Court of Common Pleas of Berks County, Pennsylvania Chambers Communication Rules

CRITICALCivil cases

Contact the assigned Judge to get a date, time and location for argument court.

Contact the assigned Judge to get a date, time and location for argument court.

CRITICALCivil cases

A matter requiring personal presentation must first be presented to the Clerk for filing and then presented in the assigned judge’s courtroom at a prearranged time or, absent an arrangement, at 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. on a day the judge sits.

All petitions, motions, or applications necessitating personal presentation to the court shall be first presented to the Clerk for filing then made in the courtroom of the judge assigned to the case at a time prearranged with the judge and failing such prearrangement at either 9:30 A.M. or 1:30 P.M. on a day he or she is scheduled to sit.

CRITICALCivil cases

When immediate action is needed to prevent irreversible harm and the assigned judge is unavailable or cannot be assigned in time, the matter must be presented to the emergency motions judge at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., or a prearranged time.

All petitions, motions, or applications which require immediate action to prevent irreversible harm in cases where the assigned judge is unavailable or in cases where no judge has been assigned to the case and the Clerk fails to assign a judge to the case in sufficient time to allow presentation to such judge shall be presented to the emergency motions judge in his or her courtroom at 9:30 A.M. or at 1:30 P.M. or at a time prearranged with that judge.

CRITICALCivil cases

A motion, petition, or application may not be presented to a judge in chambers without prior arrangement, and an in-chambers appointment may be granted only for compelling reasons.

No motion, petition or application shall be made or presented to any judge in chambers without pre-arrangement with that judge. No request for appointment in chambers shall be granted except for compelling reasons.

CRITICALCivil cases

A continued hearing requires written notice on the award form to Court Administration and the Prothonotary.

If a hearing is held and cannot be concluded at the initially scheduled time as indicated on the certificate of readiness, a continued hearing shall be scheduled at an available and agreed upon site by the chairperson upon stipulation by the parties with written notice on the award form to Court Administration and the Prothonotary.

CRITICALCivil cases

Contact

Phone to clerk

Phone

610-478-6970

Electronic filers must immediately call the Prothonotary’s Office at 610-478-6970 to report unauthorized use of their EFS credentials.

Electronic filers shall notify the Prothonotary’s Office immediately by calling 610-478-6970 if there has been any unauthorized use of their EFS user name and password.

CRITICAL

When counsel withdraws an appeal, counsel must immediately notify the judge whose order is appealed, except that notice goes to the president judge in the stated circumstances.

Whenever an appeal is withdrawn by counsel, counsel shall give notice of such withdrawal immediately to the judge from whose order or decree the appeal was taken, except that if such judge was a visiting judge, or if such appeal is taken from an order or decree of a master, referee or review officer appointed by the court, counsel shall give such notice to the president judge of this court.

CRITICALCivil cases

If a case is settled or postponed before the scheduled hearing, counsel of record must notify each arbitrator and Court Administration in writing.

In the event that a case is settled or postponed prior to the date of the scheduled hearing, counsel of record shall notify each member of the board of arbitrators in writing as well as Court Administration.

WARNING

Contact

Phone

Phone

610-478-6467

Before submitting the request, contact the reporter who attended the proceeding for the estimated cost of one-half of the transcript; if the reporter’s name or number is unknown, contact the chief court reporter at the listed number.

(b) Contact the official court reporter that was present at the proceeding that you desire to have transcribed and request the amount of the estimated cost of one-half payment of the transcript. If you don’t know the name or contact number of the official court reporter, contact the chief court reporter at 610-478-6467;

WARNINGCriminal cases

An emergency motion, petition, or application may not be presented to the assigned judge in chambers without prior arrangement, and an in-chambers appointment requires compelling reasons.

No emergency motion, petition or application shall be made or presented to the judge assigned to the case in chambers without pre-arrangement with that judge. No request for appointment in chambers shall be granted except for compelling reasons.

WARNINGCriminal cases

A Magisterial District Judge unable to serve as scheduled must find a replacement and notify Special Courts Administration and the Communications Center.

If a Magisterial District Judge is unable to serve when scheduled for whatever reason, it shall be his/her responsibility to find a replacement and to notify Special Courts Administration and the Communications Center.

WARNING

For simultaneous Juvenile Court or Criminal Court proceedings, counsel must follow the stated appearance priority and notify the judge handling a lower-priority matter as early as possible.

In the event an attorney is scheduled to appear at the same time before different judges of this court for Juvenile Court or Criminal Court proceedings, the attorney shall first appear in accordance with the following priority: Juvenile Court hearing, jury trial, trial without jury, pretrial hearing, Post Conviction Hearing Act hearing, sentencing, guilty plea, Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition hearing, motion; and as early as possible in advance of scheduled appearances, the attorney shall notify the judge (or his/her secretary or personal tipstaff) involved in lesser priority matters of the nature of the priority proceedings.

WARNINGCriminal cases

A Magisterial District Judge unable to serve as scheduled must find a replacement and notify Special Courts Administration.

If a Magisterial District Judge is unable to serve when scheduled for whatever reason, it shall be his/her responsibility to find a replacement and to notify Special Courts Administration.

WARNING

For other simultaneous proceedings, counsel must contact each involved judge or tribunal chairman for guidance and, if no priority permission is obtained, contact the Emergency Motions Judge.

With respect to other proceedings involving an attorney scheduled to appear at the same time before different judges of this court or before this court and another court or tribunal, the attorney shall contact each judge and/or tribunal chairman involved, explain the conflict situation and seek guidance as to which proceeding the attorney shall first attend. If after contacting each judge and/or chairman involved, the attorney has not obtained permission to give one proceeding priority over the other or others, the attorney shall contact the Emergency Motions Judge of this court for instruction and direction.