TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Cover Page
2. Table of Authorities
3. Statement Concerning Oral Argument
4. Statement of the Issues
5. Statement of the Case
6. Statement of Facts
7. Standard of Review
8. Argument
9. Conclusion
10. Certificate of Compliance
11. Certificate of Service

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF KENTUCKY

APPELLANT'S BRIEF

Attorney for Appellant:

[________________________________]
Kentucky Bar Association No. [________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________], Kentucky [________________________________]
Telephone: [________________________________]
Email: [________________________________]

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Cases

Statutes

Rules

STATEMENT CONCERNING ORAL ARGUMENT

Appellant ☐ requests / ☐ does not request oral argument. [________________________________]

I. STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES

1. Whether the trial court erred in [________________________________].

2. Whether the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction for [________________________________].

3. Whether trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by [________________________________].

4. [________________________________]

II. STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On or about [__/__/____], an ☐ indictment / ☐ information was returned in the [________________________________] Circuit Court, [________________________________] County, Kentucky, charging Appellant with:

[Summarize significant pretrial proceedings, motions, and rulings.]

[________________________________]

On [__/__/____], the case proceeded to ☐ jury trial / ☐ bench trial / ☐ the defendant entered a plea of ☐ guilty / ☐ Alford plea.

On [__/__/____], the jury returned a verdict of:

[________________________________]

On [__/__/____], the circuit court sentenced Appellant to:

[________________________________]

(VR [__/__/____]; R. [____].)

III. STATEMENT OF FACTS

A. Commonwealth's Case

[________________________________]

(VR [__/__/____], [____].)

B. Defense Case

[________________________________]

(VR [__/__/____], [____].)

IV. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Issue 1: [________________________________]

☐ De novo review applies to questions of law, including statutory interpretation and constitutional questions. (Commonwealth v. Benham, 816 S.W.2d 186 (Ky. 1991).)

☐ Abuse of discretion applies to the trial court's discretionary rulings, including evidentiary matters and sentencing. (Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. v. Thompson, 11 S.W.3d 575 (Ky. 2000).)

☐ Sufficiency of the evidence — the test is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. (Commonwealth v. Benham, 816 S.W.2d 186 (Ky. 1991).)

☐ Palpable error review (RCr 10.26) applies to unpreserved claims. A palpable error affecting the substantial rights of a party may be considered on appeal, even though insufficiently raised or preserved, if the error results in manifest injustice. (Martin v. Commonwealth, 207 S.W.3d 1 (Ky. 2006).)

Issue 2: [________________________________]

V. ARGUMENT

A. [ISSUE ONE HEADING]

[________________________________]

1. Relevant Proceedings Below

[________________________________]

(VR [__/__/____], [____]; R. [____].)

2. Applicable Legal Principles

[________________________________]

3. Analysis

[________________________________]

4. Prejudice

☐ Under Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18 (1967), the constitutional error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt because [________________________________].

☐ Under Kentucky harmless error analysis (RCr 9.24), the error was not harmless because it substantially swayed the verdict. (Winstead v. Commonwealth, 283 S.W.3d 678 (Ky. 2009).)

B. [ISSUE TWO HEADING]

[________________________________]

1. Relevant Proceedings Below

[________________________________]

(VR [__/__/____], [____]; R. [____].)

2. Applicable Legal Principles

[________________________________]

3. Analysis

[________________________________]

4. Prejudice

[________________________________]

C. [ADDITIONAL ISSUES AS NEEDED]

[________________________________]

VI. CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, Appellant respectfully requests that this Court:

☐ Reverse the judgment of conviction.
☐ Reverse and remand for a new trial.
☐ Vacate the sentence and remand for resentencing.
☐ Modify the judgment as follows: [________________________________].
☐ [________________________________]

Respectfully submitted,

Date: [__/__/____]

_________________________________________
[ATTORNEY NAME]
Attorney for Appellant

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

Pursuant to Kentucky Rule of Appellate Procedure 32(1), I certify that this brief contains [________________________________] words, exclusive of the cover, introduction, statement concerning oral argument, statement of points and authorities, signature block, exhibits, and appendices. This brief does not exceed the 8,750-word limit.

This brief is formatted on 8.5" x 11" paper with no smaller than 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1.5-inch left margin and 1-inch margins on all other edges.

Date: [__/__/____]

_________________________________________
[ATTORNEY NAME]

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, [________________________________], hereby certify that on [__/__/____], I served the foregoing Appellant's Brief on the following parties by the method indicated:

☐ U.S. Mail, first-class, postage prepaid
☐ Electronic filing via eFiled with the Court of Appeals
☐ Hand delivery

_________________________________________
[ATTORNEY NAME]

STATE-SPECIFIC NOTES FOR KENTUCKY

1. Notice of Appeal Deadline: Must be filed within 30 days of the date the judgment or sentence is entered (Ky. RAP 73.02(1)(a)).

2. Word/Page Limit: Appellant's brief may not exceed 8,750 words or 20 pages (computer-generated) (Ky. RAP 32(1)). Death penalty cases may be extended to 120 pages or 52,500 words upon motion.

3. Appellant's Brief Due: Within 60 days after the record is filed in the Court of Appeals (Ky. RAP 31(1)).

4. Appellee's Brief Due: Within 60 days after service of the appellant's brief (Ky. RAP 31(1)).

5. Reply Brief Due: Within 30 days after service of the appellee's brief.

6. Video Record: Kentucky uses video recording of court proceedings. Record citations should reference the Video Record (VR) by date and time stamp.

7. Statement Concerning Oral Argument: Required under Ky. RAP 76.12(4)(g).

8. Palpable Error (RCr 10.26): Unpreserved errors may be reviewed if they affect the substantial rights of a party and result in manifest injustice.

9. Anders Brief: When appointed counsel finds no meritorious issues, counsel must comply with Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967).

10. RCr 11.42: Post-conviction claims, including ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claims requiring evidence outside the record, must be raised by motion under Kentucky Rule of Criminal Procedure 11.42.

11. Direct Appeal to Supreme Court: Appeals involving the death penalty and life imprisonment are taken directly to the Kentucky Supreme Court (KRS § 21A.020(1)(a)).