| name | record-designation |
| title | Record Designation on Appeal |
| description | Drafts a Record Designation on Appeal identifying trial court materials for transmission to the appellate court. Covers appellant designations and appellee counter-designations with transcript requests, exhibit lists, cost allocation, and compliance guidance. Use when filing a designation of record, counter-designation, transcript designation, or preparing the appellate record after a notice of appeal. |
| author | CaseMark |
| author_url | https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/record-designation |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| version | 0.1.0 |
| execution_mode | open |
| jurisdiction | us |
| practice | litigation |
| language | en |
| tags | ["drafting","pleading"] |
Record Designation on Appeal
Drafts a designation identifying all trial court materials to be transmitted to the appellate court, organized for completeness against each appellate issue.
Prerequisites
- Notice of Appeal — filed and served; appellate case number if assigned
- Trial court docket — chronological docket with filing dates and entry numbers
- Case documents — pleadings, motions, orders, jury instructions, verdict forms
- Trial exhibits — exhibit numbers, descriptions, and admission status
- Hearing/trial dates — dates, judges, subject matter, witness lists
- Appellate issues — identified errors or rulings being challenged
- Applicable rules — jurisdiction-specific deadlines and format requirements
- Party role — appellant (initial designation) or appellee (counter-designation)
Output Structure
1. Caption
| Element | Requirement |
|---|
| Court | Full appellate court name |
| Case numbers | Appellate case no. + trial court case no. |
| Parties | Full names with appellate designations (Appellant/Appellee or Petitioner/Respondent) |
| Title | "Designation of Record on Appeal" or jurisdiction-specific variant |
2. Organization
Choose based on case complexity:
- Chronological — simple cases; all items by filing/occurrence date
- Categorical — complex cases; group by type with chronological sub-ordering
3. Foundational Documents
- Notice of Appeal
- Final judgment or appealable order
- Post-judgment motions (JNOV, new trial, reconsideration)
For each item: exact docket title, filing date, docket entry number.
4. Pleadings
- Complaint/petition (and amendments)
- Answers, responsive pleadings
- Counterclaims, cross-claims (if relevant to appellate issues)
5. Motions & Briefing
For each challenged ruling, designate the complete motion package: