Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Adjournment & Extension Requirements

CRITICAL

An arbitration continuance requires a court order and good cause; the written request must be submitted to the court scheduling technician no later than one week before the hearing, with late-granted continuances requiring notice to the panel and parties.

A. Continuances shall be granted only by court order for good cause shown. A continuance request shall be submitted in writing to the court scheduling technician as required by rule L216C, not later than one week prior to the scheduled arbitration hearing, and served on all arbitration panel members and all parties or counsel of record. If the request is granted less than one week prior to the hearing, the requesting party or counsel shall contact the panel members and all parties or counsel of record by telephone, fax or email to inform them of the continuance.

CRITICAL

Requests for continuances must use forms provided by the court administrator.

L578. Continuances. All requests for continuances shall be on forms provided by the court administrator.

CRITICAL

Continuance requests must use and complete the court's one-page form and be submitted to the scheduling technician; fax submission is permitted, and the original is unnecessary unless requested.

All requests for continuances of any matter before the court or board of arbitration shall be made on a one-page form as promulgated by the court and obtainable from the court scheduling office or www.lycolaw.org. The form shall be completed as indicated and submitted to the court scheduling technician who will deliver it timely to the judge involved. The judge will take action on the request and will return it to the court scheduling technician for filing. Distribution to the parties will be made by the prothonotary, unless the court directs otherwise. Continuance requests on the required form may be submitted to the court scheduling technician by fax, and if so, the original need not be submitted unless requested by the court.

CRITICAL

Applications for continuance under Pa.R.C.P. No. 216 are due no later than the time set for pre-trial conferences.

Applications for continuance under Pa.R.C.P. No. 216 shall be submitted no later than the time set for pre-trial conferences.

CRITICAL

A foreseeable prior commitment will not support a continuance if counsel has not made a reasonable attempt to secure substitute counsel.

No continuances will be granted by reason of prior commitment of counsel in any court, state or federal, where such commitment was reasonably foreseeable and counsel has not made a reasonable attempt to secure substitute counsel.

CRITICAL

Requests to continue a conference or hearing before a hearing officer must be directed to the family court hearing office for decision by the hearing officer.

Requests for continuances of conferences or hearings before a hearing officer shall be directed to the family court hearing office for decision by the hearing officer.

WARNING

Lawyers should agree on scheduling meetings, depositions, hearings, and trial dates, and should not unreasonably refuse a reasonable scheduling accommodation.

3. Respect other lawyers’ schedules as your own. Seek agreement on meetings, depositions, hearings and trial dates. A reasonable request for a scheduling accommodation should never be unreasonable refused.

WARNING

6. Grant extensions of time when they are reasonable and when they will not have a material, adverse effect on your client’s interest.

6. Grant extensions of time when they are reasonable and when they will not have a material, adverse effect on your client’s interest.

WARNING

A request solely to continue the pretrial conference or trial, but not to extend discovery deadlines, must follow rule L216.

If the only relief requested is a continuance of the pretrial conference or trial (and not an extension of the discovery deadlines), the procedure to be followed is that required by rule L216.

INFO

For settlement purposes, the court may in its discretion extend the pretrial conference to a settlement conference date or for a summary jury trial.

For settlement purposes the court in its discretion may extend the pretrial conference to a settlement conference date or for a summary jury trial.