Signatures.

• Jurisdiction: United States

Section 84. Signatures.—Who shall sign a brief and how is a matter of court rules and—preeminently—of local practice.

In some Federal courts, it is customary to add the firm name; in the Supreme Court and in the District of Columbia Circuit, however, the emphasis is on "individual names" and "individual counsel,"¹⁴⁰ which discourages (though it does not forbid) the addition of firm names. Since the latter will not be carried into the reports, there is no advantage in adding them; and it may well be doubted if their appearance enhances in any way the impressiveness—or otherwise—of the brief's contents.

The Supreme Court and two Circuits require that the signature of counsel be followed by his office address.¹⁴¹ But, in any court, counsel is well advised to add his address, for a very good reason. Suppose that someone reads your masterpiece and wishes to consult you; how will...