Court Rules
district Judge
Verified Current7 days ago

Judge Eumi K. Lee

Northern District of California

Limits & Logistics

Document Limits

Mid Discovery Case Management Statement
10 pgs
Motion
25 pgs
Motion
10 pgs
Brief
25 pgs
Moving Separate Statement
15 pgs
Responsive Separate Statement
5 pgs

Courtesy Copies

Filings (Motion, Declaration, Exhibit, Brief, Opposition, Reply, Sur Reply, Proposed Order, Pretrial Order, Jury Instructions, Sentencing Memorandum, Default Judgment, Proposed Findings Conclusions, Certificate, Notice Of Appearance, Chambers Copy, Discovery Motion, Case Dispositive Motion)

Required

Filings (All filings)

Required

Filings (Administrative Record)

Required

Filings

Required • Binding: Stapled

Adjournments

Must Include

  • 1
    Reason For Request
  • 2
    Adversary Position
  • 3
    Proposed New Dates
Notice Required
3Court Days

Must Include

  • 1
    Reason For Request
  • 2
    Original Date
  • 3
    Number Of Previous Requests
  • 4
    Previous Requests Granted Or Denied
  • 5
    Adversary Position
  • 6
    Proposed New Dates
  • 7
    Proposed Order
  • 8
    Speedy Trial Act Exclusion
Notice Required
1Week

Must Include

  • 1
    Reason For Request
  • 2
    Proposed New Dates
Notice Required
48Hours

Must Include

  • 1
    Reason For Request
  • 2
    Proposed New Dates

Communication

Email

Chambers

eklcrd@cand.uscourts.gov
SchedulingTechnical Issues
Advance Notice Required
No Status Inquiries, Hours
Letter Ecf

Chambers

No Relief Requests, Status Inquiries
Phone

Chambers

eklcrd@cand.uscourts.gov
EmergenciesScheduling
Email

Chambers

Scheduling
Advance Notice Required
Zoom

Chambers

Scheduling
Advance Notice Required
Phone

Intake Unit

(408) 297-1480
Technical Issues
No Hours
Filters:AllMandatoryImportantFormattingCommunicationPage LimitsMemorandaExhibitsTRO/InjunctionSummary JudgmentCourtroom Conduct

Detailed Drafting Rules

Communication ProtocolMandatory

No ex parte communication with Judge Lee or chambers staff allowed without advance authorization.

Parties and counsel shall not engage in any ex parte communication with Judge Lee or her chambers staff by telephone, facsimile, e-mail, or any other means, unless such contact has been authorized in advance. Parties and counsel may contact Judge Lee's Courtroom Deputy at eklcrd@cand.uscourts.gov with any inquiries regarding scheduling or other administrative matters. All counsel and unrepresented parties shall be included on any e-mail communications with Judge Lee's Courtroom Deputy.

Email

Direct to: Chambers

Approved Topics
SchedulingTechnical Issues
Requirements
  • Advance Notice Required
    authorization
Prohibited
  • Status Inquiries
Page 2
|SecCOMMUNICATION WITH THE COURT
Communication ProtocolMandatory

Judge Lee does not review letters or letter briefs seeking relief.

Judge Lee does not review or respond to letters or letter briefs providing case information or seeking relief from the Court, even if the letter is filed on the docket. All requests requiring the Court to take action shall be made either by stipulation and proposed order or by an appropriate motion filed pursuant to the Civil Local Rules.

Letter via ECF

Direct to: Chambers

Prohibited
  • Relief Requests
  • Status Inquiries
Page 2
|SecCOMMUNICATION WITH THE COURT
Communication ProtocolMandatory

Emergency applications require notification to Courtroom Deputy by phone and email.

Counsel should call and email Judge Lee's Courtroom Deputy at (408) 535-5330 and eklcrd@cand.uscourts.gov to notify her if they submit an application for a temporary restraining order, a stipulation that requires a response from the Court within 24 hours, or any other emergency request.

Phone

Direct to: Chambers

Approved Topics
Emergencies
Page 2
|SecEMERGENCY APPLICATIONS
Communication ProtocolMandatory

Civil motions require reservation and meet-and-confer for hearing dates.

Civil motions are heard by reservation only. After reviewing the website, parties and counsel shall meet and confer to identify proposed hearing dates that are amenable to all relevant

Email

Direct to: Chambers

Approved Topics
Scheduling
Page 3
|SecSCHEDULING
Communication ProtocolNote

Case management conferences are held remotely via Zoom unless otherwise ordered.

Unless the Court orders otherwise, case management conferences will be held remotely via Zoom. Parties may request an in-person hearing.

Zoom

Direct to: Chambers

Approved Topics
Scheduling
Requirements
  • Advance Notice Required
    request_in_person_hearing
Page 3
|SecCASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCES
Page or Word LimitMandatory

Mid-discovery case management statement (max 10 pages) required for cases with 6+ months of fact discovery.

Mid-Discovery Case Management Statement: In cases involving at least six (6) months of fact discovery, the Court will set a deadline for the filing of a further case management statement not to exceed ten (10) pages.

Page 4
|SecCASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCES
Format RequirementMandatory

Chambers copies must be double-sided with ECF stamp.

Chambers copies should be double-sided and should bear the ECF filing “stamp” (case number, docket number, date, and ECF page number) along the top of the page.

Typography
Line SpacingDouble
Layout & Binding
Margins
Top:0.5"
Left:1"
Right:1"
Bottom:0.5"
Format RequirementMandatory

Exhibits must have labels along the right side.

All exhibits shall be clearly delineated with labels along the right side.

