Rule 11 Agreements to Be in Writing

If you and the other side make a deal about your case, you need to get it in writing. A verbal agreement between lawyers or parties usually will not hold up in court.

To make an agreement official, it must be written down and signed, then filed with the court as part of the case record. The other option is to state the agreement out loud in front of the judge during a court hearing, where it gets recorded.

This rule protects everyone involved. If someone later claims an agreement was made but there is no written record or court entry, the court will not enforce it.