Criminal Appeal Brief - Indiana
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
| Party | Appeal information |
|---|---|
| [APPELLANT FULL LEGAL NAME], Appellant-Defendant | Court of Appeals Case No. [NUMBER] |
| v. | Trial Court Case No. [NUMBER] |
| STATE OF INDIANA, Appellee-Plaintiff | [NAME] Court, [COUNTY] County; Judge [NAME] |
APPELLANT'S BRIEF
Attorney for Appellant: [NAME], Indiana Attorney No. [NUMBER]
[FIRM OR OFFICE]
[STREET ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
[TELEPHONE] · [EMAIL]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Section and subheading | Page |
|---|---|
| Table of Authorities | [PAGE] |
| Statement of Issues | [PAGE] |
| Statement of Case | [PAGE] |
| Statement of Facts | [PAGE] |
| Summary of Argument | [PAGE] |
| Argument — [ISSUE ONE HEADING] | [PAGE] |
| Argument — [ISSUE TWO HEADING, IF ANY] | [PAGE] |
| Conclusion | [PAGE] |
| Word Count Certificate, if required | [PAGE] |
| Certificate of Service | [PAGE] |
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
List only authorities actually cited in the filed brief. Add every page on which each appears.
| Cases, in alphabetical order | Page(s) |
|---|---|
| [CASE NAME, REPORTER, COURT, YEAR] | [PAGES] |
| Statutes, in numerical order | Page(s) |
|---|---|
| [STATUTE] | [PAGES] |
| Rules and other authorities | Page(s) |
|---|---|
| [RULE OR AUTHORITY] | [PAGES] |
STATEMENT OF ISSUES
-
Whether [PRECISE REVIEWABLE RULING OR CLAIM].
-
[SECOND ISSUE, IF PRESENT.]
STATEMENT OF CASE
This appeal concerns [TYPE OF CRIMINAL PROCEEDING] in [TRIAL COURT]. The State charged Appellant with [CHARGES AND CITATIONS]. [RELEVANT PLEA, TRIAL, OR HEARING HISTORY WITH RECORD CITATIONS].
The trial court [RULING OR VERDICT], and on [DATE] entered [JUDGMENT OR SENTENCE]. [RECORD OR APPENDIX PAGE]. Appellant filed a Notice of Appeal on [DATE]. [RECORD OR DOCKET CITATION].
The issues were raised and resolved below as follows: [FOR EACH ISSUE, STATE MOTION OR OBJECTION, COURT RULING, DATE, AND RECORD OR APPENDIX PAGE].
STATEMENT OF FACTS
[NARRATIVE OF RELEVANT FACTS IN THE LIGHT REQUIRED BY EACH APPLICABLE STANDARD OF REVIEW. CITE THE RECORD OR APPENDIX AFTER EACH MATERIAL FACT. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE A WITNESS BY WITNESS SUMMARY.]
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
[SUCCINCT SUMMARY OF THE ACTUAL ARGUMENTS AND PRECISE RELIEF REQUESTED; DO NOT REPEAT HEADINGS.]
ARGUMENT
I. [ISSUE ONE HEADING]
Standard of review. [CURRENT, CONTROLLING AUTHORITY AND STANDARD APPLICABLE TO THIS ISSUE].
Preservation and procedural facts. [HOW THE ISSUE WAS RAISED, THE COURT'S RULING, AND RECORD OR APPENDIX CITATIONS].
Applicable law and analysis. [CONTROLLING STATUTE, RULE, AND CASE LAW WITH PINPOINTS; EXPLAIN WHY THE RECORD SATISFIES THAT LAW].
Prejudice and remedy. [EXPLAIN THE APPLICABLE PREJUDICE OR HARMLESS ERROR STANDARD WITH CURRENT AUTHORITY, APPLY IT TO THE RECORD, AND IDENTIFY RELIEF].
II. [ISSUE TWO HEADING — DELETE IF NOT NEEDED]
Standard of review. [AUTHORITY AND STANDARD].
