STATEMENT OF ISSUES ON APPEAL

COURT INFORMATION

Trial Court: [United States District Court for the ___ District of ___ / Superior Court of ___ County]

Trial Court Case No.: ____________________________

Appellate Court: [United States Court of Appeals for the ___ Circuit / Court of Appeal]

Appellate Case No.: ____________________________ (if assigned)

CAPTION

[APPELLANT NAME],

Appellant,

v.

[APPELLEE NAME],

Appellee.

APPELLANT'S STATEMENT OF ISSUES ON APPEAL

PURPOSE OF THIS STATEMENT

This Statement of Issues is filed pursuant to:

☐ FRAP 10(b)(3)(A): Required when ordering a partial transcript to allow appellee to designate additional transcript portions

☐ Local Rule ___: [Specify local rule requiring statement of issues]

☐ State Rule ___: [Specify state rule requiring statement of issues]

☐ Docketing Statement Requirement: Filed as part of or in conjunction with docketing statement

☐ Court Order: Filed in response to court order dated [DATE]

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

Appellant [NAME] appeals from the [judgment / order] of the [trial court] entered on [DATE]. Appellant intends to raise the following issues on appeal.

STATEMENT OF ISSUES

ISSUE I

Issue: [State the issue clearly and concisely, framing it in terms favorable to appellant while accurately reflecting the legal question]

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Standard of Review:

☐ De novo (questions of law)

☐ Abuse of discretion

☐ Clear error (factual findings)

☐ Plain error (unpreserved issues)

☐ Substantial evidence

☐ Other: _______________________________________________

Preservation: This issue was preserved by:

☐ Motion filed on [DATE] (Dkt. No. _____)

☐ Objection made at [proceeding] on [DATE] (Transcript at _____)

☐ Argument at [hearing/trial] on [DATE] (Transcript at _____)

☐ Other: _______________________________________________

Relevant Transcript Portions:

Relevant Record Documents: Dkt. Nos. _____

ISSUE II

Issue:

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Standard of Review:

☐ De novo

☐ Abuse of discretion

☐ Clear error

☐ Plain error

☐ Substantial evidence

☐ Other: _______________________________________________

Preservation: This issue was preserved by:

☐ Motion filed on [DATE] (Dkt. No. _____)

☐ Objection made at [proceeding] on [DATE] (Transcript at _____)

☐ Other: _______________________________________________

Relevant Transcript Portions:

Relevant Record Documents: Dkt. Nos. _____

ISSUE III

Issue:

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Standard of Review:

☐ De novo

☐ Abuse of discretion

☐ Clear error

☐ Plain error

☐ Substantial evidence

☐ Other: _______________________________________________

Preservation: This issue was preserved by:

☐ Motion filed on [DATE] (Dkt. No. _____)

☐ Objection made at [proceeding] on [DATE] (Transcript at _____)

☐ Other: _______________________________________________

Relevant Transcript Portions:

Relevant Record Documents: Dkt. Nos. _____

ISSUE IV

(Add additional issues as necessary)

Issue:

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Standard of Review: _______________________________________________

Preservation: _______________________________________________

Relevant Transcript Portions: _______________________________________________

Relevant Record Documents: _______________________________________________

ADDITIONAL ISSUES (IF ANY)

☐ Additional issues to be presented:

Issue V: _______________________________________________________________________________

Issue VI: _______________________________________________________________________________

SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE CLAIMS

☐ Appellant intends to challenge the sufficiency of the evidence supporting [finding/verdict].

Pursuant to FRAP 10(b)(2), Appellant certifies that the designated transcript includes all evidence relevant to the challenged finding(s):

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES

☐ The appeal presents a constitutional question under:

☐ United States Constitution, [Amendment/Article/Clause]:
_______________________________________________________________________________

☐ State Constitution, [Article/Section]:
_______________________________________________________________________________

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

Appellant reserves the right to:

☐ Raise additional issues supported by the record

☐ Refine the statement of issues in the opening brief

☐ Raise issues that become apparent upon completion of the record

☐ Challenge issues under plain error review if preservation is contested

STATEMENT REGARDING TRANSCRIPT

Transcript Order

☐ Appellant has ordered the entire transcript of proceedings.

☐ Appellant has ordered a partial transcript as specified in the Designation of Record filed on [DATE].

