--- name: az-quality-check description: > Use to QC, review, or validate an Arizona court document before filing. Triggers include "quality check Arizona filing", "is my Arizona motion ready to file", "Ariz. R. Civ. P. 10 compliance", "pre-filing review Arizona", "QC this Arizona document", "review my Arizona filing", "check this motion before I file it in Arizona", "validate this Arizona affidavit", "audit this Arizona packet", "run a quality check on my Arizona filing", "is my Maricopa Superior Court motion ready". Runs a two-pass check: (1) format pass — Ariz. R. Civ. P. 10 caption and numbered paragraphs, Rule 7.1 motion form, Rule 11 signature with the State Bar of Arizona bar number, line numbering + footer + "Page X of Y" per the marketplace conventions, Rule 5 certificate of service; (2) content pass — citations resolve (hand to az-fact-check), affirmative defenses pleaded under Rule 8(d), the correct rule set for the forum (ARCP vs. ARFLP vs. JCRCP), and required attachments including a proposed form of order for motions. Lighter touch than az-fact-check, which goes deep on evidentiary citations and sworn-versus-argued alignment. version: 0.1.0 --- # Arizona Pre-Filing Quality Check > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** This skill detects errors in form and > structural completeness. It does not assess substantive legal > sufficiency. Verify against the current Arizona Rules of Civil > Procedure and the local rules and administrative orders of the > filing court before filing. Use this skill as the **last step** before filing any Arizona court document. Two passes, plus a packet-consistency sweep. ## A note on the rule set for the forum Arizona has **three distinct trial-court rule sets**, and a filing must conform to the one that governs its forum. Confirm the correct set before the format pass: - **Ariz. R. Civ. P. (ARCP)** — Superior Court civil actions - **Ariz. R. Fam. Law P. (ARFLP)** — Superior Court family-law matters (dissolution, legal decision-making, parenting time, support); captions and pleading forms differ from ARCP - **Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure (JCRCP)** — Justice Court civil actions (including the small-claims division) This skill checks the ARCP baseline by default; **flag a forum mismatch as FAIL** and route family-law and Justice Court filings to the matching rule set (`az-family-court`, `az-justice-courts`). ## Pass 1 — Format For a generated filing, run `scripts/format-check.py` first: ``` python3 plugins/az-court-docs/scripts/format-check.py path/to/filing.docx ``` The format-check script validates the marketplace common-practice defaults (US Letter, conventional margins, body font, double or 1.5x spacing, footer with **document title + "Page X of Y"** pagination) against the Ariz. R. Civ. P. 10 / Rule 7.1 baseline. Where a value is a local-rule or administrative-order matter, the script emits **WARN** (not FAIL) — resolve those by checking the venue's local rules. Resolve any **FAIL** before continuing. ### Format pass — non-`.docx` (markdown / text drafts) Verify manually: - **Caption (Rule 10(a))** — court and county (e.g., "IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA / IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF MARICOPA"), party names with designations, **case number** and assigned division/judge, and the document title - **Title** — identifying the document (e.g., "MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT") - **Numbered paragraphs (Rule 10(b))** — sequential, each averment limited to a single set of circumstances; separate counts where required - **Motion form (Rule 7.1)** — states the relief sought, the grounds, and the supporting authority; oral-argument request, if any, noted per Rule 7.1 - **Signature block (Rule 11)** — name, address, telephone, email, and **State Bar of Arizona bar number** if an attorney, or the **"Self-Represented" / pro se** designation if not; the Rule 11 signature certifies the filing - **Certificate of Service (Rule 5)** — date, manner of service, and each recipient (and the AZTurboCourt e-service confirmation where e-filed) - **Line numbering + footer present** with **"Page X of Y"** (the pleading-paper line numbering and footer are marketplace conventions — confirm the venue does not prohibit them) - **Sensitive-data handling** — confirm the venue's redaction / sealed-document practice for protected identifiers before filing ## Pass 2 — Content The content check applies the pro-se drafting framework. Citation resolution is delegated to **az-fact-check**; this pass confirms the component is structurally complete and that the correct forum rule set governs. ### For a motion / brief: - [ ] **Correct rule set** for the forum (ARCP / ARFLP / JCRCP) - [ ] **Relief stated clearly** in the opening paragraph (Rule 7.1) - [ ] **Rule or statute citation** that grants the relief (e.g., Ariz. R. Civ. P. 56 summary judgment; Rule 12(b) dismissal; A.R.S. § ___) - [ ] **Numbered factual paragraphs** with