Santa Clara Superior Court Filing Rules

Fee and cost requests over $1,000 must include a separate written fee declaration signed by the attorney covering specified facts.

In bench trials, counsel must provide the court with a complete hard copy of specified pretrial submissions (in limine motions, exhibit/witness lists, stipulations, statement of the case, trial briefs) by noon on the court day before trial.

If the parties cannot agree on a settled statement, they submit plaintiffs' proposal red-lined against defendants' proposal, with plaintiffs responsible on even-numbered calendar days and defendants on odd-numbered days.

The Court transmits certain orders and proofs of service to the Sheriff's Office for entry into the domestic violence restraining order system.

The signed ADR Stipulation and Order Form must be filed within 10 days of all parties, counsel, and the neutral signing the form.

If no court reporter is retained, counsel must meet and confer at the end of each trial day and file the settled statement in court the following day at or before 8:45 a.m.

If no court reporter is retained, counsel must meet and confer daily to agree on a settled statement, which must be filed the following day at or before 8:45 a.m.

Self-represented parties are not required to e-file and may file paper documents by non-electronic means unless they affirmatively consent to electronic filing and service via form EFS-005-CV.

The remote platform for Department 72 is Uniform Digital Courtroom (UDC), with appearance logistics instructions available on the court's remote-appearances web page.

Upon approval, counsel and/or self-represented parties must promptly contact the selected ADR judge's department to schedule the session.

Attorneys should not contact the judge directly without express permission.

Attorneys must contact Department 3 by email (monitored 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.), must not contact the Judge directly without permission, and should copy other parties to avoid ex parte communication.

Motions to seal may be e-filed, but conditionally-under-seal documents must be submitted in paper form pending resolution.

A CMC may be advanced by written stipulation of all parties or continued upon timely application and good cause; if continued, the requesting party must serve notice of the continuance on all parties who received the Civil Lawsuit Notice.

Paper documents over 10 pages must be held with binder clips, exhibit attachments must be separated by titled sheets identifying the exhibit sequence, and tabs are prohibited.

Counsel must provide the courtroom clerk with an Exhibit List in an editable Word version.

Counsel must give the courtroom clerk an editable Word version of the Exhibit List.

Courtesy paper copies of specified trial documents must be delivered to the trial judge's department or Court Services by the Friday before trial.

Counsel must provide 16-17 copies of the final jury instructions to the court (12 for the jury, 2-3 for alternates, 1 for the judge, and 1 to be filed).

An email courtesy copy of all e-filed documents must be sent to the Court, with all counsel copied.

Courthouse staff will inform the requesting party of the current cost per recording and collect the fees when the request is submitted.

If meet and confer does not resolve the dispute, parties must hold an Informal Discovery Conference (IDC) with the Court before filing any discovery motion, unless otherwise authorized by the Court.

In limine and other pretrial motions are heard on the record before the jury panel is called, absent special circumstances.

Mandatory Settlement Conference Statements are limited to five pages, excluding exhibits.

Entire sets of written discovery documents may never be lodged with or received by the Court; only extracts are permitted.

A minimum of four full sets of pre-numbered exhibits is required.

The Court strongly encourages parties and senior attorneys to allow junior lawyers to participate in all court proceedings, particularly in arguing motions the junior lawyer drafted or significantly contributed to.