Format RequirementMandatory

Exhibits over 2 inches thick require binder (max 3 inches).

If the filing includes exhibits over two-inches thick, the parties shall place the copies in a binder. Binders should not exceed three inches.

Applies When:Page Threshold > 500
Layout & Binding
Binding Style
Three Ring Binder
Format RequirementMandatory

Social Security chambers copies require binders with tabbed documents.

The chambers copy should be placed in one or more binders. Each document should be tabbed with labels along the right side.

Applies When:Document Type Set Undefined
Layout & Binding
Binding Style
Three Ring Binder
Page or Word LimitMandatory

Major motions limited to 25/25/15 pages (motion/opposition/reply).

Absent leave of court, the page limits for the following types of motions and proceedings shall be 25 pages for the motion or opening brief, 25 pages for the opposition or response brief, and fifteen (15) pages for the reply brief: motions brought under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12, 23, 50, 56, 59, or 65; motions for certification of a collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act; motions brought under California’s anti-SLAPP statute; Social Security appeals; and claim construction briefing.

Page or Word LimitMandatory

Other motions limited to 10/10/5 pages (motion/opposition/reply).

Absent leave of court, the page limits for all other types of motions and proceedings, except for those addressed above or those as to which specific page limits are set forth in the Civil Local Rules or the Court’s Standing Orders, shall be ten (10) pages for the motion or opening brief, ten (10) pages for the opposition or response brief, and five (5) pages for the reply brief. Motions subject to these limits include motions for sanctions, motions to stay, and motions to compel arbitration.

Page or Word LimitImportant

Joined motions and multiple parties count toward page limits.

If a party files its own motion and joins in another party’s motion, both the party’s own motion and the joined motion will count toward the party’s page limits. Where multiple parties are represented by the same counsel, all motions filed by those parties are limited to a single brief which complies with the page limits set forth above, absent leave of court.

Page or Word LimitImportant

Page limits are maximums; excess pages will not be considered.

These page limits are maximums, not minimums. Counsel and parties are encouraged to be concise. Excess pages will not be considered by the Court.

Adjournment RequirementImportant

Page limit enlargement requests require 3-5 court days advance notice depending on type.

Requests to enlarge page limits will rarely be granted. Stipulated requests must be filed at least three (3) court days prior to filing the underlying motion. If the request is made by administrative motion rather than stipulation, the motion must be filed at least five (5) court days prior to filing the underlying motion and any opposition must be filed: (a) at least three (3) court days before the underlying motion is filed; or (b) within the time allowed by Civil Local Rule 7-11, whichever is sooner.

Notice Required

3Court Days

Before deadline or appearance

Required Content

1
Reason For Request
Applies to:
Extension
Page 9
|SecRequests to enlarge page limits
Communication ProtocolImportant

Hearings are in-person; Zoom requests require meet-and-confer and are considered case-by-case.

Hearings on civil motions will be held in-person. The Court will consider requests to appear via Zoom on a case-by-case basis. Joint requests are strongly preferred, and parties are required to meet and confer regarding such requests. If a request is granted, it will generally be applicable to all parties participating in the hearing as hybrid hearings are discouraged.

Email

Direct to: Chambers

Approved Topics
Scheduling
Requirements
  • Advance Notice Required
    at least one week prior to scheduled hearing date
Page 10
|SecHearings on civil motions
Page or Word LimitMandatory

Summary judgment briefs have page limits: first two at 25 pages, third at 20 pages, fourth at 15 pages.

The first two briefs are limited to 25 pages; the third brief is limited to twenty (20) pages; and the fourth brief is limited to fifteen (15) pages.

Page 11
|SecSUMMARY JUDGMENT
Page or Word LimitMandatory

Moving separate statement for summary judgment should not exceed 15 pages.

In most cases, the statement should not exceed fifteen (15) pages.

Page 11
|SecSUMMARY JUDGMENT
Page or Word LimitMandatory

Responsive separate statement should add no more than 5 pages to moving statement.

In most cases, the responsive separate statement should add no more than five (5) pages to the moving separate statement.

Page 12
|SecSUMMARY JUDGMENT
Format RequirementMandatory

Moving separate statement must be organized in chart format as shown in Attachment A.

The moving separate statement must be organized in the form of a chart as shown in Attachment A.

Applies When:Motion Type Set Undefined
Page 11
|SecSUMMARY JUDGMENT
Format RequirementMandatory

Responsive separate statement must be organized in chart format as shown in Attachment A.

The responsive separate statement must be organized in the form of a chart as shown in Attachment A.

Applies When:Motion Type Set Undefined
Page 12
|SecSUMMARY JUDGMENT
Document RequirementMandatory

Separate statements must not include argument or circumvent page limits.

The separate statements shall not include argument in support of the summary judgment motion and shall not be used to circumvent the page limits that apply to summary judgment briefing.

Document Type

Separate Statement

Content & Formatting
Legal Argument
Page 12
|SecSUMMARY JUDGMENT
Format RequirementImportant

Class action notices must use plain language without unnecessary acronyms.

Proposed notices must be written in plain language without unnecessary acronyms.

Applies When:Document Type Set Undefined
Page 13
|SecNotice and Claims Procedure
Communication ProtocolNote

Pro se parties may contact Federal Pro Se Program for limited legal services.

Parties representing themselves may wish to contact the Federal Pro Se Program, a free program that offers limited legal services to pro se litigants.

Phone

Direct to: Intake Unit

Approved Topics
Technical Issues
Prohibited
  • Hours
    9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Page 14
|SecUnrepresented Parties