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West Virginia Pleading Paper Template

West Virginia does not use numbered-line pleading paper. Under Trial Court Rule 6.01, text must be double-spaced and no smaller than 12-point proportional or 11-point nonproportional type, on 8.5 by 11 inch white paper with margins no less than one inch.

Introduction

What sets a West Virginia filing apart is its precise type-size rule. Under West Virginia Trial Court Rule 6.01, the text must be double-spaced and no smaller than 12-point proportionally spaced or 11-point nonproportionally spaced type, reproduced as a clear black image on white paper. Footnote text may drop only to 11-point proportional or 10-point nonproportional, and footnotes and indented quotations may be single-spaced. The page size is eight and one-half by eleven inches, margins are no less than one inch, and multi-page documents are securely bound with metal staples or fasteners at the top left corner. West Virginia does not require consecutively numbered lines down the left margin, so this is a court filing format rather than pleading paper. Rule 6.01(b) sets the caption, which carries the court name, case number, judge name, case style, and a brief descriptive title indicating the nature of the document, plus the attorney's contact information and bar identification. A filing in undersized type or on the wrong paper can be rejected, which costs you a filing date you may need. This page covers the Rule 6.01 type, spacing, margin, paper, and caption specs, and notes that e-filed documents follow the same Rule 6.01 format to the extent practicable. DocDraft drafts your document on properly formatted West Virginia court format from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

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Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    Text must be no smaller than 12-point proportionally spaced or 11-point nonproportionally spaced type under Trial Court Rule 6.01, in a clear black image on white paper.

  2. 2

    Text must be double-spaced under Rule 6.01; footnotes and indented quotations may be single-spaced, and footnote text may drop to 11-point proportional or 10-point nonproportional.

  3. 3

    Margins must be no less than one inch under Rule 6.01.

  4. 4

    The page size must be eight and one-half by eleven inches under Rule 6.01.

  5. 5

    Multi-page documents must be securely bound with metal staples or fasteners at the top left corner.

  6. 6

    The caption under Rule 6.01(b) carries the court name, case number, judge name, case style, a brief descriptive title indicating the nature of the document, plus attorney contact information and bar identification.

  7. 7

    E-filed documents must, to the extent practicable, be formatted in accordance with Trial Court Rule 6.01, the same rules that govern paper documents.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Pleading Paper in West Virginia, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Pleading Paper guide walks through them.

Open the Pleading Paper guide

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF [COUNTY] COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA

[PLAINTIFF NAME], Plaintiff, v. Civil Action No. [CASE NUMBER] Judge [JUDGE NAME] [DEFENDANT NAME], Defendant.

[TITLE OF DOCUMENT, e.g. COMPLAINT (brief descriptive title indicating the nature of the document, per Rule 6.01(b))]

[Body formatted per Trial Court Rule 6.01: 8.5 by 11 inch white paper, margins no less than one inch, double-spaced text no smaller than 12-point proportional or 11-point nonproportional type, clear black image. Footnotes and indented quotations may be single-spaced. Bind with metal staples or fasteners at the top left corner.]

[ATTORNEY OR SELF-REPRESENTED PARTY NAME] [WV State Bar ID, if attorney] [Address / Telephone / Email] Attorney for [PARTY] / Self-Represented

West Virginia Requirements for Pleading Paper

Type size

Text must be no smaller than 12-point proportionally spaced or 11-point nonproportionally spaced type under Trial Court Rule 6.01; footnote text no smaller than 11-point proportional or 10-point nonproportional.

Line spacing

Text must be double-spaced under Rule 6.01; footnotes and indented quotations may be single-spaced.

Margins

Margins must be no less than one inch under Trial Court Rule 6.01.

Paper size

The page size must be eight and one-half by eleven inches under Rule 6.01, printed as a clear black image on white paper.

Binding

Multi-page documents must be securely bound with metal staples or fasteners at the top left corner.

Caption contents

Under Rule 6.01(b), the caption carries the court name, case number, judge name, case style, a brief descriptive title indicating the nature of the document, plus attorney contact information and bar identification.

Electronic filing format

E-filed documents must, to the extent practicable, be formatted in accordance with Trial Court Rule 6.01, the same rules governing paper documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Under Trial Court Rule 6.01, text must be no smaller than 12-point proportionally spaced or 11-point nonproportionally spaced type. Footnote text may be no smaller than 11-point proportional or 10-point nonproportional. The text must appear as a clear black image on white paper.

No. West Virginia does not require consecutively numbered lines down the left margin. Trial Court Rule 6.01 governs type size, spacing, margins, and paper, but the state does not use numbered-line pleading paper the way California or Nevada do.

Trial Court Rule 6.01 sets margins no less than one inch and a page size of eight and one-half by eleven inches. Documents are printed as a clear black image on white paper and securely bound with metal staples or fasteners at the top left corner.

Under Trial Court Rule 6.01, the text must be double-spaced. Footnotes and indented quotations may be single-spaced. This spacing rule applies whether the document is filed on paper or electronically, since e-filed documents follow Rule 6.01 to the extent practicable.