Notice to Appellee Regarding Partial Transcript

If a partial transcript has been ordered, Appellee is hereby notified that pursuant to FRAP 10(b)(3)(B), Appellee may, within 14 days of service of this Statement, designate additional portions of the transcript to be included in the record. If Appellee fails to designate additional portions and subsequently raises issues requiring additional transcript, Appellee may be precluded from raising such issues.

SIGNATURE

Respectfully submitted,

_______________________________________
[ATTORNEY NAME]
[BAR NUMBER]
[FIRM NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
[TELEPHONE]
[EMAIL]

Attorney for Appellant

Dated: _______________________

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on [DATE], I served a copy of this Statement of Issues on Appeal on:

Counsel for Appellee:
[NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[EMAIL]

by:

☐ CM/ECF Electronic Filing System

☐ First-Class U.S. Mail, postage prepaid

☐ Email

☐ Hand Delivery

_______________________________________
[ATTORNEY NAME]

APPELLEE'S COUNTER-DESIGNATION / RESPONSE

(For Appellee's use if ordering additional transcript)

APPELLEE'S DESIGNATION OF ADDITIONAL TRANSCRIPT PORTIONS

Appellee [NAME], pursuant to FRAP 10(b)(3)(B), designates the following additional portions of the transcript to be included in the record on appeal:

☐ Appellee accepts Appellant's statement of issues.

☐ Appellee believes additional issues may be relevant to the appeal:
_______________________________________________________________________________

Dated: _______________________

_______________________________________
[ATTORNEY NAME FOR APPELLEE]

STATE-SPECIFIC NOTES

California

• Authority: California Rules of Court 8.124 (limited civil), 8.137 (issues on appeal)
• Timing: Filed with designation of record within 10 days of notice of appeal
• Contents: Must fairly summarize the issues appellant intends to raise
• Effect: Determines what portions of record are necessary; may limit issues on appeal
• Respondent's Designation: Respondent may counter-designate within 10 days (Rule 8.130)

Texas

• Docketing Statement: TRAP 32.1 requires a docketing statement that includes a general description of issues
• Statement with Partial Record: When requesting partial reporter's record, must specify issues to be presented (TRAP 34.6(c))
• Effect: Issues not supported by designated record may not be raised
• Cross-Issues: Appellee may raise cross-issues without cross-appeal for alternative affirmance grounds

Florida

• Authority: Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure 9.200(a)(2)
• Contents: Directions to clerk should include general statement of issues
• Transcript Designation: Must designate transcript portions relevant to issues (Rule 9.200(b)(1))
• Supplementation: Record may be supplemented if additional materials become necessary (Rule 9.200(f))

New York

• Statement of Questions: Not separately filed; issues stated in brief
• Record Settlement: Transcript disputes settled by motion (CPLR 5525)
• Appellant's Appendix: Must contain portions of record necessary for review of issues (22 NYCRR 1250.7)
• Limitation: May not raise issues not reflected in record

PRACTICE TIPS

1. Frame Issues Carefully: Issues should be stated clearly enough to guide transcript ordering but broadly enough to preserve flexibility in briefing.

2. Avoid Over-Specification: Do not lock yourself into overly narrow issue statements. Use language that encompasses related sub-issues.

3. Err on the Side of Inclusion: When in doubt, include an issue. It is easier to drop an issue than to add one later if the record was not ordered.

4. Check Preservation: Before stating an issue, verify it was preserved below. If not preserved, consider whether plain error review is available.

5. Consider Standards of Review: Different issues may have different standards. The statement should reflect awareness of applicable standards.

6. Sufficiency Challenges Require Complete Record: If challenging sufficiency of evidence, you must designate the entire relevant transcript - cherry-picking is not permitted.

7. Appellee Strategy: Appellee should carefully review appellant's issues and counter-designate any transcript portions that might help the defense.

8. Constitutional Issues: Some jurisdictions require special notice of constitutional challenges. Check local requirements.

9. Timing: File the statement with or promptly after the transcript designation. The 14-day period in FRAP 10(b)(1) runs from filing the notice of appeal.

10. Coordination with Brief: The issues in your brief should correspond to (but may refine) the issues stated here. Major discrepancies may raise waiver concerns.

11. Multiple Appellants: In cases with multiple appellants, coordinate issue statements to avoid gaps in the record.

12. Criminal Cases: Special considerations apply, including potential ineffective assistance of counsel issues that may need to be preserved even if not immediately apparent.