Judge Paula Williams
Individual Rules, Standing Orders & Policies
Adjournments
- Requests to extend or continue deadlines or vacate hearings must provide the current and proposed deadlines, opposing-party agreement, specific good cause, and all parties’ positions; overdue requests must explain the delay.
Request must include
Document Filing Requirements2 rules
• A proposed order must accompany every motion.
- Document
- Motion
Must include
- •Proposed order
• Motions must include a certification specifying: o the date of the meet and confer, o how it took place (telephone, video, or in-person), and o the specific issues that remain unresolved.
- Document
- Motion
Must include
- •Certificate of conference
Filing & Service rules
Filing Timing and Cure Windows
Witness lists, exhibit lists, and any pre-hearing memoranda must be filed and exchanged at least five business days before an evidentiary hearing, unless the Court orders otherwise.
• Witness lists, exhibit lists, and any pre hearing memoranda must be filed and exchanged at least five business days before an evidentiary hearing, unless otherwise ordered.
Page 1 | 4. HEARINGS & ORAL ARGUMENT
Filing Bundling Requirements
Combination pleadings are prohibited; petitions, objections, applications, and motions must be filed separately, and filings must be self-contained without incorporating other filings by reference.
• Parties shall not file combination pleadings. All petitions, objections, applications, and motions are to be filed separately and designated as such. No filing will be accepted if filed in combination with another. Additionally, all filings shall be fully self-contained and shall not “incorporate by reference” other separate filings for review and consideration as part of the pending filing.
Page 1 | 1. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
Pre-Motion Conference Requirements
Parties must meet and confer before filing a discovery motion.
• Parties must meet and confer before filing any discovery motion.
Page 1 | 3. DISCOVERY & DISCLOSURE MOTIONS
Adjournment & Extension Requirements
Requests to extend or continue deadlines or vacate hearings must provide the current and proposed deadlines, opposing-party agreement, specific good cause, and all parties’ positions; overdue requests must explain the delay.
When requesting to extend or continue deadlines or vacate hearings, parties must include: • the current deadline, • the proposed new deadline, • whether the opposing party agrees, • specific good cause supporting the request, and • the position of all parties. • requests made after a deadline has passed must explain the untimeliness.
Page 1 | 2. EXTENSIONS AND CONTINUANCES
Chambers Communication Rules
Emails to the Judge’s Division or chambers must copy opposing counsel and self-represented parties.
• All emails to the Judge’s Division/chambers must copy opposing counsel and self represented parties.
Page 1 | 6. COMMUNICATION WITH JUDGE’S DIVISION/CHAMBERS