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Free tool

Free filing readiness checker: check a draft against court rules

Pick your court and filing type, paste or upload a draft, and see which of the court’s stored rules it meets, which parts the federal filing guide expects, and what text alone can’t show. No sign-up, no AI.

A readiness check, not a certification. It reports what it can see in the text: a clean result does not mean the filing complies with the rules. Confirm the court’s current local rules, the judge’s standing orders and any order in your case. Runs in your browser: no AI, and nothing leaves your device. Not legal advice.

Check your draft

A filing type adds the parts its federal filing guide lists and the national length limit.

Or upload a Word (.docx), PDF or .txt file. Files are read in your browser.0 characters

How it works

How the filing readiness checker works

  1. Pick the court and filing typeEvery court in DraftAria’s data is in the list. For federal courts, a filing type from the federal filing guides adds that filing’s required parts and national length limit.
  2. Paste or upload the draftPaste the text, or upload a Word, PDF or text file. The file is read in your browser; nothing is uploaded anywhere.
  3. Read each result with its ruleEvery check shows pass, needs attention or can’t verify, the requirement word for word and the rule it cites. Fonts, margins and page layout are listed as can’t verify, never as passing.
  4. Fix, re-check and downloadFix what needs attention and check again. Download the report as Word or PDF for the file or for whoever reviews the filing.

In DraftAria

What the paid app adds

This free checker is the text-only part of DraftAria’s filing checks. Signed in, you also get:

  • Aria drafts the filing. The DraftAria Template Generator builds the court-formatted structure and has Aria draft a first version in your firm’s house style, marked for review.
  • Ready to File on saved drafts. The in-app check runs on documents saved in your firm’s Library, against the court’s stored rules, with a readiness score.
  • Citation verification. Citation Check can look case citations up in CourtListener to confirm the cases exist (not that they are good law).
  • Word export of the whole brief. Download the drafted filing as Word with native heading styles and real table-of-contents and table-of-authorities fields, citations marked for the TOA.

The solo and small-firm plan starts with a 14-day free trial, no credit card. See pricing or book a demo.

More free tools and reading:

FAQ

Questions about the filing readiness checker

Is the filing readiness checker free?

Yes. There is no sign-up and no AI. The checks run in your browser, and so does reading an uploaded Word, PDF or text file: nothing you paste or upload is sent to DraftAria, to an AI model or to any other service, and nothing is saved when you leave the page.

What does it check?

The rules DraftAria's court data stores for the court you pick (word limits, fonts, citation and e-filing rules, with the rule each comes from), a caption, signature block and certificate of service, and, for a federal filing type, a heading for each part the federal filing guide lists, the national length limit and the citation format. Each result says pass, needs attention or can't verify, with the requirement and its citation.

Does a clean result mean my filing complies with the local rules?

No. The checker reports what it can see in the text, and nothing more. It is not a certification of compliance and not legal advice. Check the court's current local rules, the judge's standing orders and any order in your case before you file.

What can't it check?

Anything the text doesn't show: margins, line spacing, point size, page numbering and page breaks, and the font of pasted text or text read from a file. It also can't see a judge's standing orders or individual practices, whether a cited case exists or is still good law, or e-filing details such as PDF format, exhibits and fees. Those are listed as can't verify, never as passing.

How does it find the required parts?

It looks for a heading line that matches each part the federal filing guide lists for the filing type, such as "Statement of the Case" or "Certificate of Compliance", ignoring numbering like "I." and lines from a table of contents. A match says "found a heading that looks like" the part; no match says "not found — check", because the part may be there under another heading or the rules may let you leave it out.

How is the word count done?

The court-rule check counts every word in the text. For federal courts of appeals, the national limit is compared with an estimate that leaves out the parts FRAP 32(f) excludes (cover, tables, certificates, signature block), found by their headings, as the free brief length checker does. Base the certificate of compliance on your word processor's count.

Where do the rules come from?

From DraftAria's court data, the same rules its in-app filing checks use, and from DraftAria's federal filing guides, compiled from the national rules (the Federal Rules of Civil, Criminal and Appellate Procedure and the Supreme Court Rules). The data has not yet been verified against each court's official rules or by a reviewing attorney, and rules change, so every result shows the rule text for you to confirm.

How is this different from DraftAria's Ready to File check?

The free checker runs the same rule-based checks on text you paste or upload, one draft at a time. Signed in, Aria drafts the filing in DraftAria's Template Generator, Ready to File checks saved drafts against the court's stored rules, Citation Check can look case citations up in CourtListener, and the whole brief downloads as Word with real table-of-contents and table-of-authorities fields.

Let Aria draft it, then check the saved draft before you file.

DraftAria adds Aria drafting, Ready to File on saved drafts, CourtListener citation lookup and Word export with real TOC / TOA fields. Start a 14-day free trial, or book a demo.

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