Rule 4. How taken.
     (a) Filing the notice of appeal. An appeal shall be taken by filing a notice of appeal in the district court. Failure of an appellant to take any step other than the timely filing of a notice of appeal does not affect the validity of the appeal, but is ground only for such action as the supreme court deems appropriate, which may include dismissal of the appeal.
     (b) Joint or consolidated appeals. If two or more persons are entitled to appeal from a judgment or order of a district court and their interests are such as to make joinder practicable, they may file a joint notice of appeal, or may join in appeal after filing separate timely notices of appeal, and they may thereafter proceed on appeal as a single appellant. Appeals may be consolidated by order of the supreme court upon its own motion or upon motion of a party, or by stipulation of the parties to the several appeals.
     (c) Content of the notice of appeal. The notice of appeal shall specify the party or parties taking the appeal; and shall designate the judgment, order or part thereof appealed from. The notice of appeal shall substantially comply with Form 1 in the Appendix of Forms to Rule 54. An appeal shall not be dismissed for informality of form or title of the notice of appeal, so long as the information required in Form 1 in the Appendix of Forms to Rule 54 is contained in the notice of appeal.
     (1) In the event the appellant fails to certify in the notice of appeal that the appeal is or is not subject to the mediation process required by Rule 54, the clerk of the district court shall issue a written notice, substantially complying with Form 6 in the Appendix of Forms to Rule 54, directing the appellant to file an amended notice of appeal containing the required certification within 7 days.
     (2) A notice issued by the clerk of the district court pursuant to subsection (c)(1) of this rule shall not affect the original filing date of the notice of appeal.
     (d) Service of notice of appeal. The clerk of the district court shall serve notice of the filing of a notice of appeal by mailing a copy thereof to counsel of record of each party other than the appellant, or, if a party is not represented by counsel, to the party at the last known address of that party, and shall mail a copy of the notice of appeal to the clerk of the supreme court. The clerk of the district court shall note on each copy served the date on which the notice of appeal was filed. If an appellant is represented by counsel, such counsel shall provide the clerk with sufficient copies of the notice of appeal to permit the clerk to comply with the requirements of this rule. Failure of the clerk to serve notice shall not affect the validity of the appeal. The notice shall be sufficient notwithstanding the death of a party or a party's counsel. The clerk shall note in the docket the names of the parties to whom the clerk mails copies, with the date of mailing.

     History: En. Sup. Ct. Ord. 11020, Dec. 10, 1965, eff. Jan. 1, 1966; amd. Sup. Ct. Ord. June 16, 1986, eff. Jan. 19, 1987; amd. Sup. Ct. Ord. May 1, 1990, eff. May 1, 1990; amd. Sup. Ct. Ord. 95-300, April 15, 1996, eff. Oct. 1, 1996; amd. Sup. Ct. Ord. 95-300, June 17, 1997, eff. Oct. 1, 1997.