Date displayed on previous comment was corrected to: 1/5/15.
Palm Beach County and Martin County Update by: Sheila - Fundamental Legal Services, LLC
As of 1/5/15, Palm Beach County Self Help Center is in the process of updating all Pro Se form packets to comply with the new formatting rule.
Martin County Pro Se Center is currently not requiring Pro Se forms to follow the new formatting.
This will only get interesting as many courts still are not aware of the new Rule.
Amendments to Document Formatting by: staff@faldp.org
Legal Eagles,
You're exactly right. But, there remains some confusion. The order states that this formatting applies to official records - lis pendens, judgments, etc. However, the Clerk Alert sent out from the clerks of court in Palm Beach County states - all documents filed. And, the template provided displays - Plaintiff and Defendant - not Petitioner and Respondent. So does this or doesn't it apply to all documents???
In addition the order states that efiling is mandatory. As far as I know efiling is not yet mandatory for pro se litigants.
Please read this blog post:
http://f-a-l-d-p.blogspot.com/2014/12/new-document-formatting-required-in.html
Amendment to Rules of Administration by: Legal Eagle Nonlawyers
It appears to apply and is effective today, your government Judicial system at work with great notice to everyone. It seems just that the Clerks who now must scan documents want them (the documents) uniform. Apparently, the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration were amended. They posted the notice before implementation and no one commented.
The more significant amendments are to subdivisions (b) (Type and Size) and (d) (Recording Space) of the rule. In order to make it easier for clerks to scan paper documents, subdivision (b) is amended, as proposed, to require paper documents filed with the court to be legibly typewritten or printed, on only one side of letter-sized white recycled paper with one-inch margins and consecutively numbered pages. Subdivision (b) also is amended, as proposed, to clarify that all documents electronically filed must be filed in a format capable of being electronically searched consistent with state and federal accessibility requirements.
Subdivision (d) (Recording Space) is amended, as proposed, to add a one-inch margin requirement and format, location, and font-size requirements for the date and time stamp on electronically filed documents.
Accordingly, we amend the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration as reflected in the appendix to this opinion. New language is indicated by underscoring; deletions are indicated by struck-through type. The amendments shall become effective January 1, 2015, at 12:01 a.m.
So you can go to the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration and see the amendments. It is interesting to note, that while Florida has it Rules of Court, many things that don't appear in the printed rules of court appear in the Rules of Judicial Administration, example, rules for requesting telephonic appearances at hearing, which forms we produce fairly regularly.
Happy New Years everyone from Legal Eagle Paralegal Nonlawyer's (document preparers)!~