Preservation and procedural facts. [RECORD OR APPENDIX CITATIONS].
Applicable law and analysis. [AUTHORITIES, RECORD, AND APPLICATION].
Prejudice and remedy. [AUTHORITIES, RECORD, AND RELIEF].
CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated above, Appellant requests that the Court [SPECIFY THE PRECISE RELIEF SUPPORTED BY EACH ARGUMENT, INCLUDING ANY REVERSAL, MODIFICATION, OR REMAND].
Respectfully submitted,
[ATTORNEY NAME]
Indiana Attorney No. [NUMBER]
Counsel for Appellant
WORD COUNT CERTIFICATE — INCLUDE IF RELYING ON RULE 44(E)
I verify that this brief contains [ACTUAL NUMBER] words, including footnotes and excluding only items listed in Indiana Appellate Rule 44(C), and does not exceed the 14,000-word limit for an appellant's brief. [DELETE THIS CERTIFICATE IF THE BRIEF COMPLIES WITH THE 30-PAGE LIMIT WITHOUT USING RULE 44(E).]
[ATTORNEY NAME]
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify that on [DATE], I served this Appellant's Brief contemporaneously with filing on the following persons by the means specified for each:
| Person served | Address or IEFS identifier | Means of service |
|---|---|---|
| [NAME OF APPELLEE'S COUNSEL] | [ADDRESS OR IDENTIFIER] | [IEFS / PERMITTED METHOD] |
| [OTHER REQUIRED RECIPIENT] | [ADDRESS OR IDENTIFIER] | [METHOD] |
[ATTORNEY NAME]
About this template
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
- Citations checked
- October 19, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Indiana
- Category
- Criminal Law
Legal authority
- Ind. Appellate Rule 9(A)(1) (notice of appeal from final judgment)
- Ind. Appellate Rule 43(B)-(I) (brief format and front page)
- Ind. Appellate Rule 44(C)-(F) (excluded items, page and word limits, certificate)
- Ind. Appellate Rule 45(B)(1) (appellant brief deadline)
- Ind. Appellate Rule 46(A) (appellant brief contents and order)
- Ind. Appellate Rule 24(A), (C)-(D) (service and certificate)
Criminal law paperwork covers every stage of a criminal case, from the first appearance and bail motion through pretrial motions, plea agreements, sentencing, and appeals. Deadlines in criminal cases are short and often unforgiving, and constitutional rights can be waived just by missing a filing. Using the right motion at the right time can mean the difference between evidence getting suppressed, charges getting reduced, or a case getting dismissed entirely.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 19, 2026.
Ind. Appellate Rule 9(A)(1) (checked October 19, 2026): "A party initiates an appeal by filing a Notice of Appeal with the Clerk (as defined in Rule 2(D)) within thirty (30) days after the entry of a Final Judgment is noted in the Chronological Case Summary."
Ind. Appellate Rule 43(B)-(I) (checked October 19, 2026): "All pages of the brief, including the front page (see Rule 43(I)), table of contents, and table of authorities, shall be consecutively numbered at the bottom beginning with numeral one."
Ind. Appellate Rule 44(C)-(F) (checked October 19, 2026): "A brief or Petition exceeding the page limit of Section D may be filed if it does not exceed, and the attorney or the unrepresented party preparing the brief or Petition certifies that, including footnotes, it does not exceed, the following number of words: Appellant's brief: 14,000 words"
Ind. Appellate Rule 45(B)(1) (checked October 19, 2026): "The appellant's brief shall be filed no later than thirty (30) days after: (a) the date the trial court clerk or Administrative Agency serves its Notice of Completion of Clerk's Record on the parties pursuant to Appellate Rule 10(C) if the notice reports that the Transcript is complete or that no Transcript has been requested; or (b) in all other cases, the date the trial court clerk or Administrative Agency serves its Notice of Completion of the Transcript on the parties pursuant to Appellate Rule 10(D)."
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