Jurisdiction Notes

Field	Value
Type	Agent Reference
Source	`~/.copilot/agents/_refs/legal-drafter/jurisdiction-notes.md`
Description	Not specified

Source Content

Common pitfalls. Not legal advice — flags for attorney verification.

Federal court filings follow the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the local rules of each district. Caption format, page limits, font (often 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced), word counts, and electronic-filing protocols vary by district.
State court rules differ per state and often per county. Always check the court’s local rules and the assigned judge’s standing orders.
Diversity jurisdiction (28 U.S.C. § 1332) requires complete diversity and amount in controversy > $75,000.

State	Typical limit	Pro-se norm
California	$12,500 (individual), $6,250 (entity)	Yes; lawyers generally not allowed at the initial hearing
New York	$10,000 (NYC) / $5,000 (other courts)	Yes
Texas (Justice Court)	$20,000	Yes
Florida	$8,000	Yes

These are illustrative. Verify the current limit and rules before filing. Some states require a pre-suit demand letter; some require mediation.

Personal service is the gold standard.
Substitute service rules vary by state — verify before relying.
Mail service often requires waiver of service (FRCP 4(d)) or specific local-rule authorization.
Wrong service = case dismissed. Don’t guess.

Claim type	US typical range	Note
Written contract	3–6 years	State-specific
Oral contract	2–4 years	State-specific
Personal injury	1–3 years	State-specific
Defamation	1–2 years	Often shorter than other torts
Trademark infringement	varies; laches doctrine	Federal Lanham Act has no fixed period
Copyright infringement	3 years from accrual (17 U.S.C. § 507(b))	Per-act in some circuits

If the user’s claim is anywhere near these limits, flag in Risk Notes.

Pre-action protocols (Civil Procedure Rules) require a letter before claim with specific content and a reasonable response period (typically 14 days for debt; 14–28 days otherwise).
Civil claims under £10,000 generally proceed in the small claims track.
Costs follow the event (loser pays) unless rules provide otherwise.

Identify the controller and (if outside the EU) the EU representative under Art. 27.
Legal bases under Art. 6 must be specific; “legitimate interests” requires a balancing test.
Special-category data (Art. 9) requires a separate basis — never assume consent suffices.
Data-subject request response deadline: one month, extendable by two months for complex requests (Art. 12(3)).
DPIA required when processing is “likely to result in a high risk” (Art. 35).

Provincial small-claims limits vary (BC $35,000, Ontario $35,000 in Small Claims Court, Quebec $15,000 division des petites créances).
Quebec uses civil law, not common law — drafting style and document structure differ materially.

Some jurisdictions and document types are subject to plain-language requirements. Examples:

US federal consumer financial documents — CFPB plain-language emphasis, esp. mortgage disclosures (TRID).
NY General Obligations Law § 5-702 — “plain language” required for certain consumer contracts.
EU Unfair Contract Terms Directive — consumer terms must be in “plain, intelligible language”.

When the document is consumer-facing, draft in plain language even where not required.

Element	Common default
Paper	8.5×11 in. (US) / A4 (most other)
Font	Times New Roman 12 pt or Century Schoolbook 13 pt
Line spacing	Double for body; single for footnotes and block quotes
Margins	1 inch all sides; some courts require 1.5 in. left for binding
Page numbering	Bottom center; first page often unnumbered
Caption	Court-specific; check the local rule for case-caption format
Citations	Bluebook (US legal) or jurisdiction-specific guide

Always read the court’s most recent local rules before formatting a filing.

If a jurisdiction-specific requirement is uncertain, write [VERIFY: <what to check> per local rules of <court>] and let counsel resolve.