Guide
Maine Table of Authorities: Law Court Pages and Filing
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Maine Law Court appellant briefs require a table of authorities listing every cited case, statute or other authority with page references. M.R. App. P. 7A(a)(1)(B) puts it immediately after the table of contents; Rule 7A(b) carries that requirement into appellee briefs. Maine’s distinctive pagination rule counts the cover as page 1 and uses Arabic numerals throughout, including the preliminary tables.
Build a Maine table of authorities from your brief PDF using the standard format. There is no Maine-specific preset. Confirm the court and settings, review the authorities and printed pages, and export editable Word output before your final filing review.
What the table contains and what it does not
“A table of authorities—listing each case, statute, or other authority cited in the brief—with page references.” — M.R. App. P. 7A(a)(1)(B)
The table indexes legal authorities in the brief, not the documents in the record. A case citation in a footnote still belongs in the review; an exhibit page cited to prove a fact is instead a record reference. Include authorities used for standards of review as well as the merits. Rule 7A(a)(1)(G) requires the argument for each issue to begin with the applicable review standard, so an argument-only extraction that overlooks introductory material can miss relevant citations.
The cited table provision does not prescribe alphabetical categories or a named citation manual. Alphabetical cases and separate categories for statutes and rules are a practical navigation format, not additional wording attributed to Rule 7A. It also does not expressly authorize replacing page references with passim. Keep explicit, accurate pages rather than assuming silence grants that option.
| Item | Rule | Review action |
|---|---|---|
| Appellant’s table | 7A(a)(1)(B) | Place after contents and list every authority with brief-page references. |
| Appellee’s table | 7A(b) | Use the appellee’s own authorities; narrative exceptions do not remove the table. |
| Brief’s cover | 7A(g)(3) | Count as page 1; the visible number may be suppressed. |
| Contents, TOA and blank pages | 7A(g)(3) | Continue Arabic numbering without a Roman-numeral preliminary sequence. |
| Page/word calculation | 7A(f)(3) | Exclude the TOA from the limit while retaining its numbered pages. |
| Small appendix bound with brief | 8(k)(2) | If using this option, continue the brief’s numbering under 7A(g)(3). |
Cover page one means the tables shift later pages
“The pages of the brief must be sequentially numbered, beginning with the cover page as page 1 and using only Arabic numerals for page numbers” — M.R. App. P. 7A(g)(3)
Do not use a familiar template that restarts the argument at 1 after Roman-numbered tables. The rule includes the table of contents, authorities table and blank pages in the sequential numbering. The cover counts even when its displayed number is suppressed. For a hypothetical brief with a one-page cover, two-page contents and three-page TOA, the next page is 7, not 1. These numbers illustrate the rule; they are not extracted from a filed brief.
This also explains why a table excluded from length limits can change all later page references. Reserve a stable location for it, then check the completed document, not just the pre-insertion PDF. If an appendix of 20 pages or fewer qualifies for Rule 8(k)(2)’s option to be bound and filed with the appellant’s brief, its pages use the brief’s numbering scheme. A separate appendix has its own Rule 8 requirements and is not the TOA.
Electronic filing does not eliminate printed brief review
Rule 7(c)(1) requires electronic filing of the brief by its due date as provided in Rule 1D(c). Rule 1D(c)(2) requires PDF format, and material created for the appeal must be converted from the original word-processing document into a text-based PDF. Do not intentionally scan a newly authored brief into image-only pages when the source Word file is available.
Under Rule 7(c)(3), the clerk reviews contents and formatting and emails approval or rejection with deficiencies. A corrected rejected brief must remedy those deficiencies without other changes. After approval, Rule 7(c)(4) requires 10 printed copies within seven days and simultaneous service of one printed copy on each other party. Rule 7(c)(5) allows the clerk to relieve a party of the PDF requirement and require printed copies by the electronic due date instead. Keep these brief-specific provisions separate from Rule 1D’s general rule allowing unrepresented parties paper or electronic filing, and follow current clerk notices and case orders.
Prepare, extract, insert and recheck
- Set the Word brief’s Arabic numbering from cover page one. Export the current version as a text-based PDF and retain the matching .docx.
- Open the generator in standard format. Check the actual court/settings; detection or a sample can override the entry setting.
- Review every authority and printed page reference in the PDF. Resolve full citations, short forms, duplicate entries and footnote occurrences before export.
- PDF alone downloads an editable Word table. Matching Word plus text-layer PDF can insert ordinary table text into the editable brief. Place it after the contents and preserve the sequential numbering.
- Re-export and compare final citation pages after insertion and all later edits. Review the electronic PDF and printed version consistently before submission; separately handle filing, service and binding requirements.
Frequently asked
Does an appellee need the table?
Yes. Rule 7A(b) adopts subdivision (a) with specified exceptions for narrative statements, not the table of authorities.
Do I number the cover?
Count it as page 1. Rule 7A(g)(3) allows the visible number to be suppressed on the cover, but subsequent pages continue the Arabic sequence.
Are TOA pages excluded from pagination?
No. Rule 7A(f)(3) excludes them from page/word limits, while Rule 7A(g)(3) expressly includes them in page numbering.
Is electronic submission the last filing step?
Not ordinarily. Rule 7(c) provides for clerk review and printed copies after approval, with a specified exception. Follow the current clerk’s instructions and case order.
Does Rule 7A govern trial memoranda or every reply?
It is a Law Court briefing rule, not a statewide trial-memorandum requirement. Rule 7A(c) confines replies to new appellee facts or arguments; it does not repeat the principal-brief contents list. Check the particular filing’s instructions instead of extending this guide indiscriminately.
Official sources checked October 14, 2026
- Maine Rules of Appellate Procedure, rules-only compilationReviewed/edited September 30, 2024; amendments effective November 1, 2024. Read Rules 1D, 7(c), 7A and 8(k)(2).courts.maine.gov
- Maine Judicial Branch: current rules indexIndex updated September 29, 2026 links this November 2024 appellate compilation. Edition and check date are distinct. General guidance, not legal advice; confirm current rules and case-specific orders.courts.maine.gov
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