Rule 6.060.Proposed Jury Instructions and Verdict Forms
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 6.060
Plain-English Summary
Every requested jury instruction and verdict form takes two steps. A party must file it, and the party must also submit a copy to the trial judge in the manner and time the judge specifies. All of it has to be in writing and served on the opposing party. Nothing here works as an oral request.
Uniform instructions get a shortcut. A request may include any Uniform Oregon Jury Instruction by reference to its instruction number and title alone. If the uniform instruction contains blanks or alternative choices, the request has to supply the material that completes it, so the shortcut does not excuse leaving a decision open.
The formatting rules are specific, and they are the part most often missed. Requested uniform instructions are identified as the rule provides. Instructions, uniform ones included, are numbered consecutively starting with the number 1. Except for uniform instructions, only one proposed instruction goes on a page. An instruction running past one page carries a number at the lower left corner of each page, made up of the instruction's own consecutive number, a hyphen, and the page number. The designation of the requesting party is typed on each page. And below each requested instruction sits a statement citing the statute, decision, or other legal authority that supports it.
Verdict forms and any written interrogatories follow a different instinct: they are prepared without the name of the attorney or the firm, and they are submitted at the commencement of trial and as the court otherwise allows. Finally, the court must inform the parties before argument of the instructions it proposes to give, which is what lets counsel build a closing around the law the jury will hear.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I request a Uniform Oregon Jury Instruction?
By its instruction number and title. The rule lets a request incorporate a uniform instruction that way instead of retyping it. If that uniform instruction has blanks or alternative choices, you must supply the material that completes it in the request.
Are proposed jury instructions filed, or handed to the judge?
Both. A party must file any requested jury instruction or verdict form, and must also submit a copy to the trial judge in the manner and time the judge specifies. Everything must be in writing and served on the opposing party.
How should proposed instructions be formatted?
Number them consecutively beginning with the number 1. Put only one proposed instruction on a page, except for requested uniform instructions. Type the requesting party's designation on each page. Below each instruction, add a statement citing the statute, decision, or other legal authority supporting it.
If one instruction runs past a page, number each page at the lower left corner using the instruction's consecutive number, a hyphen, and that page's number.
Why can't my name appear on the verdict form?
The rule requires proposed verdict forms and written interrogatories to be prepared without the name of the attorney or the name of the firm. They are submitted at the commencement of trial and as the court otherwise allows.
When do I learn which instructions the judge will give?
Before argument. The rule requires the court to inform the parties of the instructions it proposes to give, and the timing is what makes it useful, since counsel can then argue to the law the jury will receive.