Setting/Removing Civil Trials
Cases are set for trial in Prince William County either by placing the matter on
one of the Court’s regularly scheduled Civil Term Day dockets and sending a notice to the
opposing parties or by selecting a date available with the Court by agreement of
all parties.
You may obtain a trial date for a civil case by placing it on the Term Day docket or if agreed by the parties by placing a call to Judges' Chambers 703-792-6171.
Term Day Procedures
Prince William County holds Civil Term Day on the first Tuesday after the first
Monday of each month at 2 p.m.
To place a case on the Civil Term Day Docket, a
Civil Term Day Praecipe must be
filed with the Court (and all parties must be properly noticed) by 5 p.m. the Wednesday
preceding the Term Day.
Forms are available in Room 314 and online.
At Term
Day, counsel must be prepared to inform the Court of the anticipated number of
days for trial and whether a jury is requested.
When setting cases for Term Day,
counsel is certifying that all discovery has been completed or will be complete
prior to the trial date. In divorce cases that require a Commissioner, the
Commissioner’s Report must be on file before obtaining a trial date.
Setting a Case For Trial
If
all parties agree, counsel may obtain trial dates without attending Civil Term
Day, by calling Judge’s Chambers (703-792-6171) at any time prior to the week
preceding the term day.
Calls must be made by counsel only, and not by
secretaries and law clerks. Both attorneys or parties must be on the telephone line or the person placing the call must have the good dates and agreement of the other parties to select a trial date.
The trial date must then be confirmed by letter from
one of the lawyers to all counsel of record,
pro se
litigants, and the Court.
If the
parties to an action are both pro se
(without counsel), trial dates must be set either
on a Term Day or on a Motions Day, and both parties must attend that hearing.
Counsel is encouraged to schedule a trial date in a timely fashion. It is expected
that trial dates will be set
within one year
of the filing date.
Continuances of trial dates are discouraged. Continuances cannot be
accomplished solely by agreement of counsel. Counsel must seek the court’s
permission to grant a continuance. If permission for a continuance is granted, an
agreed order granting the continuance should be submitted for the judge’s
signature.
Prince William County practice with regard to Pre-trial Scheduling Orders is in
accordance with Part 1 of the Virginia Rules. The entry of Scheduling Orders is
encouraged in order to facilitate mutual agreement and understanding concerning
timeframes and the orderly progression of cases. Counsel may submit consent orders concerning scheduling matters or request the Court to enter a scheduling
order by motion.
Checking the Daily Docket
A Daily Docket is a list of all cases and actions scheduled to be heard in court on a particular day.
Go to the
Court Case Information System. Select “Prince William County Circuit." Click “Begin." Select Division: “Civil." You can search by “Name” “Case Number” (don’t forget capital “CL”) or “Hearing Date” (click on calendar to change date).
If you click on “Search by Hearing Date” and then click on a specific case number, you’ll get the main page (“Case Details”) that at the bottom has “Hearings." The “Room” is the courtroom number in which the case will be heard.
To return to the list of cases on the chosen “Hearing Date,” click on “Hearing List” at the top of the page. Also, “Pleadings/Orders” and "Services" at top of page can give you more information about the case.
Confirmation of Trial
Counsel will receive a call from Judges’ Chambers the week before trial
requesting an estimate of the time necessary for trial and confirming that a jury, if
one was previously requested, is still required.
The day before trial, Counsel will
receive a second call asking for confirmation of the time estimate. It is essential
that Counsel promptly return calls from Chambers for time estimates. The number
reserved for this purpose is 703-792-6013. (This is not a general number for use
in calling Chambers, but rather reserved for time estimates and the like for upcoming trials.)
Counsel who know they will be unavailable on the day prior to
trial should arrange for staff to provide time estimate information to Chambers.
Cases are assigned to judges on the afternoon preceding the trial based on
availability and counsel’s time estimates. Make every effort to provide an
accurate time estimate. Failure to provide an accurate time estimate can severely
disrupt the court’s schedule.
If Chambers does not know the time estimate and
the docket is full, the Judge may assign the case as a hold case that will be heard
as soon as a Judge has completed his/her assigned docket.
Settlement
Counsel are encouraged to conduct settlement negotiations in advance of the trial
date. Judges may assist in settlement discussion if requested and some will invite
discussions on their own either immediately prior to trial or during trial.
When a case settles in advance of trial, it is both parties’ responsibility to inform
Chambers at 703-792-6171 and all witnesses as soon as possible thereafter.
Revised time estimates should be called in to this number 703-792-6171 in event of a partial
settlement or complete settlement when counsel wishes to appear solely to make a
record of settlement agreement.
Removing a Case from the Docket
The Clerk’s Office cannot remove a case from the docket unless it is agreed to by both parties. To remove a case or continue a case, the attorneys/pro se parties must call Judges’ Chambers 703-792-6171. Only a Judge can continue a Show Cause.
If your case is on the
hold docket, in lieu of waiting in the hallway for the case to perhaps be called, counsel can agree to set the matter over for a new date certain. See the person at the desk outside of Chambers to obtain a new date.
To reschedule a hearing or trial that has been continued to a date certain, you must follow the same procedure available when the hearing/trial was set.
If you cannot come to court when scheduled/summoned
If you are a witness, contact the attorney/pro se party that summoned you
If you are a party to the case, please contact your attorney. If you are a pro se party, notify the Clerk’s Office or
circuitcourt@pwcgov.org.
If there is an emergency on the day of court and you cannot appear, call 703-792-6171.
Please notify the Circuit Court Clerk's Office by
email if you find that any of the links on this page do not work.
