Initial Pretrial Conference

The summons will set the date and time for an initial pretrial conference. The purpose of this conference is to schedule deadlines in the case and to discuss, as a preliminary matter, any legal or factual issues that might lead to a more efficient resolution of the case. Typically the court will fix a deadline for completion of discovery, deadlines for naming witnesses, deadlines for exchange of exhibits, a deadline for submission of exhibits to the court, and a date and time for either a final pretrial conference or trial on the merits. The court also usually requests that the parties stipulate to exhibits which are admissible; this stipulation does not preclude the parties from arguing relevancy or weight of any exhibit at trial. The court requires that the parties confer before the pretrial conference. The parties should be prepared to discuss the possibility or liklihood of settlement. Parties should bring their personal calendars to the pretrial conference.