Rule 84.01.Motions, Pleadings and Other Papers -- Signatures.

Rule 84.01 handles two small but constant pieces of appellate housekeeping: who has to sign a filing, and how motion practice moves along. Every motion, suggestion, or pleading filed in an appellate court needs the signature of an attorney of record, signing in that lawyer’s own name, or of the party if that party is representing themselves. That signature is the person putting their name behind the filing and taking responsibility for it.

The rule also sets a default timetable for responding to a motion: unless the court orders something different, a party opposing a motion has five days from the date of service to file suggestions in opposition. And to keep the appellate docket moving, the rule assumes motions are decided on the papers — no motion gets argued in open court unless the court itself directs that it be argued. Together these provisions keep motion practice quick and paper-based, reserving oral argument for the merits of the appeal instead of its procedural skirmishes.