record cites (affidavit ¶, complaint ¶, exhibit, admission) - [ ] **Application of controlling authority** — case law applied to the facts, not merely strung together (citations verified by `az-fact-check`) - [ ] **Counter-arguments addressed** - [ ] **Specific conclusion** — what exactly should the court do? - [ ] **Proposed form of order attached / lodged** with the motion (see `az-submit-order`) - [ ] **Oral-argument request** included or omitted per Rule 7.1, and hearing/response timing consistent with `az-deadlines` ### For an affidavit / declaration: - [ ] **Personal-knowledge foundation** in the opening paragraph - [ ] **Numbered factual paragraphs** — facts only, no argument - [ ] **Exhibit references** match the attached exhibits - [ ] **Jurat** — sworn before a notary, or an unsworn declaration under penalty of perjury where a declaration is permitted - [ ] **Date and place** of execution - [ ] For a **business-records** affidavit, the custodian / qualified-witness foundation under Ariz. R. Evid. 803(6) ### For a proposed form of order: - [ ] **Caption identical** to the underlying motion (Rule 10(a)) - [ ] **Findings (if any) separate from the ordering clause** - [ ] **Ordering clause mirrors** the motion's prayer for relief - [ ] **Specific dates / amounts** filled in or bracketed for the judge - [ ] **Judge signature line** at the foot; transmittal consistent with `az-submit-order` ### For an answer: - [ ] **Each allegation of the complaint addressed** (admit / deny / lack of knowledge — no skipping) under Rule 8(c) - [ ] **Affirmative defenses pleaded** under **Rule 8(d)** (statute of limitations, payment, lack of standing, etc.) — defenses not pleaded may be waived - [ ] **Compulsory counterclaims** stated (Rule 13(a)) - [ ] **Timeliness** — answer deadline confirmed against the proof of service via `az-deadlines` ## Pass 3 — Packet consistency If filing a packet (motion + affidavit + proposed order + certificate of service): - [ ] **Same caption** across all documents — court, county, party names, case number, assigned division/judge - [ ] **Same document title** referenced in the certificate of service and the proposed order - [ ] **Dates align** — certificate-of-service date matches the signature date on the motion; affidavit jurat date is consistent - [ ] **Relief sought matches** between motion prayer and proposed order ordering clause (item by item) - [ ] **All referenced exhibits** attached ## Pre-flight checklist | Check | Done | |-------|------| | Correct forum rule set confirmed (ARCP / ARFLP / JCRCP) | ☐ | | `scripts/format-check.py` run; no FAIL (WARN items confirmed against local rules) | ☐ | | Caption shows correct court, county, party names, case number, division/judge (Rule 10(a)) | ☐ | | Numbered paragraphs sequential (Rule 10(b)) | ☐ | | Motion states relief, grounds, authority (Rule 7.1) | ☐ | | Signature block has State Bar of Arizona bar number (attorney) or "Self-Represented" designation (Rule 11) | ☐ | | Certificate of Service shows manner, date, recipients (Rule 5) | ☐ | | Footer carries document title + "Page X of Y" | ☐ | | Affirmative defenses pleaded (Rule 8(d)) | ☐ | | Proposed form of order lodged with the motion | ☐ | | Response / hearing timing confirmed via `az-deadlines` | ☐ | | Local-rule page limit / chambers-copy practice confirmed for the venue | ☐ | | `az-fact-check` deep audit run (if high-stakes filing) | ☐ | ## Common Arizona pre-filing failures 1. **Wrong rule set for the forum** — an ARCP-formatted pleading filed in a family-law or Justice Court matter; confirm ARCP vs. ARFLP vs. JCRCP first. 2. **Missing State Bar of Arizona bar number or pro se designation** in the Rule 11 signature block. 3. **Affirmative defenses not pleaded** — Rule 8(d) requires defenses be set forth; omitted defenses can be waived. 4. **No proposed form of order lodged** with a motion. 5. **Caption missing the case number or assigned division** required by Rule 10(a). 6. **Affidavit not actually sworn** — an un-notarized "affidavit" carries no evidentiary weight unless an unsworn declaration under penalty of perjury is permitted. ## Composition - For the deep evidentiary-citation and sworn-vs-argued review: `az-fact-check` - For the format baseline (Rule 10 / 7.1 / 11 / 5): `az-statewide-format` - For drafting each component: `az-draft-motion`, `az-draft-declaration`, `az-draft-order`, `az-draft-note` - For deadline arithmetic (response and hearing windows): `az-deadlines` - For the correct forum rule set: `az-maricopa`, `az-pima`, `az-superior-courts`, `az-family-court`, `az-justice-courts` - For the final filing step (AZTurboCourt assembly): `az-file-packet` ## References - `az-statewide-format` for the Ariz. R. Civ. P. 10 / 7.1 / 11 / 5 baseline and the local-rule page-limit caveat - `az-law-references` for canonical Arizona rule and statute text - Always confirm the current local rules and administrative orders of the filing court — this skill checks statewide components and flags local-practice items as WARN.