Joint Pretrial Order must briefly state contested legal issues.

Joint letters filed for discovery/scheduling dispute conferences must not exceed 2 pages.

Case-related telephone inquiries must be directed to the Case Manager, not law clerks or the Judge.

The Case Manager will not respond to casual telephone inquiries regarding the status of motions or cases.

Case status information must be obtained from CM/ECF, PACER, or the Clerk's Office rather than chambers staff.

All written correspondence with the Court must be sent to Case Manager Kimberly Picota via mail to the provided address.

Courtesy copies of documents 50 or more pages (including exhibits and attachments) must be promptly delivered to the Houston Clerk’s Office.

Courtesy copies of documents for matters being heard by the Court must be delivered to the Houston Clerk’s Office within three days of filing.

Fax or email delivery of documents to Chambers is prohibited unless the Court provides specific authorization.

Emergency applications for immediate relief must be filed via CM/ECF with all communications routed through the Case Manager, including affirmation of opposing party contact.

Motions to extend Docket Control Order deadlines or cut-off dates are not classified as emergencies.

Continuances and extensions are granted only at the Court’s discretion; joint agreements are not binding, and continuances for discovery disputes are rarely approved.

Pre-motion conference required before filing specified motions (except in habeas, prisoner, Social Security, Bankruptcy appeals), with mandatory 3-page pre-motion letter and optional 3-page response due within 5 days.

Out-of-town counsel must request telephone appearance via email to Case Manager with as much advance notice as possible; dispositive/contested motions and pro se matters are preferred in person.

Counsel and pro se parties must notify the Case Manager in writing immediately upon settlement of any matter before the court.

Pre-motion conference letters are not required for motions under Fed. R. Civ. P. 50, 59, or 60.

Parties must confer with opposing counsel on all motions to reach agreement on requested relief.

All motions must include a certificate of conference detailing conferring efforts, opposition status, and contact attempts if opposition is uncertain.

All motions except those under FRCP 56 must be accompanied by a separate proposed order.

Proposed orders are prohibited from containing a bare signature block.

Nonmovant responses due 21 days after motion filing, replies due 7 calendar days after response; no sur-replies without leave of court.

Parties filing discovery or scheduling motions must arrange a pre-motion conference with the Court before submitting motion papers.

Separate requests for oral argument on motions are not required; the Court will notify counsel if oral argument is warranted.

Sealed documents in civil cases must be labeled with SEALED and the document title; docketing as solely 'SEALED DOCUMENT' requires court permission.

Extensions require good cause; first unopposed pre-deadline extensions usually granted, second case-by-case, third disfavored; post-deadline motions comply with FRCP 6(b)(2).

Court encourages lawyers with less than seven years of experience to conduct hearings, especially for motions they drafted or contributed to, to provide substantive speaking opportunities.

Counsel must confer in good faith to resolve discovery/scheduling disputes; if unresolved, must seek Court conference via joint letter with required content.

Counsel must use a numbering system for documents during discovery and pretrial process.

Motions, briefs, and memoranda are limited to 25 pages, 13-point font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins without leave of court.

Separate memoranda of law are prohibited; motions must include legal argument and authorities.