select Navigation Pane.
Adding internal links in a PDF
Internal links in a document are links that allow readers to jump to different sections within the same document by clicking on the links. Internal links are not required but are strongly encouraged, as they can be extremely helpful to the justices in navigating an electronic document such as a brief or appendix.
Adding internal links using Word
Word automatically generates internal links for phrases in heading styles when converting the Word document to PDF.
- Highlight and right-click a phrase you wish to be linked.
- Select Styles.
- Select a heading style, such as Heading 1 or Heading 2, which will automatically generate an internal link for that phrase.
Adding internal links using Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro and open the PDF document you wish to edit.
- Go to the Tools pane and select Edit PDF.
- Choose Link in the secondary toolbar and select Add/Edit Web or Document Link.
- Drag your mouse to draw a rectangle around the text where you wish the link to appear. The Create Link dialog box will appear once you release the mouse.
- In the Create Link dialog box, choose a Link Type (for example, Invisible Rectangle) and a Highlight Style for the link, and select Next.
- In the Link Action dialog box, choose Go to a page view to link to a specific page or section within the PDF, and select Next.
- Navigate to the page, heading, or section you wish to link to and select Set Link.
Inclusion of impounded materials in briefs or record appendices
The impoundment of certain materials in your brief and appendix means keeping some or all of the papers, documents, or exhibits in your case separate and unavailable for public inspection. Impounded materials, however, are still available to the parties.
Appellate-level impoundment procedures are governed by Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:15 and the Massachusetts Rules of Appellate Procedure (Rules 16 (d), 16 (m), 18 (a), and 18 (d)). The rules apply to both single-justice and panel appeals. Parties must comply with the rules if they wish to impound information to keep it confidential. All information impounded in the trial court will remain impounded in the appellate court, unless otherwise ordered, provided the parties follow the required procedures. For more information, please visit the Appeals Court online guide to impoundment procedure. These rules require:
- The parties refrain from disclosing impounded material, unless necessary.
- The disclosing party, when disclosure is necessary, file and serve a notice of the disclosure or filing of such information.
- The cover of briefs, record appendices, and other filings containing impounded material clearly indicates its inclusion (for example, “Impounded” or “Contains references to impounded material”).
- In cases where only certain portions of the record need to be impounded, parties file a separate record-appendix volume containing only that material, with its cover labeled as containing impounded material.
- The parties use a pseudonym or initials if a party’s name is confidential or impounded.
- A copy of any order of impoundment is included in the record appendix.
- The parties not disclose impounded material at oral argument unless necessary and, in such instances, notify the clerk in advance and, in appropriate cases, make such disclosures in a manner that protects the confidential information.
Protection of personally identifying information
All parties must follow Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:24 (Protection of personal identifying information in publicly accessible court documents) and Massachusetts Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 21 to protect Personally Identifying Information (“PII”) when filing any publicly accessible court documents to reduce the possibility of identity theft, unwarranted invasion of privacy, and similar harms.
PII includes social security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, credit-card or other financial-account numbers, driver’s license numbers, state-issued identification-card or passport numbers, and a parent’s birth surname. Publicly accessible court documents include briefs, appendices, motions, and all other filings accessible to the public.
The filer is responsible for redacting any PII unless a specific exemption applies. Exemptions include when the information in the document is specifically required by law, court rule, standing order, court form, or court order; when the filer reasonably believes that the complete information is needed to resolve an issue or establish the identity of a person before the court; or when the document is the official record of an agency adjudicatory proceeding or another court proceeding.
If the filer includes any PII in a Public filing in an appellate court, the filer should simultaneously file one additional copy of the filing, with such PII redacted or omitted according to the guidelines, clearly marked “Limited Personal Identifying Data” on the cover and without including any addendum or appendix.
For more information, please visit the Supreme Judicial Court’s page on Rule 1:24 and the Appeals Court’s page on Rule 21. The online resources also include the Commentary of the Standing Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil and Appellate Procedure on Rule 1:24 and the reporter’s notes on Rule 21.
Redaction
The filer is responsible for redacting PII. A redacted filing is a filing that either does not include complete PII or has portions of such information whited or blacked out so they are not readable. Unless the court orders otherwise, unredacted PII may be included in documents filed with the court if an exception applies. Please visit the Supreme Judicial Court’s page on Rule 1:24 for a complete list of exceptions.
While eFileMA allows users to designate their filings as “Public” or “Impounded,” a party should avoid including personally identifying, impounded, or confidential information in their brief and appendix whenever possible. If PII must be included, it should be redacted as follows.
Social security number, driver’s license/ID-card number, and passport number
All but the last four digits of the number must be redacted. For example: James’s SSN is 000-00-0000. His redacted SSN may be written as “xxx-xx-0000” or “SSN ending in 0000.”
Parent’s birth surname
All but the first initial of the parent’s birth surname must be redacted. For example: James’s parent’s birth surname is Solomon. The redacted form is “S.”
Financial-account numbers and credit-card numbers
All but the last four digits of the number must be redacted. For example: James’s credit-card number is 1111 2222 3333 4444. His redacted credit-card number may be written as “xxxx xxxx xxxx 4444,” or “credit-card number ending in 4444.”
Redacting using a word processor
If you have access to the original text document in a word-processing system, the best way to redact sensitive information is by locating the information and replacing it with “xxx,” “beginning with,” “ending with,” or an initial. For example:
“James Solomon’s checking-account number at Aptitude Credit is 0000 0000 0000 0000.”
becomes:
“James Solomon’s checking account at Aptitude Credit is xxx0505.”
Redacting using Adobe Acrobat Pro (feature not available in Adobe Acrobat Standard)
- Choose Tools, select Redact, and select Open.
- Choose Mark for Redaction and select Text & Images.
- Highlight the text you wish to redact, release your mouse, and you will see a red box around the text you highlighted.
- Place your cursor over the word to preview the redaction.
Last revised: May 2026 (formerly November 2024).
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NOTE: The Clerk's Office does not respond to email inquiries. If you have questions concerning appellate procedure or a case, please call the telephone number above.