(a) All pleadings, motions, and other papers presented for filing with the clerk or intended for the use of the court shall be upon letter size (8½ X 11 inches) opaque, unglazed white paper, and
(1) shall be clearly and legibly handwritten in blue or black ink or shall be typewritten or printed in black ink using type not smaller than 12 points in type face essentially equivalent to Times New Roman or Helvetica;
(2) shall be handwritten or printed on one side of the paper only with a top margin of at least one inch, and the lines on each page shall be at least 1½ spaced except for descriptions of real property, quotations, footnotes, and similar items, which may be single spaced and indented; and
(3) shall, if consisting of more than one page, have each consecutive page numbered at the bottom center of the page.
(b) Pre-printed forms used by the court shall comply with the requirements stated in subparagraph (a) except that such forms may be single spaced, may be printed on both sides of the paper, and may use type smaller than 12 points so long as the print is clearly legible.
(c) Any exhibit or attachment filed with a pleading, motion, or other paper may be submitted in its original size; however, parties are encouraged to reduce or enlarge exhibits or attachments to letter size (8½ X 11 inches) paper if doing so does not impair legibility or clarity.
(d) No pleading, motion, or other paper shall be refused for filing because it does not comply with this rule. However, the clerk may require that a noncomplying pleading, motion, or other paper be resubmitted in compliance with this rule. The filing party shall submit the substituted pleading, motion, or paper within fifteen (15) days after its original filing and shall certify that the substituted pleading, motion, or paper is identical in content to the pleading, motion, or paper originally filed.
(e) This rule shall become effective on July 1, 2003 and shall apply to all state courts, including, without limitation: general sessions court, juvenile court, probate court, circuit court, chancery court, criminal court and the respective appellate courts. Prior to that date, pleadings, motions, and other papers presented for filing with the clerk or intended for the use of the court may be filed either on letter size (8½ X 11 inches) or legal size (8½ X 14 inches) paper.
[Adopted by order filed March 14, 2002.]