Judge Lorna G. Schofield

Memoranda of law in connection with a motion in limine are limited to five pages. No reply briefs shall be filed.

The pretrial memoranda and response each shall not exceed 25 pages.

Such deposition testimony shall be submitted as a flattened PDF and may be submitted on the condensed (four pages to a page) version of the transcript.

In jury trials, in order to keep distractions during the trial to a minimum, counsel shall be present by 9:30 A.M. and available after 4:45 P.M. to discuss scheduling and any disputed matters that may arise.

Sidebars during jury trials are not permitted under any circumstance, and during bench trials, generally will not be permitted.

Counsel shall anticipate evidentiary and legal issues and raise them well in advance of the relevant testimony, outside the presence of the jury.

A party shall first raise any issue with the opposing party before raising the issue with the Court, including anticipated evidentiary and legal issues that require argument.

The parties are expected to present witnesses throughout the entire trial day. Unless good cause is shown, if a party does not have another witness available on a given day, that party will be deemed to have rested.

Counsel shall notify the Court and other counsel in writing, at the earliest possible time, of any particular scheduling problems involving witnesses so that other arrangements can be made to fill the trial day.

At the end of each trial day, counsel shall advise the Court of any exhibits to be offered into evidence the following day and inform the Court of any objections that the parties have not been able to resolve. The Court will then admit exhibits as to which there are no objections, and to the extent possible will rule on the admissibility of any exhibits as to which there are objections.

Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, all communications with Chambers shall be by letter, not to exceed 750 words, not including exhibits, and in 12-point font, except as provided below.

Attorneys’ use of mobile phones, tablets and other personal electronic devices in the Courthouse is governed by Standing Order M10-468, available here. Any attorney wishing to bring a telephone or other personal electronic device into the Courthouse shall be a member of this Court’s Bar, shall obtain the necessary service pass from the District Executive’s Office, and shall show the service pass upon entering the Courthouse.

In order for an attorney to bring into the Courthouse any computer, printer or other electronic equipment not qualifying as a “personal electronic device,” specific authorization is required by prior Court Order. A form order is available at https://nysd.uscourts.gov/forms. Parties shall complete the fillable .PDF form and email it to Chambers at least 10 days prior to the requested date of authorization.

Before bringing any motion (except certain motions listed below), a party shall file a letter motion on ECF requesting a pre-motion conference. This letter shall be filed at least 10 business days before the proposed conference date and shall identify all of the issues in dispute and explain the legal and other grounds for the motion. No later than five business days after receipt of the letter, subject to any superseding deadline ordered by the Court, an adversary wishing to oppose the motion shall file on ECF a written response. Each party shall file a single letter not to exceed 1,200 words, not including any attached exhibits, for each pre-motion conference.

While a pre-motion conference also is not required for the following motions, the movant shall communicate with the opposing party by letter not exceeding 1,200 words, citing the controlling authorities that the movant contends would warrant granting the motion. The opposing party shall respond by similar letter within seven calendar days indicating the extent, if any, to which the opposing party concurs with movant’s objections and the amendments, if any, to be made to address them, or the reasons and controlling authority that support the pleadings as filed.

All written motions and cross-motions shall be accompanied by a memorandum of law. Local Rule 7.1 specifies the requirements for motion papers, including typeface (12-point font or larger), margins (1 inch or more) and spacing (double spaced). Unless prior permission has been granted, memoranda of law in support of, and in opposition to, motions are limited to 8,750 words, and reply memoranda are limited to 3,500 words. Memoranda of 2,500 words or more shall include a table of contents and a table of authorities, neither of which shall count toward the word limit. These limits do not apply to memoranda in support of or in opposition to a motion for reargument or reconsideration, which are limited to 3,500 words, and reply memoranda, which are limited to 1,750 words; memoranda in support of or in opposition to in limine motions, which shall not exceed 1,500 words; or objections or responses to objections to a Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation, which shall not exceed 2,500 words. These limits do not include the caption, any index, table of contents, table of authorities, signature blocks, or any required certifications, but do include material contained in footnotes or endnotes.

Each party is limited to a total of five affidavits/declarations (each not to exceed 2,500 words) in support of or in opposition to a motion. Each party is limited to a total of 15 exhibits (each not to exceed 15 pages), including exhibits attached to an affidavit/declaration.

As soon as a party decides to seek a temporary restraining order, the party shall email the Chambers inbox at Schofield_NYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov. requesting the Court’s contact information.

The party shall then call Chambers and state clearly whether: (1) the party has notified its adversary, and whether the adversary consents to temporary injunctive relief; or (2) the requirements of Rule 65(b) are satisfied and no notice is necessary.

If a party’s adversary has been notified but does not consent to temporary injunctive relief, the party seeking a restraining order shall provide the relevant parties’ availability for an in-person conference in the next few days in the email.

As noted above, parties should not hand-deliver any documents.

The Rule 56.1 statement shall not exceed 8,750 words, double-spaced unless leave of the Court to file a longer document has been obtained at least one week before the motion and statement are due to be filed.

Before filing a motion to dismiss, a party must file a letter stating the basis for the motion and a proposed briefing schedule. The letter shall be no longer than 750 words, single-spaced. No response is required.

All communications with the Court by a pro se party that are not filed on ECF must be in writing and sent to the Pro Se Intake Unit at 500 Pearl Street, Room 200, New York, NY, 10007 or through the drop box located in the lobby of the U.S. Courthouse at 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY. Documents or Court filings should not be sent directly to Chambers or Judge Schofield. No telephone calls will be accepted by Chambers.

If the pro se party is not participating in ECF, all papers to be filed with the Court by a pro se party must be sent to the Pro Se Intake Unit, United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, Room 200, New York, New York 10007. The Court will accept filings via email from pro se parties without ECF privileges. Filings submitted by email must be sent to Pro_Se_Filing@nysd.uscourts.gov, and done so in accordance with the procedures found in Section 1.1 of the ECF Rules and Instructions located at https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions.

Unless prior permission has been granted, memoranda of law in support of and in opposition to motions are limited to 8,750 words, and reply memoranda are limited to 3,500 words. If handwritten or prepared with a typewriter, memoranda in support of or in opposition to motions may not exceed 25 pages, and reply memoranda may not exceed 10 pages.

These limits do not apply to memoranda in support of or in opposition to a motion for reargument or reconsideration, which are limited to 3,500 words, and reply memoranda are limited to 1,750 words. If a memorandum is handwritten or prepared with a typewriter, it may not exceed 10 pages for memoranda in support of or opposition to reconsideration or reargument, and 5 pages for reply memoranda.

Those limits also do not apply to memoranda in support of or opposition to in limine motions, which shall not exceed 2,500 words if prepared on a computer, or five pages if prepared with a typewriter or handwritten.