Pretrial Conferences – Domestic and Non-Domestic Cases

1. Agreed Pretrial Order in Non-Domestic Cases. In advance of the final pretrial conference, in non-domestic cases, counsel and unrepresented parties shall confer and shall attempt to prepare a joint pretrial order. The order shall be in the format found in Appendix C to these rules. If agreement cannot be reached on all portions of the proposed order, then a single submission shall be made containing separate proposals for the portions not agreed upon, clearly labeled to show which party has proposed what language. Unless otherwise ordered by the judge, the agreed pretrial order or the proposed order containing those portions agreed upon and each party's separate proposals for the remainder must be provided to the court by the time of the pretrial conference. If any counsel or party fails to participate in preparation of a joint pretrial order, the court may enter sanctions against that counsel or party at the pretrial conference, but the other party is not relieved from its corresponding duties to prepare a proposed pretrial order containing the materials called for from that party.

2. Pretrial Questionnaires in Domestic Cases. In domestic relations cases, each party should prepare and file a pretrial questionnaire in the format found in Appendix D (for divorce, separate maintenance, or annulment) or Appendix E (for paternity) to these rules. Unless otherwise ordered by the judge, this questionnaire must be filed and provided to the judge at the time of the final pretrial conference.

3. Failure to Appear at Pretrial Conference. If any party fails to appear at a pretrial conference after notice, an ex parte hearing may be held and appropriate judgment entered.